| I will begin this article by saying that it is a good idea to | | | | side of the stereo field. |
| have an engineer that specializes in mixing Hip Hop | | | | The bass drum & other bass parts are usually |
| songs be the one to handle the mixing of your home | | | | served best in the center as bass tends to be |
| studio recorded Hip Hop songs. There is great value in | | | | perceived in a mono style so may as well place it so. |
| having another set of ears interpret the sounds & | | | | Lead vocals should be panned in the center with over |
| make a mix that sounds good in an environment | | | | dubs & adlibs panned at varying locations with |
| designed for mixing Hip Hop recordings by a person | | | | slightly lower volume than the lead & with subtle |
| who deals with Hip Hop mixes on a regular basis. That | | | | EQ differences. You want your instrumental to be like |
| being said, the purpose of this article is to give the | | | | a form fitting foam bed that your vocal is able to "lay" |
| Home recording studio artist some tips, insight, & | | | | down into & be embraced by. You do not want |
| an overview of putting together a Hip Hop song mix | | | | your vocal to sound like it was just placed on top of a |
| using the software/gear that they already have in their | | | | flat beat. You want your mix to have changes in |
| home studio. | | | | dynamics, with ups & downs that will build |
| During the tracking phase of the recording process | | | | anticipation then release it & so on. Be sure to |
| you are/should be focusing on capturing the best | | | | check your mix on a mono playback device as well to |
| recorded tracks on an individual basis, making sure | | | | make sure all parts are still heard, if you have any very |
| each recorded element is of good quality & | | | | wide instrument panning you may lose the sound when |
| recorded at an optimized level with no clipping | | | | heard in mono so make adjustments to sound good in |
| distortion. The mixing phase is all about making all those | | | | mono & stereo. The level on your stereo mix |
| recorded elements blend together & sound good | | | | should be Peaked at about -3db on the meter without |
| with each other to provide a great sounding & | | | | hitting the red. This will give the mastering engineer the |
| interesting song mix as a whole. At the mixing stage | | | | headroom needed to maximize the sound of your |
| you should focus on how things sound along with each | | | | song & mastering will bring the level up to the |
| other more than how a piece sounds by itself. If you | | | | max. |
| were to solo an element & tweak the EQ, it may | | | | The final mix of all parts should be listened to on as |
| sound better when by itself but when placed in the mix | | | | many different types of sound sources as possible |
| the adjustment might be clashing with another part so | | | | such as ear buds, laptop speakers a bookshelf |
| always make adjustments in the mix while paying | | | | system, and/or a car stereo. The more different |
| attention to the mix as a whole. | | | | sources the better as this will allow you pinpoint any |
| When setting up the mix a good way to make panning | | | | re-occurring problems that may then be fixed "in the |
| choices is to visualize your track separated into each | | | | mix" Once you have a completed mix that you have |
| instrument being played by a live musician on stage | | | | done A/B comparisons with commercial tracks and |
| with the main/lead vocal usually panned in the center. | | | | you believe your mix is close enough, you will be ready |
| Adjust the panning of each instrument around the | | | | to enter the mastering stage. If you are a beat maker |
| stereo field in the locations that you visualize the virtual | | | | that has no vocal tracks, you can still mix your beat |
| musician standing while playing the instrument sound. | | | | instrumental using the same tips/techniques above |
| Use reverb effects at various decay/feedback | | | | while saving the vocal mix tips for later. |
| settings to add distance & space to parts while | | | | The information in this article has given you an |
| keeping some sounds free of reverb to keep the mix | | | | overview of the Hip Hop song mixing process in the |
| up close & personal. It is a good idea to check | | | | home studio that I myself tend to follow, you may |
| your mixes on good quality headphones as this give | | | | adjust your procedure to fit your own tastes as what I |
| you an idea of how the different panning setting are | | | | have intended was to give you a kind of mixing |
| working & will let you know if there are any | | | | roadmap to follow when you are not sure how to |
| sounds that are not showing up too much on either | | | | proceed. |