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Alb-D
Guest
Im to figure out a good technique. I find it when I double up a verse it sounds muddy. But on the hook it comes out we'll ... Is it common in hip-hop to use just 1 take .. and then add adlibs??
I feel it make the track more powerful when you double your verses or add good tight ad-libs. I came across an article about 2Pac, he use to double and triple his verse. I think it just your preference. Even though I think many rappers don't doulble there verses, in R&B it done a lot. VOcal Stacking is what they call it. So, I think it up to you and what you want to do. I do sometimes.
http://www.soundclick.com/beatassassin
http://www.soundclick.com/beatassassin
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bneil
Guest
First off...I'd just like to say hello. New member here and I'm psyched to read all of the advise and discussions on this site.
Although I do not generally record hip-hop, I do tend to believe that a doubled vocal has a little more "umf" to it. However, I've found that opposed to actually recording two vocals, what worked best for me was to copy the original VOX track into a second (or third, fourth and fifth if needed!) track and add roughly .025 - .035 seconds of off-set to it. This gives the vocals just a hint of chorus and a little bit more roundness. Hope this helps.
-Brian
Although I do not generally record hip-hop, I do tend to believe that a doubled vocal has a little more "umf" to it. However, I've found that opposed to actually recording two vocals, what worked best for me was to copy the original VOX track into a second (or third, fourth and fifth if needed!) track and add roughly .025 - .035 seconds of off-set to it. This gives the vocals just a hint of chorus and a little bit more roundness. Hope this helps.
-Brian
aesopsphere
New member
i tend to double every word of the verse and pan then 75 percent each way. and use three tracks for the chorus with on centered and the others panned both way. stopping the muddiness is all about knowing the sound spectrim and knowing how to eq and compress.
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Alb-D
Guest
Yea true.. i'm going to mix on the ssl ..
one of my friends gave me this advice.. and he also told me about 2pac..
he told me to arm two tracks in pro tools.. and record in two tracks .. like 1 & 2.. that way u get two tracks.. without losing signal processing. then u can pan one of the main vocals.. then go back and do the overdubs. I'mma try this the next time i go into the studio to record.
one of my friends gave me this advice.. and he also told me about 2pac..
he told me to arm two tracks in pro tools.. and record in two tracks .. like 1 & 2.. that way u get two tracks.. without losing signal processing. then u can pan one of the main vocals.. then go back and do the overdubs. I'mma try this the next time i go into the studio to record.
You probably memorize your hooks a little and are able to rap the hooks better than the verses. This is the reason why the double on the verses do not sound as good. Memorize your material, make sure you are right on point with your flow, and record the double takes as equal as possible.
If you are off here and there with a word or two, do some editing and move the words as needed in your sequencer. Ideally you shouldn't have to edit but if you do, it's not so bad when you have another vocal track that will make the edit unnoticeable.
If you arm and record two of the same tracks that record the same signal you will use twice the space as one track for no reason. Recording one track and copying the track one on top of the other gives you the exact same thing and uses less resources. All this does is give you a little bit of a boost in volume. This is nothing like recording a double. Copying the track and offsetting it a little can be accomplished with a chorus on the track. Whichever way is fine.
But there is no good replacement for a good double take.
If you are off here and there with a word or two, do some editing and move the words as needed in your sequencer. Ideally you shouldn't have to edit but if you do, it's not so bad when you have another vocal track that will make the edit unnoticeable.
If you arm and record two of the same tracks that record the same signal you will use twice the space as one track for no reason. Recording one track and copying the track one on top of the other gives you the exact same thing and uses less resources. All this does is give you a little bit of a boost in volume. This is nothing like recording a double. Copying the track and offsetting it a little can be accomplished with a chorus on the track. Whichever way is fine.
But there is no good replacement for a good double take.
If you listen closely in alot of rap, the verses aren't really doubled. It's usually doubled on the chours, and for a verse its a single take and an ad-lib take. However, on some other rap style, they double all the way through. This can have a very good result if you get the takes perfectly recorded. If the artist slips off track on one or the other take, it doesnt sound as good. Depending on what artist Im working with determines what technique I use. However, it seems pretty logical to have a single take and adlib for a verse, and double the chorus, to sort of define each of them so they don't just blend together.
Unfadeable Isaiah
New member
It's all about preference and the style of the mc/rapper. If they are all about people hearing exactly all of their words, then it's not really nessessary to that. Alot of commercial hip-hop or club tracks you'll hear alot of doubling or tripling of tracks. I strongly disagree with the person before me who said he just copies and pastes and offsets the tracks. I've tried that and it sounds pretty ****ty and sounds unprofessional. I'm not trying to knock the guy though cuz I guess it works for him. What's really worked for me is putting down the rap on one recording and doubling or ad-libing the next track with a chorus-effect on my mixer. I use 3 stereo tracks for the first rap, one for the middle and 2 panned to both the left and right. I double the rap, or have the artist double the punch lines and leave open another track for additional ad-libs, noise or any other sound-effects. I normally use a total of 7 or 8 tracks. I normally record the artist when they have written or memorized their raps because the recording will come out a lot cleaner and less muddy. But using the chorus effect on the mixer or on whatever recording program you use has been a big difference for me. If you want to check out a track I produced using this technique, visit me on myspace.com at www.myspace.com/unfadeableisaiah and check out the track "Give It To Me" by my friend Lerik. This track was considered for the Fast and Furious 3 soundtrack.
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Alb-D
Guest
Thanks for the advice.. guys..
I talked to one of my long time engineering friends and he pretty much told me what some of ya'll have been saying..
I talked to one of my long time engineering friends and he pretty much told me what some of ya'll have been saying..