Classic Hip Hop Production Tips

General 

• Mostly they Used an SSL Desk

• Start with Mixing Kick and Snare Followed by Vocals, i.e. Kick and Snare Build the Foundation and then Compare that to a Reference

• Neve Saturation for Low End (Tribe Called Quest)

• J Dilla Recorded Samples to a MCI JH24 Tape and Put Samples Often Through Yamaha SPX 900 with the Symphonic Preset, he Put a Sine OSC Below Sampled Kick (Around 40Hz to 60Hz) that was Triggered by the Sample (Very Short with a Gate)

• Often a GML EQ (Green) was Used in Mastering to Achieve the High End (Matte Type of High End)

• A Trick to Make the Rap Vocal Less Harsh is to Insert an API EQ, Enable the 20Hz and Dial In -2dB

• EQ Hats = Raise 16kHz, Slight Cut 8kHz to Make Room for Snare, Opt Raise 2kHz to 3kHz

• EQ Kicks = Cut 2dB to 4dB between 250Hz to 500Hz, Boost 44Hz 2dB to 4dB, Slight Cut 8kHz to Make Room for Snare, on 808 Boost Rather 70Hz 2dB to 4dB (Instead 44Hz) and Cut between 4kHz to 16kHz

• EQ Snares = Raise 2dB to 4dB between 250Hz to 500Hz to Compensate Where Kick was Cut, Boosting 8kHz from 1dB to 4dB, to Brighten Up Snare More Boost between 2kHz to 4kHz Slightly with 1dB to 2dB

• DBX Often Used for Snares to Round Off High and Get a Wooden Character (Sweet Spot 4:1)

• Instead Being Laid Back with the Drums, Try Set Them to Come Before Samples etc. for that Forward Drive

• Try the BX Green-Screamer Parallel on 808, Shadow Hills Green on Drum Bus, Shadow Hills Red on Master Bus, SSL E (Brown Type) for Drums and Bass

Handle Low End

1) Listen to the Single Elements that Make Up the Low End, i.e. Kick 1 and 2, Low Bass, Sub etc.

2) Determine which of the Low End Element Lives Where in the Frequency

• i.e. Think of the Different Elements as Layers to be Arranged in Plateaus and Match the Range of Human Hearing in Sense of Depth

3) Compression will Tighten Up the Low End while Maintain and Focus the Fundamental Frequency

• i.e. as a Tonal Shaping Tool to Balance Anomalities in Bass, also Multiband

Low End Kick Trick

• Check Phase Issues, i.e. Simply Invert Phase of Kick if you Experience or Compensate in a Way

1) Duplicate Kick

2) Add Heavy Compression with API 2500 or DBX 160XT

• e.g. on DBX 160XT, Attack = Program Dependent 15ms for 10dB, 5ms for 20dB, 3ms for 30dB

• Release = Program Dependent 8ms for 1dB, 80ms for 10dB, 400ms for 50dB, 125dB / sec Rate

3) Boost with Pultec Either Set to 60Hz or 100Hz with a Very Small Bandwidth, e.g. 7dB at 70Hz

4) Add this Second Kick Back to About 7dB at 70Hz

Lead Vocal Chain

1) Multiband Control Differences of Human Voice

2) De-Esser (also at 2 kHz to Tame Nasal)

3) Tape to Fix Harshness and Focus Midrange

4) EQ with 4 to 5 Dips and 1 Band Enhance High

5) Tube Comp to Fix Harshness, Ratio 6 or 7, Mid Attack and Mid to Fast Release

6) 2nd Tape to Focus Midrange

7) Send to Delay Slap, Verb and 2nd Delay Repetitions to Sides

Mix Buss

1) Tape to Focus Midrange

2) API Comp to Enhance Rhythm

3) Digital EQ to Dip 3 Spots and a High Shelf at 25 kHz

4) Heat Maker Saturation

Hip Hop Vocals Recording

1) Vocals Recorded Through U47 / 67 / 87

2) Into Console Pre

3) 1176 / DBX 160, Insert or Parallel Compression

4) Printed to Tape 

5) SSL 4000E