When working with 808s, the root frequency will be the most dominant, and often needs to be tamed. Then, use a surgical EQ like BASSROOM to correct any resonances. Use a high pass filter to roll off any unneeded low-end-typically around 30 Hz or so. To accomplish this, it’s important to make sure that the kick and bass are working together in the mix. You should be able to feel the kick in your chest, without it rattling the trunk of your car. It needs to be powerful and present, but never muddy or muffled. Just drag and drop your reference tracks into the Wave Transport, click the level match button, and check the Trinity Display for detailed visual insights to help you match the tonal balance, punch, and stereo width of your reference tracks.Īrguably, the most important frequency range in any hip hop track is the low-end. REFERENCE makes it easy to quickly compare your mix to multiple tracks. You’ll use these as a reference to help guide your decisions while mastering. Start by finding three to five similar tracks that you think sound great-even if it’s just the sound of the bass in one track or the sound of the vocal in another.

From the sounds of classic boom-bap and G-funk records of the 90s to the slick aesthetic of modern trap and melodic rap sub-genres, it’s important to have a goal in mind when mastering.

The sound of hip hop has changed a lot over the years-especially in the last decade or so. In this blog, we’ll break down a few of our favorite tips for mastering hip hop to help you dial in the perfect sound. Plus, there’s a wide range of sub-genres, each with their own unique sound. It can be difficult to balance the exaggerated lows and highs-especially without making your mix sound muddy or harsh. Hip hop can be a particularly challenging genre to master.

Music mixing and mastering