Recording Rap/HipHop

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Kelley

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I'm an amateur to the recording industry and I'm looking to do some home recording of rap, r&b, etc. Can someone explain the process of recording for ex. the effects to use, number of tracks, overdubbing, etc. Any advice is gladly appreciated.
 
eh, that would take maddddd posts. haha. in other words, do some searches on this board, i'm sure you'll find what you need.
then, come back with some specific questions...ha
 
what kind of rap/hip hop are you into?

there are a million ways to make a hip hop record.... but it would get narrowed down if you could name some of the stuff that you are into: what you want to sound like.
 
Well if you are needing to make beats, then I suggest a EMU MP7. They are discontinued, so unless there is a backstock of them, you have to go used. Excellent machine.

I have a Roland 1680 for tracking. So you can record 16 tracks (different items; vocals, beats, samples...) and mix them at different volumes.

There is better equipment available now-a-days, but hell, Outkast has one. I don't know the extent of its roll in their last album, but anyways........


Beat machine and mics > into a MIC PREAMP > into something to record them.

You will want a MIXER to match volumes of different things, but that is later on. You need to see how those work first.

But you can purchase all the equipment to make a good Hiphop album for around $5k-10k. Not cheap. But is a far cry from a few years ago. And you have all the stuff for your next record. No going to a studio.
 
I just remembered you also want to make some R&B music.

When I borrowed a EMU MP7, it still had its factory presets. You will not be disapointed.
 
whoa, you can make a good hip hop album for way less than 5k in gear.

if you already have a computer i think you could get a pretty hi-fi recording set-up for less than a grand.

if you need a computer add the cost of a not-top-of-the-line computer to that figure.



if you want to make underground sounding hip hop, you could do it all for $100 or so...
 
Believe it or not, I'm curious about this stuff, also.

I have absolutely no hip-hop background, but I do get some of the rappers and what not coming in to my place to overdub vocals -- every now and then.

Most of them are using Fruity Loops. Some of their stuff is okay, but most of it pretty much sucks. :D If I were to look in to a beat machine (like this EMU MP7 you guys are talking about), would that help me get more of the hip-hoppers in here? :D Like when these guys call, could I say "Yea, I got me a vintage MP7 . . . "

. . . Would I hear some ooohs and ahhhs on the other end of the line?

Can Fruity Loops do basically the same kinds of things?
 
Chessrock,

I don't know that if you said, "Yea, I got me a vintage MP7...", that you will get any one in.

Hiphop seems to like to move forward rather quickly and not linger on "vintage" tools like I personaly would (pre-CBS Fenders, old Martins, etc....)

But an MP7 would definatly help you a bit. It is MIDI so you can also use a keyboard control for a wider range of effects at once.

Granted with a beatbox like the MP7, your client will have to sit down and program beats. That takes a while.............:rolleyes: ...good for you, turn off for them when they realize the studio timeclock is ticking.

But at the same time you can come up with beats on the spot and live with it too.

Ooohhhhhhs and Aaahhhhhhs??? After they hear the quality it dishes out.


But the Akai samplers are some serious tools for a studio. They work in conjunction with the beatboxes and all those damn CDs that say DRUM LOOPS.
You can even mic stuff and send it to the Sampler. Then when ever you push one of those 16 pads, it plays something. And if you push it again, it stop and starts again.

But the EMU MP7 is going for about $500-$550 USED for one in mint conditioned. Its up to you if its worth it. (But if all the stuff coming in is garbage and they leave with quality......word spreads like wildfire. ...and hiphop is a BILLION dollar industry.)
 
Outlaws,

Hip-hop really is a very large market around Chicago, and I'm starting to feel foolish turning business away. People don't seem to care that I have no background or interest in it. They just want to know if I can help them program their beats and record their vocals with decent enough quality . . . and inexpensively. That seems to be the real key there. :D

I'm not interested at all in loops. ACID Pro gets me there just fine, and I'm happy with the interface and sound, etc. I'd be looking more at a drum machine deal.

As far as what I feel comfortable with, don't laugh, but I love the programmability of the Boss Dr. Rythm. I use Dr. Rythm all the time for making click tracks, and cheesy as it sounds, you can get a lot more interesting-sounding guide tracks as opposed to the standard "click . . . click . . . click . . . click."

If I could get myself something that programs like that, but sounds better, I'd be all over it. I like the idea of actually being able to tap out the different parts, and have the machine match them up in tempo . . . and then add on different layers while the previous stuff I just entered is continuing to play.

You following me? :D
 
Chess, your best bet is an MPC sequencer, and a triton/motif station. That's the standard around here. The triton bugs the fuck out of me now, but gear lists are gear lists, no?

MP

p.s. keep your eyes on the mics at all times.
 
mallcore pop said:
p.s. keep your eyes on the mics at all times.
Click to expand...

I got 'em mounted in such a way that it's difficult and time-consuming to remove them from the stands. :D It's a pain in the ass if I want to de-mount them, but it prevents inventory shrinkage. They'd pretty much have to take the stands with them.
 
Chessrock,

I have to disagree with the Akai MPC. Your Acid program should cover all that, as you said. (but I haven't used ACID before :rolleyes: )

If you want a QUALITY Dr. Rythm machine. The Emu Mp7 is it. It works more or less the exact same way. Just with a massive amount of options and sounds. You can set the BPM and play away. Then you can add upto a total of 16 seperate tracks. So basically, say you have a drum kit selected. You can play anything on the kit and that counts as one track. Then you can select another sound and play whatever is available on the Pads as a second track. And so on. But as for you not wanting to play to a click track. You won't. After you set the BPM you can set how close it aligns with the beat (?quantize?). So when you hit a snare it automatically is on the beat. You can set it to align with 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32. I can't remember if it goes to 1/64, but it is close enough to where you hit it that doesnot sound cheesy.

Tell you what. I'll PM you when I throw up a song on Nowhereradio.
 
I should rephrase.......

You CAN, if you want, set it to align with the beat. You can go completely freestyle if you want.
 
That's pretty much what I'm after.

Thanks, Outlaws.

And sorry, Kelley, for hijacking your thread. It just looked like a good opportunity.


BYW -- if/when the sounds on the MP7 become outdated (as with the Dr. Rythm), is there any way of updating/adding new sounds?
 
I think so.


The Mp7 is nothing more than the XL7. Just a different colored contoller. Inside one is a Hiphop (mp7) Rom and the other is a Dance (XL7) rom. The website has different Roms you can swap out. They are the same roms that are in the Rackmount units. So you can get a Piano rom or even Sounds of Nature type stuff. Very cool.
 
You might have to download unfortunately....I forgot, I uploaded at 256kbps:eek: I should have done 128kbps:D

Now I have to redo my other two songs.
 
That's a pretty impressive little machine. And some good work on your part working it.
 
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