Your favorite DO and DONT tip in mixing rap music.

Big 3rd · 28th January 2006

Kinda self explanatory, so lets me start.

Do: pay extra attention to the low end of the spectrum. Eqing the bass and kick parts are crucial to the success of your RAP mix. They must have their own separate freq range in order for the bottom of the bass to be FELT and the punch of the kick to be FELT. You haven't got it right until you FEEL both.

Don't: underestimate the room you have, sonically. If you think you can't fit something in the mix, then you probably haven't used all options properly. ( especially eqing, compression, and effects)

HDGuru · 28th January 2006

Do - Keep it simple

Don't - Do drugs.

Imagearho · 28th January 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by HDGuru

Do - Keep it simple

Don't - Do drugs.

LOL!!! I agree. I tried to mix a track last night while smoking amazing hash and it was a DISASTER.

aintnosunshine · 28th January 2006

Don't: Try to master your own mix if you don't know what you're doing. Just running it through a few plugs may make it sound punchier, but you'll probably just screw it up... and if you take it into a studio, they'll probably listen to it, frown, and look at you like you're some kind of moron.

Do: Take some effort to learn how to master properly(hard imho, still trying), or have a pro do it.

King Tubby · 28th January 2006

Do: Get your money upfront.

Don't: Do it without your money up front.

d.dot · 28th January 2006

Don't suck.

PhonoquO · 29th January 2006

DO: USE YOUR EARS

DON'T: USE YOUR EYES!!!

Brandino221 · 29th January 2006

do act like a producer and or engineer

Do not act like a POducer

sorry had to do it.

deuc647 · 29th January 2006

Do: use compression conservatively

Do Not: over compress, over reverb, and get an inflated ego because of your experience and/or gearlist

abit · 29th January 2006

do: check if mics are ok after session ends
do not: leave your mics unattended during the session

3rd world order · 29th January 2006

DO: check your mixes in a club/boomcar environment

DON'T: rely solely on NS-10s

con?one · 29th January 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Brandino221

do act like a producer and or engineer

Do not act like a POducer

sorry had to do it.

what??? elaborate on "POducer"

BigArt · 29th January 2006

keep it simple

LexFactory · 29th January 2006

Do: roll the lowest lows out of the vocals since they're not necessary for a rap song. There should be PLENTY of other elements filling out the bottom end.

DON'T: go boosting bass like crazy on your kick, bass guitar, SFX, etc. just because you think rap needs to be boomy. It'll just over-excite your master bus limiter and slam down your vocals, and you'll end up with a muddy and unintelligible mess as a mix.

Killah_Trakz · 29th January 2006

Do : Keep the spectrum open as possible, learn how to pan.

Don't: Have 20 tracks of just music, keep the production simple. Another you dont need 100 stacks of lead vocals sometimes only 1 is needed just compress to your likes. the last 1 and most important do not procrastinate dont say wait till i mix .... nonono if something doesnt sound right during the session fix it right their and then.

Big 3rd · 30th January 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Killah_Trakz

Do : Keep the spectrum open as possible, learn how to pan.

Don't: Have 20 tracks of just music, keep the production simple. Another you dont need 100 stacks of lead vocals sometimes only 1 is needed just compress to your likes. the last 1 and most important do not procrastinate dont say wait till i mix .... nonono if something doesnt sound right during the session fix it right their and then.

good one.

Igotsoul4u · 30th January 2006

Don't print too hot. Leave the mastering guy some headroom. Make sure the client doesn't have demoitis and if they do, make sure you have the demo so you don't have to rebuild your mix when the client comes in whining about how it doesn't sound like the ruff. Make sure you really know whats going on in your low end.

CaliTone · 30th January 2006

DON'T: Double the entire lead vocal to hide imperfections of the first track.

DO: It Over until it's tight!

===================================

DON'T: bring me a two track version of the music, lay down your vocals, and then expect your mix to rival those on the radio/clubs.

DO: Record your kick on one track, snare on the other, claps on the other, etc.

illynoise · 1st February 2006

Do: Keep your vocal just on top of the mix

Don't: Offer to spice up something beatwise if you ain't getting paid for it.

BaseJase
Illynoise

Big 3rd · 29th August 2006

Do: Reference against great mixes that have similiar element to see how far off you are.

Don't: mix loud.

t.dizzle · 29th August 2006

Boy, there are some kinda wild do's and dont's here.....

DO - your best every single session.

DON'T - wear earplugs. Another don't to mention would be DON'T underestimate your clients' talent. There are some seriously gifted people in rap, just like any other music.

Big 3rd · 29th August 2006

This was supposed to be about MIXING rap, only.

t.dizzle · 29th August 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by Big 3rd

This was supposed to be about MIXING rap, only.

Ok, and....?

Big 3rd · 29th August 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by t.dizzle

Ok, and....?

Well I wanted to hear some of the things you've learned from mixing hiphop...some of the things you think are crucial to making a good hiphop recording.

That's all...no beef.

t.dizzle · 29th August 2006

No beef taken. So I guess you mean from a technical standpoint.... Ok.

DO - learn to cut LF.

DON'T - eq the livin' shit outta everything.

Better?

Big 3rd · 29th August 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by t.dizzle

No beef taken. So I guess you mean from a technical standpoint.... Ok.

DO - learn to cut LF.

DON'T - eq the livin' shit outta everything.

Better?

yep...

good job

Peter Project · 29th August 2006

DO: at least pretend that your paying me 150 bucks an hour when I'm producing you as a favour

DONT: Come in unprepared and sit on my studio floor and write your verses while you waste my time.tutt

beat you down · 29th August 2006

do: make beats
don't: make music

oh that wasn't the question.

29th August 2006

Quote:

Originally Posted by beat you down

do: make beats
don't: make music

oh that wasn't the question.

WTF? Don't make music?

THAT's what's wrong with all of this biz now.

MAKE MUSIC PLEASE.

lucey · 29th August 2006

do make the vocal clear, eq'd to the vibe
do not make the vocal deafeningly loud or so low it's lost

do make all the EQ mini-relationships right, from range to range
do not try to match commercial levels

do make an identity by pushing somethings
dont push everything

do take the time to consider every eq range's relationships
dont focus on only the high mids and the low end because they are easiest to hear and it sounds pro to be scooped and loud

28th January 2006	#1
Big 3rd Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2005 Location: Detroit, WHAT!!! Posts: 3,881 Thread Starter	Your favorite DO and DONT tip in mixing rap music. Kinda self explanatory, so lets me start. Do: pay extra attention to the low end of the spectrum. Eqing the bass and kick parts are crucial to the success of your RAP mix. They must have their own separate freq range in order for the bottom of the bass to be FELT and the punch of the kick to be FELT. You haven't got it right until you FEEL both. Don't: underestimate the room you have, sonically. If you think you can't fit something in the mix, then you probably haven't used all options properly. ( especially eqing, compression, and effects)

29th January 2006	#8
Brandino221 Gear addict Joined: Sep 2004 Location: Central FL. Londrina, Curitiba, PR, Brasil. Posts: 433	do act like a producer and or engineer Do not act like a POducer sorry had to do it. __________________ Antonio

29th January 2006	#11
3rd world order Lives for gear Joined: Sep 2005 Location: hell, michigan Posts: 2,797	DO: check your mixes in a club/boomcar environment DON'T: rely solely on NS-10s __________________ 3WO - Mixing Without Tears "Some think I should teach men the way to heaven. But I would rather teach them the way to hell so they'll know how to go around it..." -- Niccolo Machiavelli

29th January 2006	#14
LexFactory Gear interested Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 24	Do: roll the lowest lows out of the vocals since they're not necessary for a rap song. There should be PLENTY of other elements filling out the bottom end. DON'T: go boosting bass like crazy on your kick, bass guitar, SFX, etc. just because you think rap needs to be boomy. It'll just over-excite your master bus limiter and slam down your vocals, and you'll end up with a muddy and unintelligible mess as a mix. __________________ Alexey Mohr Mixer/Engineer, The Lex Factory http://www.thelexfactory.com

29th January 2006	#15
Killah_Trakz Lives for gear Joined: May 2005 Location: HAITI / D.R. Posts: 1,554 1 Review written	If you can i've learned Do : Keep the spectrum open as possible, learn how to pan. Don't: Have 20 tracks of just music, keep the production simple. Another you dont need 100 stacks of lead vocals sometimes only 1 is needed just compress to your likes. the last 1 and most important do not procrastinate dont say wait till i mix .... nonono if something doesnt sound right during the session fix it right their and then.

28th January 2006	#2
HDGuru Gear addict Joined: Aug 2005 Posts: 389	Do - Keep it simple Don't - Do drugs.

28th January 2006	#4
aintnosunshine Gear Head Joined: Nov 2005 Posts: 63	Don't: Try to master your own mix if you don't know what you're doing. Just running it through a few plugs may make it sound punchier, but you'll probably just screw it up... and if you take it into a studio, they'll probably listen to it, frown, and look at you like you're some kind of moron. Do: Take some effort to learn how to master properly(hard imho, still trying), or have a pro do it.

28th January 2006	#5
King Tubby Gear Head Joined: Jun 2004 Location: New York City Posts: 55	Do: Get your money upfront. Don't: Do it without your money up front.

28th January 2006	#6
d.dot Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2004 Location: Los Angeles, CA Posts: 534	Don't suck.

29th January 2006	#7
PhonoquO Lives for gear Joined: Nov 2005 Location: North of Toronto Posts: 1,172	DO: USE YOUR EARS DON'T: USE YOUR EYES!!!

29th January 2006	#9
deuc647 Lives for gear Joined: Sep 2005 Posts: 2,017	Do: use compression conservatively Do Not: over compress, over reverb, and get an inflated ego because of your experience and/or gearlist

29th January 2006	#10
abit Lives for gear Joined: Apr 2005 Location: NY Posts: 825	do: check if mics are ok after session ends do not: leave your mics unattended during the session

29th January 2006	#13
BigArt Gear Head Joined: Jan 2006 Location: Dallas,TX Posts: 57	keep it simple

30th January 2006	#17
Igotsoul4u Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2005 Location: New York, NY Posts: 2,845	Don't print too hot. Leave the mastering guy some headroom. Make sure the client doesn't have demoitis and if they do, make sure you have the demo so you don't have to rebuild your mix when the client comes in whining about how it doesn't sound like the ruff. Make sure you really know whats going on in your low end.

30th January 2006	#18
CaliTone Lives for gear Joined: Aug 2005 Location: San Jose, CA Posts: 547	DON'T: Double the entire lead vocal to hide imperfections of the first track. DO: It Over until it's tight! =================================== DON'T: bring me a two track version of the music, lay down your vocals, and then expect your mix to rival those on the radio/clubs. DO: Record your kick on one track, snare on the other, claps on the other, etc.

1st February 2006	#19
illynoise Lives for gear Joined: Oct 2004 Posts: 1,674	Do: Keep your vocal just on top of the mix Don't: Offer to spice up something beatwise if you ain't getting paid for it. BaseJase Illynoise

29th August 2006	#20
Big 3rd Lives for gear Joined: Mar 2005 Location: Detroit, WHAT!!! Posts: 3,881 Thread Starter	Do: Reference against great mixes that have similiar element to see how far off you are. Don't: mix loud.

29th August 2006	#21
t.dizzle Lives for gear Joined: May 2006 Location: Purgatory Posts: 913	Boy, there are some kinda wild do's and dont's here..... DO - your best every single session. DON'T - wear earplugs. Another don't to mention would be DON'T underestimate your clients' talent. There are some seriously gifted people in rap, just like any other music. __________________ Clearly def

29th August 2006	#27
Peter Project Gear Head Joined: Jun 2006 Posts: 44	DO: at least pretend that your paying me 150 bucks an hour when I'm producing you as a favour DONT: Come in unprepared and sit on my studio floor and write your verses while you waste my time.tutt

29th August 2006	#28
beat you down Lives for gear Joined: Aug 2006 Posts: 4,404	do: make beats don't: make music oh that wasn't the question.

29th August 2006	#30
lucey Gear Guru Joined: Dec 2002 Location: Columbus, Ohio Posts: 12,407	do make the vocal clear, eq'd to the vibe do not make the vocal deafeningly loud or so low it's lost do make all the EQ mini-relationships right, from range to range do not try to match commercial levels do make an identity by pushing somethings dont push everything do take the time to consider every eq range's relationships dont focus on only the high mids and the low end because they are easiest to hear and it sounds pro to be scooped and loud __________________ Brian Lucey Magic Garden Mastering Dr. John, The Shins, The Black Keys, OAR, David Lynch, Sami Yusuf, moe., Sigur Ros Spiral Groove Studio One - mixing monitors

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