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'Jesu bleibet meine Freude’ w/distinct vocals (and) w/o added reverb,
#1
New to Cambridge Music Technology Discussion Zone (website), once in my early beginning as a musician (drummer) I had performed with many of the local municipal orchestras based throughout the County of Los Angeles.  (While a student I had nearly played with all the orchestras in the county.)  Although, the Los Angeles Philharmonic is probably my single exception within it.

'Jesu bleibet meine Freude’ by Johann Sebastian Bach and recorded onto the audio files supplied to 'Mixing Secrets' Free Multitrack Download Library by Mike Senior (Administrator) culminates to me now in my very first effort ever to mix a composition that’s other than my own original one inside my digital audio workstation (DAW).

Now as a novice to any engineering I really like the files, just as they are and with whatever problems and irregularities they might present just to a beginner engineer such that I am, as I do like also a challenge from which I can always learn. 

With my background from the orchestras and specifically my past participation as a musician who time and again had to practice inside numerous rehearsals before I performed in concerts which the groups gave, eventually, I feel I’ve gotten acquired now my own very unique perspective into undoubtably a wide variety of musical and non-musical possibilities and other related sounds which human voices and indeed manufactured musical instruments can make both before and after recorded onto whatever medium necessary (that is) for listeners fully to hear and appreciate them, but just as music performers especially had intended.

Since along with the human voices the instruments used to record the files are largely acoustic instruments with the only one exception the emulated harpsichord, though itself too a representation of an actual acoustic, I chose to keep the recorded small ensemble session sounding as intimate as possible and as I humanly and humbly can convey it to you yet in its originality (that is) its original reverberations preserved.  So, it was mixed by me without any artificial reverberation added at all to it!  Used instead of any artificial reverb, that obviously can cloud and detract from the subtle infliction and numerous nuances expressed by the singers (who apparently were emoting via places deep within themselves), the ample amount of reverberation left to the original audio recorded by Mike was indeed enough for me to leave in my final mix and master.  (I just felt I had to preserve the presence and apparent intimacy out of the atmosphere I long felt the overall session had.)

Anytime I tried to put in some sort of reverb out of the DAW, I got a mix an end result that sounded too much like something commercial and overly produced to seem otherwise anything a form of a kind of an artwork or much less a piece to impart religious devotion.

I'm very appreciative of comments, if you like to make any! (Smile!)


.mp3    \'Jesu bleibet meine Freude\'.mp3 --  (Download: 7.44 MB)


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#2
Hi,
I like that you are focusing on the emotion in this piece. Getting the voices upfront and clear, with high transparency sounds like a good aim. I've played in amateur symphony orchestras for 10 years myself (as a student), so can see where you are going. The voices are definitely the heroes of the track, direct and intense. 
I am not convinced about the depth of your soundstage: the voices seems to stand out far in front, the orchestra is way back. 
Interesting approach that you focus on natural space in the recording - good idea to work with the best of the quality that's there. I think in your mix you have ended up with a very narrow soundstage though, it sounds like the orchestra is playing in a small box. If you want to avoid reverb, then I'd try some sort of stereo widening to 'fill the stage' to the sides. 
I would think that the voices should have some compression, the delivery is quite uneven. Your mix sounds natural, I suppose, in the sense of a close up photo of a face without makeup looks natural. 
The loser in your mix is the oboe. I think it has more of a protagonist role, in parallel to the voices. And can you bring out the strings a bit more? They are hard to hear. 
Overall the mix sounds very bright. Balancing this with more bass and warmth might be good?
Just my personal thoughts :-)
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