I'm bad at this. How can I get better?

Condawg

Condawg

New member
Alright, so I make rap music. I've been writing and recording rap for close to six years now, and I'm pretty confident in my abilities when it comes to that, but just last year I started actually making my own music to go with it. With that came taking mixing seriously. I've tried to learn something new with each song I do, and get better as I go. I'm working on a concept album and plan to re-record everything when I'm finished, as well as mix it again with everything I've learned along the way.
But I feel like I'm not really improving as much now as I was when I first set out to start improving. I've hit a bit of a wall, and I'm not sure where else to go with it. Here's my Soundcloud. Any tips would be appreciated. I use Reaper, if it matters.
 
I listened to "Search for a Spark". While I am not an expert on the topic, I have to ask, what is your equipment, room, mics, etc. The backing instruments were interesting, vocals had the room all over it, and it just was missing a nice rounded sound.

I think I know what you're talking about and I am not sure how much of this site you have been reading. Everything to get your sound better is written all over this place.

Before we go any further, tell us about your room for the source and the equipment used to record. That would be a start.
 
I used a Blue Snowball to record. I got an AT2020 yesterday that I'll use for future songs/re-records. The room is a medium-sized room without any soundproofing or consideration put into it for recording, which is something I'm looking to address soon and am trying to find a cheap way to do so. I can't realistically do it anywhere else, so I have to find a way to make the best of the room I've got.

I just found this forum yesterday and have been reading a good bit, but a lot of it goes over my head.
 
Condawg said:
I used a Blue Snowball to record. I got an AT2020 yesterday that I'll use for future songs/re-records. The room is a medium-sized room without any soundproofing or consideration put into it for recording, which is something I'm looking to address soon and am trying to find a cheap way to do so. I can't realistically do it anywhere else, so I have to find a way to make the best of the room I've got.

I just found this forum yesterday and have been reading a good bit, but a lot of it goes over my head.
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There are tons of "how to" info on how to build your own bass traps out there. here is one I like. Good luck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6g13taN9Lc
 
Condawg said:
I used a Blue Snowball to record. I got an AT2020 yesterday that I'll use for future songs/re-records. The room is a medium-sized room without any soundproofing or consideration put into it for recording, which is something I'm looking to address soon and am trying to find a cheap way to do so. I can't realistically do it anywhere else, so I have to find a way to make the best of the room I've got.

I just found this forum yesterday and have been reading a good bit, but a lot of it goes over my head.
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We all do it where we can and most of us have modest budgets, that is why the board focuses on buying the right gear in the right order. We don't have enough money to make mistakes.

The USB microphones, while not really the best (not recommended as a general rule), you can probably improve by getting some of the reflection out of the recording. I would suggest starting with some heavy blankets, curtains, etc to knock down those high areas. I think if you get too close to the mic, you're going to have too much vocal noise. So, try getting some of the high out for now.

Go ahead and get a DAW, I recommend Reaper as it fully functional and only nags you if you don't pay for it. Eventually, save up some money and buy it, it is worth the $60 bucks, but until then, you can use it as much as you need while you're saving up.

So, you have the mic, get some room treatments to knock down the highs, get an interface, and a pop filter. That should get you moving towards improvement.

Before you start touching EQ, let's see if you can get the source better. There are many on here who know how to get a good sound on a budget, and while blankets are not recommended, you have to start somewhere and this is a good start.

I am assuming you will be getting an interface to hook the microphone into? Also, if you can spring for it, get a "pop filter" they are not much and really can help you get closer to the mic. If you can get closer, turn your gain on the mics down and don't concern yourself if the level is too low, you can make up for that later.
 
Atkron205 said:
There are tons of "how to" info on how to build your own bass traps out there. here is one I like. Good luck

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6g13taN9Lc
Click to expand...

I was planning on doing something like this soon. Thanks for the video. The only problem I have is that I'm in a bit of an open area... I've got a wall to my left, but to my right it's a good 10 feet before there's a wall. I feel like I'd need a shitload of these to make a real difference.

DM60 said:
The USB microphones, while not really the best (not recommended as a general rule), you can probably improve by getting some of the reflection out of the recording. I would suggest starting with some heavy blankets, curtains, etc to knock down those high areas. I think if you get too close to the mic, you're going to have too much vocal noise. So, try getting some of the high out for now.
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Luckily, I got the XLR AT2020. Do you just kind of make a blanket fort around yourself? What are the logistics of that?

Go ahead and get a DAW, I recommend Reaper as it fully functional and only nags you if you don't pay for it. Eventually, save up some money and buy it, it is worth the $60 bucks, but until then, you can use it as much as you need while you're saving up.
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I've been using Reaper for a while now, I love it. I should really buy it soon.

So, you have the mic, get some room treatments to knock down the highs, get an interface, and a pop filter. That should get you moving towards improvement.
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Seems like room improvements are the most important thing right now. I've already got an interface (Alesis Multimix 8 USB) and a pop filter.

Thanks for the tips, guys. Really looking forward to improving my recording quality and just getting better with this stuff overall. I've been recording audio for close to 10 years, but I've never taken the time to learn how to do it properly.
 
So one of the most important rules is to fix it as early as possible in the process. Starting from the beginning (that is to say, none of this is specifically tailored to your specific songs yet)
1. Write great songs - If your songs aren't worth recording, fixing it in post won't be worth it. Make sure your songs are as well-written and well-arranged as you can make them.
2. Get great performers - Make sure your performance when playing is perfect (i.e. that your performance exactly matches what you want out of the project.)
3. Track with good gear - Make sure your instruments have exactly the tone you want.
4. Track in a good space - Make sure that background noise, reverberations in the room, etc. aren't going to interfere with your sound.
5. Track with the right mic - The right mic being the one that most accurately captures the sound of your amazing performance using great gear in a good space.
6. Mix it right - That's what this forum is for! Whee!
7. Master it - I'm far from expert here. Talk to massive mastering once you reach this point.

As to your recordings specifically.

The major spots I can see to improve right away are:
Tune the acoustic. It's got some pitch issues, especially in "Search for a Spark"
Tame the low-end. Your kick especially is pretty woofy. Bass traps in your room will keep those frequencies from building up while you track. When you mix, look into low-pass filters.
Level out the vocals. You've got a few spots where the vocal level jumps up or down drastically, being buried one moment and too loud the next (especially on the gang vocals). Use automation and compression when you're mixing to keep things coherent.
Find a space for each "voice" in the mix. Each instrument (voice) has its own set of frequencies that it works best in. You want to EQ voices so that they're not trampling over each others' preferred frequencies. This will keep your mix from getting muddy.

That being said, a couple of your songs are pretty good! Your vocal delivery is a lot like MC Frontalot's in a few spots. When the mix clicks, you've got a pretty solid groove. I like the rap/acoustic/synth sound. And from what I was able to catch, you've got some pretty good lyrics.
Your singing voice is a little weak. You might want to get someone to help you with the hooks. (Unfortunately, there's not a ton of love for rap on these forums, so you might not be able to find a ton of collaborators here)
 
Your vocal delivery is a lot like MC Frontalot's in a few spots.
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Damn. Thank you. He's a pretty big influence. Biggest influence is Wheelie Cyberman, from Optimus Rhyme or, more recently, Supercommuter.

Your singing voice is a little weak.
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I know, I wish I had someone on-hand to help me out with that while recording. Most of the time I've got a different person's voice in my head for the hook when I write it. Now I know a girl who said she'll help me out with that in the future, so for future songs and re-records it should be better in that respect.

Thanks for the rest of the tips and feedback. I'll keep all of that in mind.

I'm working on fixing up my space a bit right now. I've got a big L desk in the corner of my room with a lot of area behind me. I'm currently clearing everything off of it to rotate it 90% so that I've got a wall behind me to hang a blanket up on. It's a pain in the ass, I've got all sorts of way too much shit on my desk, but it'll be worth it.
 
Just listened to "Emotional debt". The thing that jumped out at me was lack of stereo image. You should try doubling that electric guitar and panning them to the left and ride side. The beat sounds obviously fake, which works well for this genre, maybe a tad bit over compressed for my tastes. Are you using Parallel Compression on it at all or just on the track itself? The bass also has a very weak sound to it, kind of thinish---I would sweep the low end for the sweet spot then back down all the way and boost slightly 1-3db with a wider Q (3ish) to help bring it out. Sounds loud though, used a limiter? Multiband compressor? LEt me know what you used.
 
I'll try doubling my guitar in the future, thanks for that.
I'm using compression only on the track itself.
Thanks for the tips on the bass. I'm actually not using anything on that. It's on the same track as the beat, since they're both made in FL Studio.
 
Cool, generally you don't want to just slap a compressor on the master mix, use it to bring elements in the actual mix up front. Anything that is low or buried in the mix can be really brought out through some compression. Especially vocals. I'd say it's an absolute must to have compression on the vocals in the mix. It makes it sit real nice and upfront without getting muddy or buried. Espeically for genres like Rap and hip-hop where the words are so important.

Think light compression in the mix and certain elements. Never put a compressor on the master track until you are at the mastering stage.
 
Yeah, actually recording the same part two times with some slight variation. Adds some nice stereo image to the track and helps make it more full. Your right panning the same track (aka copy and pasting) won't do anything but sound bad and just raise the volume of the guitar and perhaps even create distortion. Def want to record the same part two times. Whenever I record I make sure I'm recording everything twice just in case I want to double anything later on. Better to have extra tracks than left with very little to work with.
 
Also you should really avoid bass and drums on the same track. It realllly limits what you can do and makes it difficult to get the kick and bass separate and boomy/punchy like you want.
 
Thanks for the advice, it's all very helpful. Keeping a running list of what to do and what not to do for the next time I record.
 
Don't throw blankets around, the sound of the vocal is not the weak point. Blankets only kill the top and do not control the bottom. EQ is better than a blanket.

The bass drum sounds sounds a bit distorted. I find the Hi-hat a bit mechanical. I would program it with more variety and put some reverb on it to push it out of my face.

Doubling and tripling guitars is common in heavy metal, where a wall of chunky blur is just the ticket, but I'm not sure it is necessary in genre's like country or rap. I would think adding guitar to rap is an attempt to add a natural sound, and I wouldn't want to confuse it. Having said that, guitars sit in the frequency range perfect for adding width and space to the mix, which you can do with 2 routs of the take rather than 2 separate takes.
 
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I like the backing on the 1st track.
The acoustic is a little out but the backing sounds like mid era electro rock - it's also not uber sub bass obsessed so threr's definition to the bass etc.
The rapping - too fast! Sounds like you're trying to fit into a track prepared for something else.
get the blend right and you'll have something different & good.
 
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