Use the proper equipment to record a rapper.
It takes more than beats and good rhymes to lay down a great rap track. Without the proper equipment, the vocals will be lost in the noise. Even with the advent of in-home recording, the use of proper equipment is still necessary. You may not need a sound engineer and professional technicians but you can get close to a professional sound with a bit of planning and knowledge. After all is said and done, the recording is the easiest part of the process. You are still going to have to deliver the great vocals.
Instructions
1. Prep the area where you plan to record. Block off a specified area, such as a walk-in closet or small room. If using an entire room with windows, dampen the walls with large blankets. Cover the windows as well. If using a walk-in closet, place only some of the deadening foam on the walls, especially on the wall opposite where you will position the microphone.
2. Place the microphone stand in the area. Set it up in the closet, or place it in one corner of the room. Do not set it in the middle of the room. This will allow too much sound to bounce around the area.
3. Fix the incoming signal to mild compression to adjust the compression settings. Fix the outgoing signal to moderate compression. The compression allows the vocal levels to remain consistent through the recording.
4. Arrange the highs, mid-range and lows of the recording appropriate to what you want the vocals to sound like to adjust the equalizer settings.
5. Position the rapper in front of the mic, about 4 to 6 inches from the mic if his style is low and smooth. Stand 10 to 14 inches from the microphone if the style is more raspy, high-pitched or loud.
6. Check the sound levels with a test rap. Make the rapper aware of how the audio is set up to record. The rapper should utilize proper vocal techniques when rapping into the mic.
7. Play back the vocal recording to check the quality.
Tags: proper equipment, closet place, inches from, record rapper, walk-in closet
