Audio X Animation Project Post Mortem - The End of Project 2

Hey guys! Wow, so the day finally came around! As I said in the previous update blog for this project, this blog is going to be the post mortem of the series as the soundtrack was finally mixed down yesterday! To save you having to read this entire blog just to listen to the final product, you can listen to our soundtrack here! However, if you're interested in how the final stages of the project went down I suggest you read on! Lets dive in!

Levels & Jackson Mayberry - Space (Animation Soundtrack) [Uni Project] - Screenshot

Session Overview

A few things you'll notice right away as compared to the last session screenshot is that there is now automation! On top of this I have also added a second tom roll and reverse cymbal combo as well as finishing off the percussion section with a crash cymbal! Now, I know that's a bit to take in in one shot so let me take you guys through everything piece by piece...

Dem automationz bruh

The first part of the screenshot you'll notice right away is the automations on almost every channel! These were predominantly used on track volume in order to smoothly fade in and out any sections necessary. A prime example on where this is where the bass enters the mix and the strings and main synth fade out on a ride. As soon as the bass takes over the melody also slowly creeps its way into the mix until it eventually climaxes at the first tom roll transition. This is where the soundtrack climaxes and the newest addition to the mix joins in, the second synth layer!

The new synth layer

Jackson and I felt that for a climax of a soundtrack, the synths weren't really powerful enough, even though 'power' wasn't really what we were going for. Therefore, for this synth patch I had to be careful when crafting it as to not make it too muddy or overbearing in the mix. From this, I decided to create a synth that was relatively similar to our first layer but mixed using different saw waves filters. Below, you'll be able to find a screenshot!

Second Synth Layer N.I Massive - Screenshot taken 1/5/18

As you can see above, the oscillators used in this synth were 1 and 2 only (I'm not actually sure why oscillator 3 was even on... it wasn't doing anything :/ ). Both of these oscillators were positioned to give 2 different saw waves and to run through 2 seperate filters. The first oscillator was run through a basic lowpass 4 filter whereas, the second oscillator was placed under a daft filter to give it a warmer, analogue sort of feel. Luckily, we achieved exactly what we were going for as when combined with the first synth layer, it gave off a very bright a 'floaty' sort of tone. In addition to this Jackson and I also decided to compress the synth to the slightest degree to give them the smallest bit more intensity. After all, this is the climax of the mix right?

Synth Compressor - Screenshot taken 1/5/18

Originally, I was going to side chain the synths to kick but then I remembered this voice in my head saying "this isn't a fucking dance track lucas pull it together". Therefore, I decided to lower the threshold the slightest bit and crank that dry/wet right up. However, due to the fact that I didn't want to make the synths too loud, I decided the make up gain should simply stay where it is, on zero dB.

And now, the crash

As a final addition to the mix, I decided a crash cymbal would only be fitting for an exit considering I'd been using reverse crash samples to build-up to different sections throughout the mix. However, the crash seemed a little too harsh at first so I trimmed the initial hit off the sample a placed the smallest fade on the beginning to make it a little more smooth. Even so, although the sample sounded rather nice, it was still the slightest bit juttery and was missing something....

wait...

Ohhh that's it! I forgot to add reverb... Although Ableton stock standard reverb is reletively trash, we really didn't have much more of an option but luckily, it all worked out in the end!

The Final Mix

Considering that this is the last blog for this project, I figured that it was only appropriate that I show you a screenshot from my final mix!

Ableton Session View - where the mixing of the track took place

As I've mentioned in previous blogs, my screenshotting abilities are rather shit so forgive me if you're having a hard time finding the pan controls...

To put my current mixing abilities to the test, I decided to get a little creative with this one! Working from left to right in the screenshot, I decided that I would keep the main synth layer central whilst the second synth layer would sit ever so slightly on the right. Accordingly, the synth melody was then positioned slightly to the left so the main chords were just lightly surrounded. Moving on, the ambient synth that was at the beginning and outro of the mix was positioned slightly left while the violin's mirrored it on the right. As usual, the kick and bass stay central, as most low end elements do.

However, the snare and tom drums where the most fun as they were most playful parts of the mix in terms of percussion. I placed the snare drum slightly to the left in the mix as that was simply where I imagined an organic snare would go. However, I deliberately placed the tom drums on seperate channels for this specific reason! I wanted to be fun and experimental with the toms and create somewhat of a slight stereo experience. In order to do this, I placed the hi tom slightly to the left, the mid tom more so the right and finally the low tom predominantly on the right side of the mix. The reason for this was so that when all of the tom drums played in sequence, they would quickly journey from the left side of the stereo mix to the right! However, in heindsight I probably could of panned them a bit more in their dedicated directions and not been so shy on it. Guess I am still a bit of a noob at mixing :').

To finish

Well! I guess this draws this project to a close! Overall, this was a massive learning experience for me and I'd like to thank Cam our animator for giving me the opportunity to work with him. I'd also like to thank Jackson for being a serious help in the studio both creatively and practically, always helping me when I got lost! Although my roots will always be in producing dance music and songs, I can't say that I'll never do this again, cause it was a lot of fun! The next blog to come will be the next one of my series on the side project with Maori Kinjo that everybody has been waiting for! Until then, stay tuned and I'll catch ya next time!

Levels :)