Have you ever heard a Hip-Hop/Rap song that’s too wet…like too much reverb?! Like rapping in an underground tunnel?! I hear this often with many tracks I’m asked to give feedback on.

Rap vocals should sound as natural as possible, that is unless you are going after a specific effect. Rap vocals should also be upfront as if you could reach out to your speaker and grab them. Reverb sets the vocal back a bit, and too much of it drowns the vocal in the mix.

As for my personal opinion – too much reverb on any genre can be overwhelming. As some reverb may be necessary, note that if you’re dropping vocals right there in your living room or bedroom, you’re going to have some natural reverb added to the recording. I have a dead sound room that’s separate from the control room, so I’d have to add reverb as needed after the recording. Notice I said after the recording? You definitely don’t want to print or record reverb to track. This makes it permanent which is also called destructive recording. If your artist wants to hear reverb in their headphone, you can set it to monitor through their headphone where they simply hear it, but it’s not recording to track.

I use reverb very lightly, if any at all on Hip-Hop vocals. The key also is the right reverb effect – not the first one that pulls up on the dial. You also have to consider the tones of the vocalist, and the track of which the vocal will sit in. A certain reverb effect may not work well on all vocals.

Reverb in my opinion is also like a thickening agent…like making a roux with the necessary ingredient; the flour. This is why reverb works wonders on background vocals. It thickens the tones and harmonies of the vocals when mixed and blended well into the track.

Sometimes I may be going after a ‘too wet’ effect for certain things like a sustained or gated reverb on instrument parts such as snares, kicks, hi-hats, keys, strings, etc. It just all depends on the application.

Short delays work well on most Hip-Hop vocals. They can bring the song and vocals together nicely, plus it leaves a nice decaying effect in the panning area when mixed creatively. Too much delay can also come across hall-ish or reverb-ish… and bad settings can come across undesirable. Therefore, it’s a matter of hearing what you are listening for, and the effect you’re going after.

Just use your ears carefully and make comparisons. Let the lyrical tones breathe through your Hip-Hop recordings. And remember, less is often always best!

© 2009, Studio Noize. All rights reserved.

2 Responses to “Are Your Hip-Hop Vocals Too Wet?”