Friday, September 6, 2013

How To Add "the Feel" To Your Hip Hop Mix

By Delroy Wilkins


Sound is very important when you are learning the ropes in mixing instrumentals. But, mastery of sound mixing is not the end all and be all of hip hop although it is a vital chunk of this genre. You also need to delve further and consider the feel of the instrumentals. As a way of self-expression, the mix should have the feel. Not to be presumptuous or anything but sound quality is overshadowed by the feel of the mix. The feel is influenced by 3 things, the balance, the punch and the image of you instrumentals. You need to consider these elements to give a feel to those beats and make them addictive.

1. Make it Groovy. We hear sound with our ears but groove connects with our bodies. If your instrumentals lack that groove, you are in serious trouble simply because the groove dictates whether you like something or not even before you think about it. With a groove, you can win people over irrespective of the quality and simplicity of the track.

Take advantage of unbalanced beats. If you have elements overriding each other, feel is created within the beats. If you want to create tension within a track, use unbalanced keys within the beats. The unbalanced keys are a great way of bringing the track to climax. For the release, level out the keys. Using imbalance is an easy way of directing the listener's attention to a sound.

Use depth. Listeners will create an image they can relate to when they hear a song. You should therefore target creation of a 3D image with your beats and instrumentals. Interchanging the singers or use of resonance is an easy way of creating depth within a track. Depth is a great way of creating emotion within a track.

4. Song Arrangement and Dynamics behind Transitions. Variety is a great thing especially in hip hop mix. Songs which are bland and too repetitive rarely captivate an audience. Before and after the changes in your song's sections, there should be a dynamic transition that will mark the change while blending with the entire mix. The progression and changes in the music are integral parts of your track and you should take notice of how the instrumentals flow when your sound changes directions.

5. Make Every Moment Special. The song is a series of beats and each of those is special. You have to work hard to create a mix that will echo not just good music but also emphasize how special it is. Since you are after the feel, work on the track until the mix gives you delightful creeps.




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