Hip Hop Mixing Beginner

1) Set All Faders to Zero

2) Put All Drum Elements to a Group

3) Bring Kick Fader Up to Where it Peaks About -12dBFS to -10dBFS

– this is the Reference Point which Should Remain as Everything Follows After will be Mixed Around the Kick

4) Bring Snare Fader Up so it Fits to the Kick

5) Bring Up Hat Fader Up so it Fits to the Snare and Kick

6) Leave Panning Centered for Kick / Snare / Hat

• i.e. Pan the Samples but Not Drum Elements (Except Hi Hat can be Panned)

7) Bring Up Samples Fader Up so it Fits to the Drum Elements

• Make Sure you Not Loose the Impact of the Kick when Bring Sample Up 

8) Bring Up Bass Fader Up so it Fits to the Drum Elements and Samples

9) Now Start Adding Plugins if Any of the Tracks Need Plugins at All

• Not Just to Insert Plugins Because you can, Remember that Everything You Use was Already Mixed or Mastered at One Point

• i.e. Only Use Plugins if there is Something to Fix or Adding Character / Texture

• e.g. Little Boost Kick at 60Hz with a Neve 1073 Low Shelf

• e.g. Little Boost Snare at 3kHz with a Neve 1073 Peak

• e.g. Roll Off Low End on Hi Hat and Sample

• e.g. SC Sample to Kick

• e.g. Clean Up Sample (if Too Old) or Add Dirt (if Too New)

10) Layer Sample Bass Only

• i.e. Create a Copy of the Sample and Filter it Below 100Hz

• Add Something Like Little Labs Voice of God After it, i.e. Clean Up Sub and Add at the Same Time

– also Use a Transient Shaper to Add Attack to Sample Bass but Lower Sustain Portion