We Came As Strangers Mixing Competition

[Endureth]

So I took a stab at Justin's mixing competition and searched for other threads that I could add to but haven't seen one yet so I started this one.  I put it here because it's the 'production' forum so if it belongs somewhere else, please move it for me?

Here's my entry, submitted through all the proper channels, just posting here to see how many other people are going to give it a go and share their mixes.

I opted not to add any instruments but I took some out and did a bit of arranging.

Enjoy:

[artonsafari]

Cool. Might have to give it a go in a style I'm not used to. 

[TheCasual]

My attempt at butchering very good song.

Didn't add any new playing, but replaced the drums and bass with a more reggae groove. Also adding a sitar instead of the piano. I removed the synth because it clashed with sitar.

[Cue Zephyr]

I'm giving it a go.

Since there's no mention of entries-per-person I might end up with two radically different mixes. Provided I don't run out of inspiration on one.

[TheCasual]

I'm giving it a go.

Since there's no mention of entries-per-person I might end up with two radically different mixes. Provided I don't run out of inspiration on one.

Read on the WCAS website you can enter as many times as you want.

With your talent I expect something special 

Something bluegrass? banjo riffs? 

[Endureth]

Good to hear because I might be working on another version right now.

[mike42]

Wow, this looks pretty cool! Hopefully I'll have some time to give it a go this weekend.

[TB-AV]

I've started something rough, but I hope they aren't going to end this any time soon.

 

[Cue Zephyr]

I'm giving it a go.

Since there's no mention of entries-per-person I might end up with two radically different mixes. Provided I don't run out of inspiration on one.

Read on the WCAS website you can enter as many times as you want.

With your talent I expect something special 

Something bluegrass? banjo riffs? 

Ah, thanks for the compliment!

I only read the PDF, not the website. I should've known.

I was indeed thinking of something bluegrass-influenced, but with more of a general acoustic music approach. Sucks that I don't have an upright bass at my disposal, but many acoustic sessions use an electric bass anyway.

ETA: And so did New Grass Revival, except I'm not even 1% as talented as even one of the members.

[TheCasual]

Had another go at butchering and went totally out my comfort zone and did a dance remix.

[LievenDV]

Good job guys; I like diggers version most though


TheCasual: no offence but for you no "good job". You just sampled Adagio for Strings, the piano that falls in around 0:20 conflicts with the rhythm and around 0:30 it gets a total mess with asynchronous beats and melodies. The piano going through the song just doesn't fit.

Again, no offence but are you mocking us as a forumtroll or did you seriously believe this was a good entry?
If you're no troll; excuse my harshness but I don't think your up to this challenge.

[TheCasual]

Good job guys; I like diggers version most though


TheCasual: no offence but for you no "good job". You just sampled Adagio for Strings, the piano that falls in around 0:20 conflicts with the rhythm and around 0:30 it gets a total mess with asynchronous beats and melodies. The piano going through the song just doesn't fit.

Again, no offence but are you mocking us as a forumtroll or did you seriously believe this was a good entry?
If you're no troll; excuse my harshness but I don't think your up to this challenge.

No offence taken.

I haven't and wasn't going to enter it.

I don't listen to dance and it's my only my second ever attempt. You never get the stems for songs, but I'd thought mess around with it.

I did put "butchered" 

I'm definitely no troll 

[Borodog]

Lieven,

That was uncalled for.

[bradt]

Good job guys; I like diggers version most though


TheCasual: no offence but for you no "good job". You just sampled Adagio for Strings, the piano that falls in around 0:20 conflicts with the rhythm and around 0:30 it gets a total mess with asynchronous beats and melodies. The piano going through the song just doesn't fit.

Again, no offence but are you mocking us as a forumtroll or did you seriously believe this was a good entry?
If you're no troll; excuse my harshness but I don't think your up to this challenge.

Wow!!!  I didn't think it was so bad. Once you focus in on the beat it starts making sense rhythmically surprisingly enough. I kind of enjoyed it. I've certainly heard worse remixes done by professional DJs.

I was gonna try and mess with it some, but I suppose I'll just keep it to myself now.

[TB-AV]

No offence taken.

I haven't and wasn't going to enter it.

If you move that piano around a bit,,, that's not a bad arrangement. You might as well enter it. what usually happens with these mix competitions is this... There are few that just don't sound right... lot's of reasons but they just aren't right.

Then there are those that are a lot alike. Nothing earth shatteringly different about them. People will say, of this bass drum sounds better than that one or this reverb is batter than that one but overall they are actually real similar emotionally even if different styles.

Then you get a couple that are noticeably different but have some inherent flaw that sticks out.

Then you have a couple guys that do this stuff for a living, have a nice studio and they come up with something that is just mind blowing --- this is way more so when they take a somewhat novice band and rework it than with people like Justin is hanging with. although it can happen either way.

BUT..... if you don't post yours and all the others don't post theirs then no one can say... wow, I can fix this aspect of my my mix by talking to the guy that did the middle of the road mix and got a great sounding bass or whatever.... AND... people will also tell you, without you asking what to fix on yours and how to fix it. You are not going to go from 'can't mix' to 'pro mix' in two steps....... or if you do, you better quit your job and go to London or Nashville or something.....

Take your piano track, turn "SNAP TO GRID" OFF. Slide it around while the music plays. See if it will sit in the mix somewhere else. AND/OR listen for a piece of the piano track and see if it would work as a loop dropped in somewhere repeatedly or occasionally.

BTW... where are the other mixes? I would like to hear some others. I don't care if they are good or bad.

[LievenDV]

Yeah I was a bit harsh, I agree. I used to be a ( mediocre) DJ a while back and The sound of double asynchronous beats make me cringe. The radical piano is usable, if used right.

But pleeeease drop The adagio for strings intro. THAT really yanked my chains ( and made me say The troll stuff.
I thought you were mocking The competition really )

 Do what TB said; you'll need to move some things around a bit.

My advice would be to let it "breathe" some more. Pull a track or 2 out of it or only use parts.

[TB-AV]

I was gonna try and mess with it some, but I suppose I'll just keep it to myself now.

That's the spirit!!

Seriously,,, he said "no offense" twice, and said maybe he is missing something here. What you may not realize is that people sit mixing and get so involved that they do indeed "focus in" on one aspect and loose sight of what they are doing..... then someone totally detached hears it, most likely on a different system too, and they are bombarded with "WTF" and react to it....

That's what music does, it creates an emotion in the listener. If you can't deal with the emotion you create in others and accept that not everyone is going see it your way, then you should probably just stick to time tested covers.

I've certainly heard worse remixes done by professional DJs.

So have I, and those DJ's mixes suck too. Which goes to show you, if you can take a professional musicians work and remix to something else great or even better, you have really done something special. Doing it over and over is even more so... I'm pretty sure with some of of these DJs, they did one really awesome mix, then someone told them they were great..... and that's the last they heard... the fact is, some of them are doing stuff that is really not the least bit interesting but it goes boom boom boom boom and he has a cool looking logo.

If you would quit worrying about getting your feelings hurt and listen to what -everyone- is telling you you will be 1000 miles further down the road. There is always a reason people hear what they hear. The more of these reasons you know about the better. Sometimes it's on your end and sometimes it's on their end... at the end of the day though, the more of those things you understand the better off you will be. Good luck figuring them out without presenting your work and having others tell you.

ETA: Posting at same time as Lieven's reply

[Endureth]

You are not going to go from 'can't mix' to 'pro mix' in two steps....... or if you do, you better quit your job and go to London or Nashville or something.....

Chantal should move to Nashville then, according to her it's her first mix and it's my favorite so far.

[TB-AV]

You are not going to go from 'can't mix' to 'pro mix' in two steps....... or if you do, you better quit your job and go to London or Nashville or something.....

Chantal should move to Nashville then, according to her it's her first mix and it's my favorite so far.

I once went into a lady's home and told her how impressed I was with the design. That I had never seen it before. She answered phones at an architectural firm. They promoted her to designer after seeing what she did. She had never done it before. She is still not an Architect.

Sit someone down in front of 50 raw tracks from a bar band and get back to me. The typical person that can't mix is not going to come up with a professional mix. These are professional stems. The typical person that can't mix will not even be able to render these stems. the whole point of giving out the stems is so that more people can indeed come up with cool sounding stuff.

I look forward to hearing her mix though... and all the others as well. I hope someone comes up with something really cool. All I need to do is figure out where they are. I don't really follow the Twitter and FB stuff so not sure where's all located.... I haven't even had time to read the pdfs that came with files.

[Endureth]

All I need to do is figure out where they are. I don't really follow the Twitter and FB stuff so not sure where's all located....

https://www.facebook.com/WeCameAsStrangers

On the right hand side there will be a little box that says "Recent Posts by others on We Came as Strangers".  Each one that has a paper clip next to it is an entry.  Click the paper clips.

There's a metal mix up there that's not too bad either.

[TheCasual]

Cheers for the advice.

Because I have no experience of this kind of thing I tried to just replace each instrument exactly.

Adagio was for a slow build up.

I'm currently pratting around with it now 

[LievenDV]

btw the casual; in addition; I found the record back that made the intro a bit cheezy;
the remix by William Orbit of that Adagio for strings song: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VIbIHxKh9bk

It wasn't only a sample; it was also hugely "been done"

I relistened to your song. there is just a bit too much happening at once;
You could, while taking that apart; make 2 soungs out of that I'm sure

At least I can't argue with the fact that you are productive, far more than I am


and people; I refered to Diggers version but I think it's only on his Facebook; my bad!

[TB-AV]

All I need to do is figure out where they are. I don't really follow the Twitter and FB stuff so not sure where's all located....

https://www.facebook.com/WeCameAsStrangers

On the right hand side there will be a little box that says "Recent Posts by others on We Came as Strangers".  Each one that has a paper clip next to it is an entry.  Click the paper clips.

There's a metal mix up there that's not too bad either.

10-4, I'lll check it...... I found some on Youtube... there was one kinda rocking or metal ... some good ideas bu the sound quality of the mix was not quite there.... although I don;t necessarily trust SoundCloud or Youtube in that regard because I have heard them both screw up sounds.

I actually like most ever one I've heard and Chantal's is nice.... she's banned for life from winning anything else though unless she gives me that SG.

I think I may have actually formed some sort of idea as to what direction mine is going... now if I can pull something together. Here is a next idea from the last.

 

[Endureth]

I think I may have actually formed some sort of idea as to what direction mine is going... now if I can pull something together. Here is a next idea from the last.

I think you're on to something with the horns.  That was an unexpectedly nice touch.

[TB-AV]

I think I may have actually formed some sort of idea as to what direction mine is going... now if I can pull something together. Here is a next idea from the last.

I think you're on to something with the horns.  That was an unexpectedly nice touch.

Thanks, at first I thought well, that idea is ok but not what I was hoping for, at least it's a place holder, but now I feel like they are integral to whatever happens next. I was within a mouse click of trashing the whole thing and trying an upbeat techno thing but I think I'll try to keep going.