Tutorials - Production - Post Production

Last issue we discussed the importance of pre-production when preparing for the studio and to save money, now we will discuss the post-production process, in other words, the mix. No track regardless of beats, samples, rhymes, etc. will sound dope if the mix is not correct. There are a few basic things that one can do that will at least insure a basically good mix, and these should be thought about before you start mixing.

First, most HipHop producers are also listeners of HipHop music, so listen to dope mixes and listen to what makes them sound good. Public Enemy is infamous for having phat mixes, anyone listening to "Welcome to the Terrordome" or "Can't Truss It" can hear how full their mixes sound, without getting muddled or lost in the barrage of sound. They may have twenty different samples going at the same time but you can hear virtually every one.

Second, let the engineer do what they do best, engineer. In most cases, the engineer should know the room and the equipment so let them get the basic sounds and levels. This will probably take alot less time then if the producer, who may not be familiar with the room, were to do it. After basic levels are established tell the engineer what you think needs to be added or subtracted. If you are going to do the engineering yourself, start by mixing the drum tracks, get an even level between all the rhythm tracks (usually you should not go much past 0 on the meters), after this set the bass, horns, guitar, etc.. Finally when your instrumental is done, mix the vocals to the music, I tend to mix vocals on the loud side as opposed to the low because it is better to hear the lyrics then have them get drowned in the music. Also when using effects, be careful not to go haywire. Tracks with too much effect, i.e. echo, delay, chorus, sound too affected, the track ends up over produced and you lose the raw, street feel that is essential in Hip-Hop. Granted don't leave vocals dry, a little reverb and delay do wonders, but I do stress a little.

Finally, a good mixing technique is to know the value of equalization. Most mixing boards have separate EQ's for each channel, use these. Decide, beforehand, what you want each sound to sound like. Get a good mix between your highs, mids and lows and make sure you have elements of each in the mix. One main problem is that many HipHop mixes come out bass heavy. The bass is probably the most valuable part of the HipHop track but if you use too much, the result comes out muddy. Remember, most studios have large speakers that are able to handle all the low frequencies, but your walkman may not. Listen to the mix at low levels or on small speakers, or just a headphone mix through the studio tape deck frequently. This will give you a better idea of what the finished product will sound like on any system, not just a good one.

Any mix takes time and effort, don't just bang it out quickly. When you consider the amount of time put into the creation and writing of the track, the mix deserves equal care. Think of where you want things panned, either left or right or center, do you want soft pans or hard pans(hard being total left or right), think of where in the song or lyric you may want to raise or lower levels, Think about when to punch in and out. A mix can sound sloppy if you are just bringing things in and out for no reason; know when to drop the beat or bassline; think when you want the beat to ride solo. This makes a mix sound professional and also changes what can sometimes be a monotonous pace. Just remember that this is the product that people are going to judge you and your ability on. It is worth it to think and stay with the track to the end, it will show in the finished product. OUT.

Added by - Looperman

Date - 2006-05-16 18:32:36

Viewed - 4200 times

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