Have beats and a rapper and a Mic what next?

J

[John Doe]

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Hey guys I need some guidance,

I have Reason 5, Virtual DJ and Audacity....I have beats I have made on Reason and a Rapper ready to record in my living room. I have a usb mic....is there a specific program I should get for recording vocals and putting the vocals on top of the track? I need a few steps to take for the actually mastering process please!!!!!
,thank you in advance
 
Some specific things to look up:

1. Mic placement and room treatment.
2. Mixing (not mastering). You'll likely be needing EQ.

I don't use Reason, but I'm assuming you can record audio in it. If not, you can record in Audacity. Similarly, you should be able to mix in Reason. No need to spend more $$$ on software.
 
with reason 5 there is no option to directly record audio or even to mix audio within it - an upgrade is the only solution to that problem or get reaper and rewire it into that

I would strongly suggest the reaper path for now until you know what else you may want to do
 
I would recommend using izotope Nectar 2 to mix vocals, as far as the software goes. You could probably set ir up in Audacity with the help of a quick YouTube tutorial.

I use a Presonus Eureka SOLID STATE (don't get a tube amp for hip hop vocals trust me) mic preamp, which I use to compress the audio signal before it enters my software.
^^^This helps SO much with clipping, provided you know what you're doing when setting the gain, threshold, ratio, etc.

When mixing, be sure you have a multi band equalizer and a compressor (the order you eq/compress will have an impact so use your ears :] )
Maybe even use a limiter to help with insane volume spikes that a compressor may not help...

*EDIT: forgot to mention this.. and someone please correct me if this is wrong, but depending on the beat, there may be frequencies that interfere with the vox you are recording, making it sound like a jumbled mess in a sense. I usually EQ the beat with a nice little scoop where the vocals sit in the spectrum. So the voice has an easier time cutting through that mix!

Here's a little disclaimer though. I'm a noob, still pretty new to mixing somewhat, and theres a whole lot for me to learn lol.

Good luck brotha
 
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Make sure you set up and record properly. I just wrote a blog post on how to record vocals at home which might be helpful. After that you will need to get it mixed and mastered. Vocals at home can be achieved if you do it right, but you might want to leave mixing and mastering to a professional.
 
Don't fear the Reaper. Definitely the most cost effective solution.

Although, if possible I'd ditch the USB mic and get a regular phantom powered, condenser mic (I'm assuming you have an audio interface).
Rode NT1a or Audio-Technica AT-2020 are both cheap, cheerful and better than most USB mics out there.
 
Personally I use logic .... I find it great for making beats and vocals but any daw will work if you learn it.... maybe an audio interface may be the next step for you
 
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