How to build up a flow?

  • Thread starter Thread starter ItzCashew
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Just came across it a while back, I couldnt stop laughing when I heard it. But, like I said, look where he at now.
 
hahaha i see...well imma redo the first song on the soundclick. No One Else Come Close song imma redo that song with my friend. Someone wanna tell me how i should change it up a bit? And any one wanna help me write a second verse for it?
 
just out of curiosity... what equipment do you use? Do you record with headphones on?
 
Im using Adobe Audition, and a headset mic. Yeah the mic is connected to the headphones.
 
quality is the least of your worries right now....... first we gotta practice on that flow and delivery..... as far as being monotone... i used to be like that to... it took practice and doing a lot of tracks to get that energy behind....... basicly wat i do is when im in the booth i act like im performing the song im recording....... i try to be as enegetic as possible which is hard for me because im a laid back guy...... but yea my best advice would be practice...... hit me up on AIM if u want me to help in more detail im willing i find stuff like this fun......... thafamillyfyre

www.soundclick.com/fyre if u want to listen to some of my stuff cause u might not like my flow in which case my advice would be useless
 
I dont think the key to fixing a monotone voice is in your voice, I think it is in your mindstate, if that makes sense. See, I've tried fixing mine by simply adding more expression and feeling in my words, but it didnt work. I find what works the best for me so far is, like Fyre said, dont act like you are recording. Forget paying attention to your words and how they sound, just get in the feel of your music and pretend you have a million people in front of you. Its almost like you subconsciously put more emotion into your words, which is more effective than consciously TRYING to make it sound better. I dont know if that makes any sense to you or not.
 
Hell, I could bring back older tracks from about 2000 (first CD) that had me notice I was monotone as fuck. Now I know how to blend my tracks better. I've messed around with people's styles and kind of blended all of that into my own.

I used to do impressions and still can just for shits and giggles. I could probably sound like anybody I wanted to, but that's not gonna cut it for me.

Here's something that helps from being monotone...more feeling in your lyrics. You should go over your lyrics and then decide where you'll stress more emphasis on what you're saying. Also, use your ad-lib track to put more emphasis and feeling on top of it. It masks some of the monotone mess.

I'll record one of two ways. I'll record two tracks of the full verse and pick the one I like better. I'll copy that one and then put a delay on it. If I like them both, I'll take the other one and put it somewhat in the background as a backing vocal. Then I'll go on top of all that with an adlib track and then try to polish that up.

I'll use about three different takes in the hooks to give it more depth and then pan some of them and leave some in dead center.
 
Recording wise I do it simular to Fieva except i record my main vocal track three times.... pan two about 25 left and right and leave the other dead center this gives more depth...... 1 adlib track dead center more emotion.......

but yea as far as being monotone u cant really focus on it like i said before you have to relax..... because now after years of recording I can actually read my lyrics off a page and still have that emotion and delivery...... only reason i do this is because I normally write just before i record so i dont have much time to memorize
 
seems like a lot of rapper are or were monotone... you guys think it could be like an early stage that most rappers go through?
 
I see Fieva really showed me a good way to record and Fyre maybe you can run me through the ropes of how to use Adobe Audition to help make my track better. Thnxs for all the help guys.
 
they have good points...

monotone - of course, i was. the way i look at it, the first step is feeling the beat and getting your lyrics to flow with it. without that, you can forget it. so my first cd's were a little monotone, but the flow was good (well, as good as it gets for the first few recordings).

AFTER you get down your flow, THEN work on delivery. idealy you should work on both, and if you have someone recording with you, or at least recording you, that helps because then they can say "do it like this here, and drop that word there".... but that's my advice.

oh yeah - recording w/ Adobe Audition 1.5... i only record one track for the verses. i'll just record and record and record until i get it the way i want. then the adlibs/doubles are one track per verse. choruses can be anywhere from 2 to 5 or 6 tracks and panned... i'll give an example of a song i've recorded lately:

Verses: One track. dead center or right 5
Backups/Adlibs: one track. left 20-30, sometimes reverbed, not usually.
Chorus: one track. dead center or right 5
Chorus extras/adlibs/backups: 2-4 tracks, panned accordingly to add depth (maybe 2 to the right, 20 and 65, 2 to the left @ 30 and 80, and maybe some additional vocals lowered to sound faint panned right 10)

eh - i've been using the same program (CoolEdit/AA) for all the times i've recorded. so that gives me about 6 years with the same program. still cant say i'm anywhere near a pro at it....

give it a listen: www.myspace.com/billybomusic

EDIT - i actually rerecorded "Movement" and "One King" on that site, so i'll have to remember to put those on, but still, tell me what you think.


Bless.
 
I read my shit, but when I write my shit, it's damn near like a script to an actor. You gotta know what parts you can get away with being monotone and when you need to spice it up a little bit.

Once you get the monotone first track, listen to it and find out what points you need that spice to add some to it. Don't sweat it because even some of the majors are monotone. They just dress it up so well you wouldn't know it.

Listen to Snoop. You take his extra verses out and then imagine how it sounds. Ja Rule would be another one.
 
Also, shit like ad-libs can help spice ya songs up... like Fieva said, "dressing up" a track can help hide monotone...

But ya'll, I feel stupid for asking this, but how exactly do you differ flow from delivery.. I always thought them pretty much the same thing...
 
I took it as delivery was word play while flow was using rhythm with the beat when you ride it.

Either could be interchangable though.
 
Okay I wasn't able to listen so I'll just give the pointers I normally give rappers.

1. You have feel it or no one else will.

2. Pretend you're an actor and the microphone is your audience. If you just stand there and mumble the audience is going to walk off but if you give the audience everything you got and put on an energetic performance they will stay and listen to your story.

3. You have to MAKE ME believe what you are saying.

4. YOU have believe what you are saying.

Take care of points 1-4 and the flow will come naturally.

Hope that helps.
 
Whoo i would really like to know more about recording techniques cuz i like to know hot to do all that too.
 
Stick around read read then read some more pretty much every question you could think to ask has been asked and answered on this board.
 
I have the monotone problem too.
I tried to sound different rapping angry,sad, all sounds the same.
It end ups sounding boring and plain, its my voice realy laidback and chill.
doesnt jump out at ya. I been trying to find away around this.
 
dirtyp said:
I have the monotone problem too.
I tried to sound different rapping angry,sad, all sounds the same.
It end ups sounding boring and plain, its my voice realy laidback and chill.
doesnt jump out at ya. I been trying to find away around this.
Click to expand...

Well damn, at least it aint like its just one of us with this problem... I think man, just do what you do, and after a while you will lose that monotone...
 
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