The ever increasing popularity of Rap and Hip Hop over the last 10 years has been reflected in the online presence of specialist Rap & Hip Hop forums discussing everything from who will be the next Eminem/Dr Dre/50 Cent to the production tricks used in the creation of Rap/Hip Hop tunes.
There are many forums and sites dedicated to the creation/production of Rap & Hip Hop music, and many of the users want to know how to replicate some 
of the sounds they are hearing in contemporary productions from studio production teams such as 'The Neptunes' and Miami based duo 'Cool & Dre'. Common themes that tend to crop up are the production skills involved in creating a commercial sounding rap vocal sound, and also tips for creating 'phat' bass and beats.
Unsurprisingly, the production techniques discussed in these Rap and Hip Hop forums are techniques that are used in music of all genres.
As mentioned previously, methods of obtaining a good rap vocal sound is one area that crops up time and time again in Hip Hop forums and there are many tips which are commonly mentioned. One of the most common rap vocal production techniques is that of 'vocal doubling' which can be achieved in many ways. The 'old skool' method of doubling would have been to have the rapper perform 2 takes and then blend the 2 takes together to give a thicker vocal sound. However, not all artists are this consistent so other methods have evolved.
The software package VocALign has found its way into toolbox of many Hip Hop producers, as well as finding its way into lots of audio/video post production suites. VocALign allows the engineer to match up several audio files in the time domain - when working with Rap/Hip Hop vocals this ensures a tight sound. The VocALign website has a MP3 demonstration of how effective this software can be when working with Rap music - click here and then choose 'vocalign audio demonstration' on the right hand side of the page. When you hear the effect this has on the rap you will start to notice this Hip Hop vocal production technique on several tunes.
Another technique is to duplicate the vocal take in your DAW and then apply different processing to the copy - a common method is to apply a vocal pitch correction plugin such as Auto-Tune to the copy. As you are using a copy the timing of the rap will be tight but the Auto-Tune version will have a slightly different pitch due to the pitch correction taking place. You can then blend the 2 signals together until you find the desired sound.
Lots of other topics are covered in these Rap production forums such as use of the Akai MPC in creating beats, and the best synthesis techniques to create those bowel-shaking sub-bass lines that typify contemporary Hip Hop.
However, what is clear is that most, if not all, of these production skills that are discussed on Rap/Hip Hop forums are transferable to other genres such as Garage, House, Trip Hop, Downbeat, Electro and even Rock!
Although most genres have their own 'sonic fingerprint' it is fair to say that good production techniques will work in many styles, and it is also advantageous to work in other styles that you might not usually work in...who knows what production techniques you may pick up?
FEEDBACK THREAD
Rap & Hip Hop Forums
Give us your feedback and share with us your thoughts, feelings, and opinions on this topic. |
