# Increase your Orchestra Mixing Skills with 23 free Audio Tracks



## Beat Kaufmann (Aug 30, 2015)

Hi all

Download *23 stereo audio files *(wav)*, 44,1kHz / 24 Bit* of J.S. Bach's Cantata BWV11 (Final Chorus) for practicing your audio mixing skills. All instruments are played with VSL-Libraries.

*The stereo files are for free!*


This will probably be the arrangement within your DAW for a good start. The colours have to do with the chosen depths for my mix - I used 4 of them.
This is the Link for download the audio files: http://www.beat-kaufmann.com/files/index.php
This Virtual Stage I used as "model" http://www.beat-kaufmann.com/downloads/bwv_11_final-mix.mp3 (for my current mix) (mp3) with the upper files.

Have fun!

Beat


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## wst3 (Aug 30, 2015)

very generous... I'm downloading now, and looking forward to the challenge!

Thanks!!


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## SergeD (Aug 30, 2015)

Your website is a piece of art. Very well done.


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## Steve Martin (Aug 30, 2015)

Amazing mix Beat. I wish I could get my mixes sounding as good as that! Can you please tell me what software you are using for reverb, and spatial positioning? Sounds so nice and clean and clear. Fantastic, amazing as always Beat 
Thanks so much for sharing.
Steve


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## WhiteNoiz (Aug 31, 2015)

Here's mine, if anyone's interested:
https://mega.nz/#!hIoniKpC!pD6NlWhEJY9ho9wD5tnQMdv-iEJZI81I5U0DEBMhED0


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## Beat Kaufmann (Sep 1, 2015)

Beat Kaufmann said:


> Hi all
> Download *23 stereo audio files *(wav)*, 44,1kHz / 24 Bit* of J.S. Bach's Cantata BWV11 (Final Chorus) for practicing your audio mixing skills. All instruments are played with VSL-Libraries.


*Sorry, the Download-Link for the files was broken.* 
*Just repaired it. It works now.*
http://www.beat-kaufmann.com/files/index.php

All the best
Beat


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## Beat Kaufmann (Sep 1, 2015)

Steve Martin said:


> Amazing mix Beat. I wish I could get my mixes sounding as good as that! Can you please tell me what software you are using for reverb, and spatial positioning? Sounds so nice and clean and clear. Fantastic, amazing as always Beat
> Thanks so much for sharing.
> Steve



Hi Steve
Nice to meet you here!
VSL's Convolution Reverb (with a prepared IR) for the distances and Breeze for a Tail over all.
You will be able to get every single detail of this piece (mix) and all of them of a mix from an even lager Orchetstra by the end of the year...
Read here: http://www.beat-kaufmann.com/

All the best to Down Under
Beat


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## Steve Martin (Sep 1, 2015)

Hi there Beat.

always great to hear from you - Well, that's good news - I already have the VSL convolution reverb, so that's a bonus!
I'll definitely be buying the tutorial, and I'll check out the Breeze reverb. Really looking forward to the the end of the year for your tutorial. 

all the best from down under 

Steve


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## Beat Kaufmann (Sep 5, 2015)

SergeD said:


> Your website is a piece of art. Very well done.


Thanks a lot. I believe you mean http://www.musik-produktion-createc.ch/

All the best
Beat


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## Beat Kaufmann (Sep 5, 2015)

WhiteNoiz said:


> Here's mine, if anyone's interested:
> https://mega.nz/#!hIoniKpC!pD6NlWhEJY9ho9wD5tnQMdv-iEJZI81I5U0DEBMhED0


Hi White Noiz
Thanks for taking the time and sharing it here. Could you tell something more about you've done it?
Did you use depths as well? Have you had a plan of your virtual stage while mixing?

All the best
Beat


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## SergeD (Sep 6, 2015)

Beat Kaufmann said:


> Thanks a lot. I believe you mean http://www.musik-produktion-createc.ch/
> 
> All the best
> Beat



That one http://www.beat-kaufmann.com/
I don't know why but it gives me the feeling of something built by an architect .


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## GdT (Sep 8, 2015)

Thanks Beat. Great stuff. Lovely files.
I had great fun mixing that down.
I use Parallax Audio's VSS Virtual Sound Stage for stage positioning and early reflections and 2C Audio's B2 for reverb.
It's a great piece of music to listen to and I appreciate your programming the tracks.
Thanks


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## Beat Kaufmann (Sep 9, 2015)

GdT said:


> Thanks Beat. Great stuff. Lovely files.
> I had great fun mixing that down.
> I use Parallax Audio's VSS Virtual Sound Stage for stage positioning and early reflections and 2C Audio's B2 for reverb...


Hello GdT
Would be great to hear the result of your effort... BTW I used 2C Audio's Breeze as Tail/Reverb over all.
Thanks for the kind words about the tracks.
Beat


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## GdT (Sep 11, 2015)

Beat Kaufmann said:


> Hello GdT
> Would be great to hear the result of your effort...


Hi Beat,
here is a link to my effort posted on box.com.
https://app.box.com/s/b0khwxkiftbddar14udr5qaigx7nrjkp
As well as VSS + 2C-B2 (Frankfurt Hall preset) I put some iZotope Ozone6 mastering glitz on top.
There is something about this track; if I may re-mix some metphores - when I listen, it makes the hairs on back of my goose bumps tingle on end!


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## Beat Kaufmann (Sep 11, 2015)

GdT said:


> Hi Beat,
> here is a link to my effort posted on box.com.


Hi GdT
Thanks for sharing it!!! Nice done!
Your mix sounds very well via my desktop speakers. Strings, flutes, trumpets... all the instruments are well placed. Only, the choir seems to be a bit "every where" in the stereofield. Should be probably a bit more monoized... (the farther the mono). But desktop speakers are not a reference. 
So I am keen on listening to your mix via my studio monitors tonight.

Thanks once more.
Beat


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## GdT (Sep 11, 2015)

Thanks for your comments Beat. Yes I acknowledge that. I think:
1) The choir is probably up too much in the mix (my excuse: I sing in a choir so put them up loud as that's the way I hear it!)
2) The 4 choir sections have maximum width after placing them in normal positions: so maybe here is something to learn about VSS spreading the width. Or maybe there is too much send to the reverb so the sound is coming from all around the back.
3) Maybe the brass and woodwind could be up a bit more, as I think in real life they would cut through more.
Thanks


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## Beat Kaufmann (Sep 11, 2015)

Hello again, GdT
Please don't take my feedback as a point which should be improved. Also, I still do not know how your mix sounds with "true" monitors. Further, nobody demanded a sound closest to the reality...

Soon
Best


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## WhiteNoiz (Sep 16, 2015)

Beat Kaufmann said:


> Hi White Noiz
> Thanks for taking the time and sharing it here. Could you tell something more about you've done it?
> Did you use depths as well? Have you had a plan of your virtual stage while mixing?
> 
> ...



Hi. Sorry for the late reply; I was quite busy these days.

I didn't spend *too much* time on it. I mostly did it as a quick exercise. I played around with the volumes a bit to balance and position instruments (according to my liking) along with the help of Proximity for a more realistic distance feel.

I wanted to get a more intimate, "warm", live feel with a clean tail. So, I added some saturation for some grittiness and some EQing on the verb to make the tail a bit more prominent (tbh, maybe I overdid it a bit). Along with some EQ on the actual instruments to warm them up, boost some details and partly simulate air/room coloration. A little of those to every section. Also, some fake vibrato on some instruments and some stereo band widening (for specific freqs).

Then some extra sat (harmonics), transient design, EQ and three different reverbs on the master each contributing slightly differently.

I did follow your seating plan; at least for the right positioning of second violins. Everything else was pretty much by ear and trial & error.

I had most trouble with the solo instruments and timpani. Wasn't that sure what to do with them. The timpani was a bit hard to tame and shape and I opted for not making the solo strings too prominent and rather use them to enhance the sections. I enjoyed working with the woodwinds the most.


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## Erik (Oct 19, 2015)

http://eotte.blogspot.nl/2015/10/bach-bwv-11.html (Herewith I would like to mention here a new page on my blog.)I plucked three tracks from this thread made by different members here and added two different tracks to offer you an overview of 5 examples.

Thanks to the other contributors even five times BWV11. If one of the contributors don't want to be on the list in the player just PM me please!

Feel free to add yours also!

Enjoy!


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## Beat Kaufmann (Oct 22, 2015)

Thanks Erik for your effort in connection with my files. Nice to see what all can be created with the same basic material.


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