Christian hip hop

[adam0568]

I'm brand new to this type of music. Beat came in on a stereo file, I recorded all the vocals. This is just an early mix with EQ and compression tossed on after tracking. Anything sticking out that really needs to be worked on? id love to hear some suggestions

[edub357]

whats up adam, Im hearing an old school vinyl record crackle sound? If this was put in intentionally than ok if not id run a noise reduction on the track to take that out, personally i would. also the vocals will need to come up, since the beat came across already stereo and you cant pan the piano.

[texasradiofish]

I like the notion of Christian music that isn't annoying or banal to my ears. I like it.

Agree that the piano should not be centered with the voice. Too much competition for the middle with few entities in the mix.

Too repetitive for my taste. Would like to hear some rhythmic change.

Mix Recording the Band piano recording and mixing in the studio

IN THE MIX
How you pan the piano can enhance or detract from how the listener perceives the instrument in the final product. Just because you can pan the stereo image fully to the left and right doesn't mean you should. In fact, panning a stereo piano hard-left and right can make for an unnaturally huge stereo picture and, ultimately, a disjointed listening experience. Tucking the piano in tighter to the center or even to one side can give it the space it needs to be heard in the track. As for panning the keyboard, when using an X/Y or spaced pair above the hammers, the left-to-right orientation is to taste, with the player's perspective being a popular choice. If the mics are pulled back from the instrument, then audience perspective is a good way to go.

One interesting and unconventional use of panning can be found on the CD Give by the Bad Plus. Engineer Tchad Blake panned the piano widely across the left, the drums across the center and the bass to the right, giving the listener the ability to fully hear what each player was doing without the instruments masked by the other. It is a startlingly simple solution to an age-old problem: How do you give each instrument enough space in the stereo image so it can be heard?

Keep in mind that the piano is not only a tonal instrument, but one that can exhibit a wide range of dynamics. A bit of smooth compression can help you keep the piano from jumping out of its surroundings. As for EQ, adding a bit of air at the top of the piano can make for a nice tone that nicely hits the reverb. Add sparingly, however, as this technique also accentuates the sound of the hammer felt coming off the string, especially if the instrument is played lightly.

[adam0568]

thanks for the feedback, guys. the crackling effect is a vinyl plugin the beatmaker put on the track. i really wish i could alter and mix the beat, but the guy who rapped on this only has the stereo instrumental track. love the advice though, please keep it comin!

i'm having a terrible time with my monitors and getting levels i like. the first mix i put up was HORRIBLY off. i put up a new mix if you could take a listen id sure appreciate it

[adam0568]

I'm thinking the vocals sound a little muffled. What do yall think

[DCstudio10]

Hey nice job The piano loops for too long it get kinda anoying mabey get more bass i feel like you only have three loops of the piano on here.

[MostRequested]

yoyo, I like the production! Piano is a little repetitive but the drums are tight and the vocals sound pretty good. Check my beats and let me know what you think.

Good record though

[glenlata]

ahhh christian hip hop, where i started i was a spoken word poet turned christian rapper turned conscious rapper, and now im a firm mixture of all of that with something else creeping into my style. i would definitely turn the music down a notch. running a noise reduction or a declicker should clear out that unwanted crackling. maybe dropping the frequencies in the 3k to 5k range by a decibel or 2 will help with the piano on the beat, and the vocals stand out more. or see if you can get a tracked out version of the beat from the guy that made it. but i like the song.

[adam0568]

thanks for the comments, guys i'll be sure to check out all of your stuff in the next couple of days. the crackling on the beat was intentional (sounds like the dude used izotope's "Vinyl"). the beat was bought a while ago from a guy online. I really wish I had the separate tracks to mix.

im on headphones and laptop speakers until I can get to some monitors tomorrow. are the vocals too thin sounding? i sucked out some low mids and boosted some highs. I have a few other tracks on my bro's soundclick too SoundClick artist: Andrew0568 - page with MP3 music downloads

[edub357]

Originally Posted by adam0568

thanks for the comments, guys i'll be sure to check out all of your stuff in the next couple of days. the crackling on the beat was intentional (sounds like the dude used izotope's "Vinyl"). the beat was bought a while ago from a guy online. I really wish I had the separate tracks to mix.

im on headphones and laptop speakers until I can get to some monitors tomorrow. are the vocals too thin sounding? i sucked out some low mids and boosted some highs. I have a few other tracks on my bro's soundclick too SoundClick artist: Andrew0568 - page with MP3 music downloads

whenever you buy a beat make sure the dude tracks it out for you, your paying him for the beat he might as well take the time to give you the beat so you can run with it and make changes as you feel to better fit your song.