Hip hop is crazy popular and has greatly influenced the music industry in general. You can hear 808 bass and hip hop rhythms in many pop songs. This creates a huge demand for hip hop mastering services among artists.
Which hip hop mastering services should I choose?
The fact that hip hop artists release a huge amount of new music and that new hits appear every month doesn’t mean that the genre becomes any easier to produce.
On the contrary, the huge loudness and turned-up low and high-frequency bands present quite a challenge to mixing and mastering. Add to this the enormous competition, where your song must be better and stand out among thousands of new competitor hits, and you’ll see that it’s crucial to find the best hip hop mastering services to prepare your hit for release.
All this means that amateur hip hop mastering services are not an option if you want your song to be heard. Even more, if you are planning to grow your popularity and see your projects become hits. In this case, hip hop mastering services online done instantly by some computer app won’t do either.
However, not everyone has a professional mixing and mastering studio nearby to actually walk in, order mastering, and watch an experienced engineer work on their project.
Hip hop mastering services that are done by professional mastering engineers in a high-end studio and use online communication with the clients are a perfect solution for hip hop artists and producers because they provide real studio quality and are very efficient regarding time and cost.
This type of hip hop mastering services we’ll be talking about in this article.
What makes hip hop difficult to mix and master?
Super loud and intense hip hop music presents certain challenges for audio professionals, and the engineer has to know how to overcome them. The track will include elevated high and low frequencies, a bright vocal part in the same space with hats, and a powerful low end with 808 bass. The experienced engineer has to know exactly how to mix and master this type of music, otherwise, the track will turn into a disaster.
Let’s look at three main points that can cause problems for hip hop mixing and mastering. The producers and audio engineers should be especially careful about them when preparing tracks for release.
Unwanted distortion
Enhanced high and low frequencies in the songs present quite a challenge both for audio mixing and mastering engineers. The track needs to be mastered to sound loud and clear without distortion.
The fans will want to listen to your music at high volume and may be using a simple speaker setup or a consumer-grade stereo system in a car. Even in this case, the loud track should sound as good as possible with minimal distortion.
Besides, played on simple equipment, the song shouldn’t lose all of the important 808 expressiveness only because the frequency response of the speakers is bad in the low end.
Making loud and clear high and low frequencies is one of the difficulties for mixing and hip hop mastering services.
Upfront vocals
Hip hop vocals always stay very upfront, and no other part of the mix should mask them. Whether it’s rapping or singing, the lead vocal must be constantly powerful and clear.
Usually, hats appear in the same frequency range as the vocals. Mixing these two correctly so they don’t mask each other is the mix engineer’s task.
And the professional engineer will also polish and emphasize the vocal, enhance the frequency and timbre, and make it even more beautiful.
Our hip hop mastering services emphasize the character in the voice. Every artist has a unique timbre and a unique way of rapping or singing, and the audio engineer enhances these unique features.
Loud and powerful low end
Powerful 808s and a kick drum are both present in the low end of a hip hop track. They usually appear at the same frequencies; however, they both should be heard clearly.
In a professionally mixed and mastered record, the low end is always in order and perfectly balanced. You’ll hear an 808 and a powerful kick. They will not mask each other or fight for space but rather coexist in harmony.
Even though the final master record is very compressed and loud, the instruments in the low end should have good transients and cut through the mix well.
Over-compressed 808 bass usually sounds weak. Professional hip hop mastering services keep the transients and, at the same time, reach impressive loudness levels.
What do our online hip hop mastering services include?
Mastering mixes for hip hop artists is not only about reaching the needed loudness and adding some effects to make the music sound better. Professional hip hop mastering services also make sure the song is checked thoroughly and doesn’t have any mixing mistakes.
That’s why a mastering computer application or an amateur mastering engineer can not be trusted.
Professional hip hop mastering services will prepare the future hit, making sure it’s done correctly and is perfectly ready to be released.
1. Checking for hip hop mixing mistakes and correcting them
First of all, our hip hop mastering services include checking for any mistakes in the mix that need to be corrected. Mistakes, such as clicks or noise, disbalance, masking, and so on.
There can be different kinds of imperfections left after audio mixing, especially if the mixing engineer doesn’t have much experience and is just learning. Also, a lot of incomplete audio mixing can be found if hip hop artists mix their own projects themselves.
Our hip hop mastering services will include correcting mixing mistakes if possible. However, sometimes our hip hop mastering services can not correct mixing mistakes with mastering. In this case, the engineer will give recommendations on what exactly should be corrected in the mix session before it is returned for the mastering service.
In many cases, stem mastering services can be very effective and present a perfect alternative to standard hip hop mastering services. Using multiple stems instead of a single track, our engineer will have more freedom to improve the mix and create a perfect master record.
2. Applying the mastering chain
The mastering engineer applies a chain of plugins to the master bus.
The mastering chain will include:
- slight equalization to correct the frequency spectrum,
- compressors, usually a series of compressors with mild settings,
- saturators,
- limiters, and other plugins
The engineer will work with stereo width if necessary using different tools.
Master bus plugins should improve the sound and help it reach the needed parameters, but not change the general idea or balance of the mix.
3. Keeping up with the latest music industry tendencies
As we said earlier, our hip hop mastering services include more than just applying plugins to the master bus. Our engineers are the specialists who check if the song is able to compete in the modern music world.
For this, we closely watch the tendencies and new hits that appear and the overall direction in which the latest trends are pointing. Knowing and applying this, we can give the records we master the best chances to win.
Keeping in mind today’s top trends in the music industry, the master engineer chooses the sound qualities and different parameters for each particular song.
4. Emphasizing what’s special and creating a captivating sound
Even though the mastering process is basically a standardizing procedure, it’s also an opportunity to enhance the sound qualities of the track.
And because every song is different and has a different mood and idea, working with the sound qualities is an artistic process that should enhance the song’s individuality, idea, and strong points. Analyzing the music artistically and figuring out how to emphasize its unique beauty is the mastering engineer’s task as well.
People today can detect high-quality music from the first notes, and only professional, captivating, and interesting sound will grab their attention. Our professional hip hop mastering services create sound qualities that will attract the listeners’ attention and impress them so that they will like the song and keep listening to it.
5. Reaching the needed loudness level
How loud should my master be? Bringing the loudness to the perfect level for release is one of the goals of mastering. Our audio engineers follow the modern requirements of the streaming platforms and the latest trends in the hip hop world for the loudness and dynamic range of the songs.
The normalization of loudness on streaming platforms makes the subject especially tricky because the louder your master is, the more it will be turned down by streaming services. As a result, it may sound less powerful than some other songs on the playlist that may have been, in fact, mastered quieter.
Finding the golden mean regarding loudness is crucial and is one of the tasks for a mastering professional.
Of course, choosing top-chart reference tracks can help make the right decision. So, if you are mastering your own track and are not sure what loudness level you should master to, following the parameters of your references will be a wise decision.
6. The record should sound good on everything and in mono
Hip hop is a super popular genre, and it can be played everywhere. Your fans will be listening to your hip hop songs at loud concerts and clubs, at home, in the car, and in many other places.
A professional mastering engineer will make sure that whatever playback system your listeners use, even a consumer-rate one, your music will make the most of it.
The important part here is mono compatibility. In many cases, songs are played directly in mono. And even when a stereo speaker setup is used, the low end is directed to a subwoofer and played in mono anyway.
Proper mastering checks the tracks for phase issues in the low-end frequencies and makes sure the music sounds as great in mono as it does in stereo.
7. Final metering check-up by our mastering engineer
When the record is ready and has obtained the needed captivating and rich sound qualities, perfect frequency spectrum characteristics, and the necessary loudness level, our mastering engineer will carefully check all the parameters of the master.
This includes checking the peak level, and loudness level, making sure there are no phase issues, and checking other important details of the ready master record.
Our hip hop mastering services make sure your new hit is perfectly mastered and is now ready for release.
So, you see, mastering is not only about raising loudness to the needed levels; it’s a thorough check-up and artistically determined improvement. Right mastering is getting the future hit ready to compete in the music production world.
No automatic mastering software or AI-based app can artistically understand the groove, message, and character of your song and find the best way to enhance its sound. Only a professional audio engineer can do it with the best results.
Only in a well-equipped studio with experienced audio engineers can hip hop mastering services be done at the level that industry standards require.
How do our online hip hop mastering services work?
To master your future hit in our studio, you need to simply contact us and send us your mix.
We have been working on top projects for many years and have vast experience mixing and mastering hip hop and other genres. With our hip hop mastering services, your project will sound its best.
You can also send us the reference tracks you want our specialist to use to make your music sound similar.
Using our Major Mixing hip hop mastering services for mastering your future hit, you’ll have to wait less than 3 days, which is our turnaround time for hip hop mixing and mastering services and most of our other services as well.
However, in the beginning, if our mastering engineers find some mixing mistakes, they will advise you on what you can change in the mix session in order to make the project well-prepared for facing the competition in the music industry.
In some cases, stem mastering may solve some mixing problems. In order to correct the track and not return to mixing. It will be useful to give our professional mastering engineer stems for mastering. Stem mastering will provide more freedom for changing and balancing the track while mastering.
What makes a hip hop song great
Before it reaches mastering, a song goes through a lot of production steps, starting with a song idea and a first chord. What should a producer and an artist remember when creating a future hit? Let’s look at the song production process.
Creating a catchy tune and a great song idea
To make a new hip hop hit, you need to create a hook. It can be a catchy short part of the music or lyrics; usually, it’s both of them together, and it’s repeated several times in the song. To create a hook, think of a short and powerful lyric line with a catchy rhythm and tune, and it will become the hook that your fans will remember and sing along with the song.
Similar to rap, hip hop is usually all about the story. It inspires people and gives them a lot to identify with. To become a hit, your project should have an idea that will attract your listeners’ emotions, and your fans should be able to relate to the message of the song.
At the same time, your individuality as an artist has to be very distinct. Your unique image, your specific singing style, and your voice timbre must be easily recognizable and catchy; this way, you’ll be able to quickly grow your fanbase.
Maintain the highest quality at every step
One of the main components of an artist’s success in the music industry today is maintaining the highest quality at every step.
There is a rule in music production that states that mistakes should be corrected on the step where they appear and never passed on to the next step. Only this way can the highest quality of sound be achieved.
This means that, first of all, your vocal recording must be of the highest quality. Use a professional recording studio or a high-quality home studio to record your songs. Either way, your voice must sound as clear as possible, and the recording should be of the highest quality according to today’s industry standards.
Any shortcomings in the recording shouldn’t be passed on to the mixing step. The best way to deal with problems at this step is to just make a new and better recording. Most of the time, mixing will not be able to perfectly correct the flaws in the recordings, and the quality will suffer.
Finally, by no means should producers think that mastering will correct everything. Hip hop mastering services will make a great sound even better, but bad sound or unprofessional mixing can not be transformed with mastering into the highest-quality music.
Remember that only keeping up with industry standards at every step will boost your career, as your projects will successfully compete on streaming platforms.
Cooperate with professionals to create your perfect sound
A hip hop artist can not build a career in the music industry alone. It’s crucial to cooperate with professionals who have good experience and skills in music production, mixing, and mastering.
Competition in the music world does not allow artists to achieve success without maintaining the highest quality in every aspect of their work. Your project should be done professionally, from a song idea to recording, mixing, and mastering. This also includes the artist’s style, image, and marketing.
Summarizing everything we talked about in this article, you now know that it’s absolutely crucial to find mastering professionals to cooperate with and prepare your song for release in the best way possible.
Our Major Mixing hip hop mastering services provide the mastering your song needs to be able to compete in the music world. Contact us now, because we are here to help you grow your career!
