Know Before You Go, Preparing For Studio Recording

Deciding to record your music is a big step for any new artist. There is more that goes into successful recordings than meets the eye, and simply having good lyrics or beats does not necessarily produce a hit. Many variables should be considered as rap and hip hop recordings can take an enormous amount of time and skill to master.

Technical Aspects of Recording

Understanding how the production of music affects the listener's perception is critical to ending up with a final product that is distinctly your own. It is worth your time to do some homework and critically go over your music and ideas before you book your recording session.

By focusing on a few technical aspects, you can make sure that your time in the studio is well spent and produces the product that you intend to make. Hip hop is a business, and as an artist, you have to not only be creative and fresh but also business minded and realistic. 

The difference between a one hit wonder and a star can be sometimes found in simple details of how the artist was recorded and how the song was produced. The very distance that you have between you and the microphone can make differences in the types of sounds that result. This could have unintentional effects on your music and how the recordings turn out. 

Microphones and Headphones

Most recording artists will say that the correct distance from your mouth to the microphone is the distance from the end of your thumb to the tip of your pinky finger. By changing this distance you can create different sounds which can be useful depending on the type of effect you want to achieve. 

You should also familiarize yourself with the headphones you will wear while recording. How you adjust the voice in ear settings can change how you hear and record your vocals. Understanding this setting is important, and being able to determine your preferred setting prior to studio time can save you from wasting time and money.

The Final Recording 

It is also a good idea to have an idea of how you want the final production of your recording to sound. Tupac would stack his vocals to make his voice more prominent in the recordings. Stacking verses mean you record each line, or end of each line, twice and arrange them on top of each other in production for emphasis and clarity.

This is one example of the many production techniques that can give you the polished finished product you are looking for in your recording. Whether you want your vocals to stand out or blend in the mix, your sound should reflect your unique vision and style.