Let me make some suggestions for those whose systems may not let them work this tune as is.
First, even if a wav file has nothing happening in it, the system still has to read in that file and process that silence during playback. Sometimes (like with the Gong, for example, which is silent until the single hit at the end), you may get some CPU/disk benefit by cutting the track around the actual material and deleting the empty sections. Depends on your DAW, I reckon.
Second, I use SONAR. I often clone tracks and then break them up into various clips so each set can be processed more precisely. If I mute the unused clips (keyboard "k" with the clip selected) rather than delete it, SONAR still runs this signal through the FX bin. I'm not sure why. You figure that sort of "mute" would be before the FX bin, not after. (You can prove this by bringing up a plugin and watching the meter go to town during the muted sections.)
Third, delete unneeded tracks. If you're only using a single mic on each guitar part, don't keep the others around. Delete them from your session (I don't know if pro-tools' rendering a track inactive really restricts how much space it takes up in memory.)
Fourth, after processing a track to your taste, "freeze" it. This is effectively like bouncing a track to another track without the actual commit. The processed audio is rendered and is used on playback, leaving the FX bin disabled since it is not needed. Means you don't have to waste CPU cycles on it. This is particularly important on vocal tracks where you may have taken them through Melodyne or Waves Tune or some other pitch/timing tool. That's an expensive process. Once you're satisfied, freeze those changes. (You can always unfreeze it if you need to.) In the case of a lead line, it may be better to actually bounce it to an aux track and simply deactivate the FX bin on the original and make that track inactive. That way, you have your pitch/timing adjustments on the original and can load the aux up with compressors/etc. If you have totally loaded down a track with plugins, that too is a good candidate for this. Oh, and if you're using an external synth plugin for a MIDI line, ALWAYS bounce your track before mixdown and deactivate the plugin. (Besides, if you have to go back to that mix weeks or months later, who is to say that the same voice/patch will be possible? Treat it as though your artist literally brought in a keyboard for the session and then took it home with them. Store that audio as well as the MIDI.)
Fifth, consider a sub-mix. If you're blending guitar mics, load the guitar tracks into one or more sessions, as many as you think you can fit comfortably, adjust the blend of the four mics for each part and then export one mono track for each guitar. Then load these into your main mix. If you decide later that you goofed on one bit, readjust in the other session and re-import that specific guitar part. You can do the same for the "Ahhhhs" and synth "Choir" parts as stereo tracks. Doing just this, you can take the the 60 guitar, 4 choir, and 9 bvox tracks and reduce them down to 15 mono and 2 stereo tracks.
Sixth, on things like Equalizers, try not to select a 6 band where a 3 band will do. In the analogue world, more bands means more amplifiers and that means more coloration of the sound and a higher noise floor. (Amplifiers make noise. They just do. The struggle in the analog realm has been to keep that noise floor as low as possible.) So one reason to choose a 3 band semi-parametric over a 5 band would be to reduce that. Many plugins emulate that behavior. It's subtle, but the effect is there.If you're rolling off the low end before a compressor so you can then adjust it more precisely after, use a 2 band ahead of the comp and your 4 or 6 band after. Also, deactivate any bands (or other controls) that are unused. That'll allow the DAW to skip processing for that element. Depending, this may not make much of a difference on some. It is still good practice.
Anyway, if you get clever enough, even limited systems can process this mix. It just takes a bit of extra work. Everyone who is game should be willing to give this mix a try without fear of what their system can put up with!
First, even if a wav file has nothing happening in it, the system still has to read in that file and process that silence during playback. Sometimes (like with the Gong, for example, which is silent until the single hit at the end), you may get some CPU/disk benefit by cutting the track around the actual material and deleting the empty sections. Depends on your DAW, I reckon.
Second, I use SONAR. I often clone tracks and then break them up into various clips so each set can be processed more precisely. If I mute the unused clips (keyboard "k" with the clip selected) rather than delete it, SONAR still runs this signal through the FX bin. I'm not sure why. You figure that sort of "mute" would be before the FX bin, not after. (You can prove this by bringing up a plugin and watching the meter go to town during the muted sections.)
Third, delete unneeded tracks. If you're only using a single mic on each guitar part, don't keep the others around. Delete them from your session (I don't know if pro-tools' rendering a track inactive really restricts how much space it takes up in memory.)
Fourth, after processing a track to your taste, "freeze" it. This is effectively like bouncing a track to another track without the actual commit. The processed audio is rendered and is used on playback, leaving the FX bin disabled since it is not needed. Means you don't have to waste CPU cycles on it. This is particularly important on vocal tracks where you may have taken them through Melodyne or Waves Tune or some other pitch/timing tool. That's an expensive process. Once you're satisfied, freeze those changes. (You can always unfreeze it if you need to.) In the case of a lead line, it may be better to actually bounce it to an aux track and simply deactivate the FX bin on the original and make that track inactive. That way, you have your pitch/timing adjustments on the original and can load the aux up with compressors/etc. If you have totally loaded down a track with plugins, that too is a good candidate for this. Oh, and if you're using an external synth plugin for a MIDI line, ALWAYS bounce your track before mixdown and deactivate the plugin. (Besides, if you have to go back to that mix weeks or months later, who is to say that the same voice/patch will be possible? Treat it as though your artist literally brought in a keyboard for the session and then took it home with them. Store that audio as well as the MIDI.)
Fifth, consider a sub-mix. If you're blending guitar mics, load the guitar tracks into one or more sessions, as many as you think you can fit comfortably, adjust the blend of the four mics for each part and then export one mono track for each guitar. Then load these into your main mix. If you decide later that you goofed on one bit, readjust in the other session and re-import that specific guitar part. You can do the same for the "Ahhhhs" and synth "Choir" parts as stereo tracks. Doing just this, you can take the the 60 guitar, 4 choir, and 9 bvox tracks and reduce them down to 15 mono and 2 stereo tracks.
Sixth, on things like Equalizers, try not to select a 6 band where a 3 band will do. In the analogue world, more bands means more amplifiers and that means more coloration of the sound and a higher noise floor. (Amplifiers make noise. They just do. The struggle in the analog realm has been to keep that noise floor as low as possible.) So one reason to choose a 3 band semi-parametric over a 5 band would be to reduce that. Many plugins emulate that behavior. It's subtle, but the effect is there.If you're rolling off the low end before a compressor so you can then adjust it more precisely after, use a 2 band ahead of the comp and your 4 or 6 band after. Also, deactivate any bands (or other controls) that are unused. That'll allow the DAW to skip processing for that element. Depending, this may not make much of a difference on some. It is still good practice.
Anyway, if you get clever enough, even limited systems can process this mix. It just takes a bit of extra work. Everyone who is game should be willing to give this mix a try without fear of what their system can put up with!
Old West Audio