@Those who record music

[Slim Fiasco]

And are doing it with a rather shitty equipment. Do you tend to sound better on your speakers than headphones? I'm not sure what gives me the right sound. The hi-hats part of the beats is barely noticeable on the headphones and I usually follow that when I rap so I get the feeling that I'm off beat, and there's also a lack of energy in my voice. Now I guess it's just me not being good enough but it bothers me that I'm not properly aware of my skills level. So if there's a possible explanation without me having to send you a file, let me know.

[Slim Fiasco]

*If I missed the section, may a moderator move this in the right one.

[classthe_king]

Well the quality part will always make you sound better on speakers than headphones because the headphones pick up every little detail so the bad quality shows more. The flow and delivery part will just come with time though. The more you rap the more it will come natural to you. Everyone sucks when they first start.

[Block]

The hi-hats part of the beats is barely noticeable on the headphones and I usually follow that when I rap.

That's your first problem. You're following the drum pattern instead of the melody.

[Trimss]

That's your first problem. You're following the drum pattern instead of the melody.

But.. in order to stay on beat you gotta "follow" the snare huh? Isn't that the definition? Because I never fully understood what people mean when they say you're offbeat.. Not placing your rhyme when the snare hits? I don't know..

And there was a thread about the mixing mastering, but the pictures are no longer available so if someone could make another tutorial it would be really helpful. Even though I guess those kind of things, you gotta learn them by yourself.

[Block]

That's your first problem. You're following the drum pattern instead of the melody.

But.. in order to stay on beat you gotta "follow" the snare huh? Isn't that the definition? Because I never fully understood what people mean when they say you're offbeat.. Not placing your rhyme when the snare hits? I don't know..

And there was a thread about the mixing mastering, but the pictures are no longer available so if someone could make another tutorial it would be really helpful. Even though I guess those kind of things, you gotta learn them by yourself.

The snare is there to guide you. I posted this in Abram's thread just the other day. The snare shouldn't be a brick wall that keeps you on top of it. It's a guide to keep you in rhythm with the beat. If you follow the melody of the instrumental (like Slug, Aesop Rock, Eyedea, Spoonfull, etc) then you'll never go off-beat anyhow.. It's impossible.

When people say that you're "off-beat", they're saying that you're either rapping too fast or too slow for the pace (or BPM) of the beat. If a beat is 90 BPM (Beats Per Minute), and you're rapping at a pace that's suited for 100 BPM, and trying to cram words in, that's off-beat.

It gets tricky, though, because there's also double time (what twista and tech 9 do a lot).. Which is, well, as it sounds: double the speed of the beat.

[Tash8]

The hi-hats part of the beats is barely noticeable on the headphones and I usually follow that when I rap.

That's your first problem. You're following the drum pattern instead of the melody.

not necessarily, there's so many ways to attack a beat. have you heard of yelawolf? he constantly hits the kicks in his flow and stays on beat. (even if the pattern isn't a typical 4/4)

And are doing it with a rather shitty equipment. Do you tend to sound better on your speakers than headphones? I'm not sure what gives me the right sound. The hi-hats part of the beats is barely noticeable on the headphones and I usually follow that when I rap so I get the feeling that I'm off beat, and there's also a lack of energy in my voice. Now I guess it's just me not being good enough but it bothers me that I'm not properly aware of my skills level. So if there's a possible explanation without me having to send you a file, let me know.

Depends on the headphones or speakers you got..honestly you need to just listen through both and see which you prefer...when you mix you gotta use a lot of different speakers and headphones to get everything to sound right at the end.

The lack of energy is probably a mixture of multiple things, the biggest two being your quality and your confidence.

[Block]

Following the drums tends to lead to a choppy, rhythmless flow.

[Tash8]

Following the drums tends to lead to a choppy, rhythmless flow.

or it can lead to distinct unique flows.

[Block]

In rare, very rare, cases.. Most unique flows stem from the artist's interpretation of the melody.

[Tash8]

In rare, very rare, cases.. Most unique flows stem from the artist's interpretation of the melody.

I disagree...but whatever i'm over it

[EyeSpick]

You're going to want to try and flow to a drum pattern long before you want to try something else. Just getting a rhythm going is important regardless of how it sounds in the beginning. Your brain starts working differently and you'll hear a beat and be able to just hear the endless possibilities of flows on it.

[Slim Fiasco]

Well the quality part will always make you sound better on speakers than headphones because the headphones pick up every little detail so the bad quality shows more. The flow and delivery part will just come with time though. The more you rap the more it will come natural to you. Everyone sucks when they first start.

That pretty much explains it, thanks. And yeah I know, I've been doing it for 3 and a half years now, and I'm decent but not quite there yet.

[Slim Fiasco]

The hi-hats part of the beats is barely noticeable on the headphones and I usually follow that when I rap.

That's your first problem. You're following the drum pattern instead of the melody.

I tend to use the melody as a guide for my intonation, while the drum pattern for the rhythm and pace.

[Slim Fiasco]

Depends on the headphones or speakers you got..honestly you need to just listen through both and see which you prefer...when you mix you gotta use a lot of different speakers and headphones to get everything to sound right at the end.

The lack of energy is probably a mixture of multiple things, the biggest two being your quality and your confidence.

Yeah, the headphones are rather shitty but at home I'm just doing demos for practicing. I have a friend who has a very nice equipment and producing skills so I have a place for more professional recordings.

True, I've become more confident about it lately and there's definitely an improvement. Good point.