Okay, this one feels like it's at first drat stage.
First, a disclaimer: A don't listen to rap/hip-hop on a regular basis so it's always a challenge for me to figure out how it should be treated. That means I also miss the bits of frosting the more successful groups and producers will add to a track during the mixing process. That said, I think this one is trying to come together.
I used a midi string pad to help fill things out a bit since the tune felt a bit thin. This also helped create a little more variation. I added a midi sub-kick in the chorus along with adding lowender to the bass for the duration as well. I may have a tad too much sub here but in my environment, that's hard to judge without being followed by a complaint from the apartment office building.
One thing I found really difficult was trying to get the vocals to match where they should and sound like they belonged in the same tune. For the uninformed, to my ear it sounds like there are two vocalists here. One did the second verse and the first half of the third. The other sang the first verse and the second half of the third however it appears that these were either recorded at different times (possibly with a different microphone) or with very different vocal technique since they sound quite different and that made it hard to get them to fit. Also, the guy who did the second verse seems to have better pitch control and his double matched a little too well which contributes to the blending issues.
Anyway, let me know what you think and what suggestions you might have to offer.
First, a disclaimer: A don't listen to rap/hip-hop on a regular basis so it's always a challenge for me to figure out how it should be treated. That means I also miss the bits of frosting the more successful groups and producers will add to a track during the mixing process. That said, I think this one is trying to come together.
I used a midi string pad to help fill things out a bit since the tune felt a bit thin. This also helped create a little more variation. I added a midi sub-kick in the chorus along with adding lowender to the bass for the duration as well. I may have a tad too much sub here but in my environment, that's hard to judge without being followed by a complaint from the apartment office building.
One thing I found really difficult was trying to get the vocals to match where they should and sound like they belonged in the same tune. For the uninformed, to my ear it sounds like there are two vocalists here. One did the second verse and the first half of the third. The other sang the first verse and the second half of the third however it appears that these were either recorded at different times (possibly with a different microphone) or with very different vocal technique since they sound quite different and that made it hard to get them to fit. Also, the guy who did the second verse seems to have better pitch control and his double matched a little too well which contributes to the blending issues.
Anyway, let me know what you think and what suggestions you might have to offer.
Old West Audio