This R&B Beats article is part of a series on becoming a successful independent Urban Music Artist (Rapper, Singer, etc.)
Once you’ve got your hit R&B beats chosen and your vocals are recorded comes the most crucial step in the music making game – Mixing and Mastering. Recording your vocals on Rap Beats and Instrumentals is an important step as well but that’s not all there is to it. Mixing and Mastering is the real secret behind how professional music is made. Most independent rappers and singers take this for granted and end up sounding like amateurs. Don’t get caught slipping – if you’ve ever wondered why your song doesn’t sound like the hits you hear on TV, more than likely, it’s in the mixing and mastering of your song.
Q: Do I HAVE to get my song Mixed and Mastered or is it OK to just record vocals on top of a beat?
A: The short answer is YES YOU DO! But it does depend on what you want to do with your song. If you are recording a song on rapping beats or R&B beats that you want to share with friends and family and do nothing else with, then you may not need to get it mixed and mastered. But if you plan on really promoting this song (especially on the radio) or selling it then you definitely HAVE TO get the vocals and rap beats mixed and mastered. It doesn’t matter if you have the best microphone in the world and rapping beats or soundclick beats from the best beatmakers alive – you HAVE TO BE MIXED AND MASTERED. There’s no getting around it. And don’t just go to ANYONE to get this done – make sure they’re work sounds good! Your song is your message to the world – you want it to sound as good as possible. You only get one chance at a first impression so make it count. There are lots of online and local solutions for you. Google Precursor Productions – they do GREAT mixing and mastering and it’s not too expensive.
So what exactly is mixing and mastering rapping beats and vocals? Mixing is the process of balancing all the different sounds in your rapping beats or R&B beats (including your vocals) so you can hear everything properly and its not too hard or distorted. It’s what happens after all the vocals have been recorded and tracked. Mixing is where all the special effects (reverbs, echos, EQ, compression) happen. Mastering is the final process in producing a song. It’s the last chance to catch anything that sounds off or wrong. It’s also when everything gets processed so everything gels together and sounds polished and professional. If you’re serious about your music career and want people to think you are too – GET MIXED AND MASTERED PROPERLY. It’s worth it and will save you the embarrassment of sounding like an amateur.
If you want to learn more about the urban music business, look out for the other articles in this series! You can also get in touch with me anytime! Hope this way helpful.
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