Hello Friends

Today i want to ask u a question about recording.....My Question is, We r going to start work on a rap project, but the rapper doesnt know how to sing/rap in Scale in fact he doesnt know what is Scale. And my problem is how i make music without knowing the actual scale...kindly plz help me give me some tips what to do ? I Know autotune can help me in this situation but how ??
Any Help would be appreciated.

Thank You

 

If hes rapping it dont matter what key the track is in...

if hes singing its a whole different ball game...

 

is he singing the hook? Really, it dont matter with rap music,. as its so rhythmic, key aint an issue

 

Tonality wise, Auto-Tune can help a rapper if he is already melodic. If not, it may not do much for the record. If you're going to use Auto-Tune, I recommend finding the key of the instrumental. You can do this several ways, you can use software(ie Mixed In Key) or load up a piano if you know how to find the key. Then try to record him WITH Auto-Tune, but be careful, as Auto-Tune can cause a LOT of latency. With the right gear, it can be achieved. If you cannot track with Auto-Tune, I suggest having him do his best takes, then throwing the Tune on afterwards to hear which sounds better. Like I said, you might not need it

 

auto-tune 5 (not evo) is latency free an can be installed side by side

 

If the person is not tone deaf you've a shot and you might be able to instill the key of the song on the talent by instead of getting them all nervous and confused about key signatures and strange new esoteric info that they need to intellectualize, let them stay in their comfort zone and use language that they are familiar with such as vibe, feeling groove. Without even playing the track you will use for the backing of the rap, play just a chord using one of the sounds used on the track to set "the mood" of the song.Have them hum the root note, no words, just a hum. Then you can ask them to play with the sound by making different noises, all the while by using the chord's vibe. The key of the song should now have a firm grounding in their body and mind. Everybody learns differently. Some people need to touch, others listen and still others taste or feel. It sounds like an exciting challenge you have in front of you. Have fun and remember are also also a student besides the authority in the room in regards to learning and listening to the specific needs of your client. If they are compfortable and at ease you will surely help them draw out the best performance of their life and also a client that comes again and again back to you as the "magic one" that knows exactly what they want and need before they even ask. Good luck, have fun and make great music.

 

@seakkksee...in my mind rap needs be melodic as well as rhythmic. Ever hear a rapper rapping in momotone through a song? I don't remember ever having heard so, so to me key might have more weight in the bearing of a song than most people might imagine.

 

put a single note playing underneath on the background and tell him to sing anything relative to that note

he will feel his voice matching or be guided by that note i guess

then adjust to that.

 

I agree to certain point, but what matters more is cadence, the actual "flow". Even if the performer is off key, my say is that because rap is so rhythmic, cadence matters more.

 

Let me try to make the analogy of ballroom dance partners. Tradition follows that the male lead (cadence) is the anchor and center of the two, using a combination of strength and agility to enable the female (melody) the ability to dazzle the eye with graceful maneuvers and show off her form fitting and sexy costume. At times they dance in unison to exploit and showcase their familiarity and other times have different though coordinate objectives. One is no more important than the other, not interchangable and only able to perform as as beautifully as they do because of their give and take relationship. It is the classic "the whole is greater than the sum of their parts" ideaology and can only be enjoyed and transfered to the height of art when all of these criteria are met.

 

This topic has been informative as it is, but to help the TS with his problem we first need to understand where his question emerged.

In Oldskool hip hop melody was less important (at least in the verses), Yes it was not monophonic like superliquid said, but I rather put that under the category "expression" then "melodic" as a in-tune.

Back in the day, and still very popular today 'rappers' that cannot sing a single note on point
(or at least not a whole part)
just dub (the same refrain) a couple times with intelligent panning and processing.

soft fast attack compressing on every channel to even out the peaks,
1 middle on full volume the rest really low so that you can barely hear them
(1 hard left, 1 hard right, 1 50% left and 1 50% right is a good starting point)

after you done this you group them all together (put another limiter to get a good blend and maybe a soft chorus)

What will happen with this 'stack' vocals surprises me every time

 

Here's a little experiment for you guys, open up an instance of melodyne on the vocal track (especially easy if youre on S1), capture the whole verse then set it to snap to scale. Highlight all the 'blobs' (I think Melodyne actually calls them that) and just drag them in any direction, then drop them back where they were or as close as possible. Sometimes if the rapper's delivery sounds like it doesn't quite work with the beat this can fix it. (if you think pitch doesn't matter, try dropping the same verse over two very different beats. If it's Prodigy it won't matter much but if the performance is more expressive it can definitely clash with the key of the beat)

edit: make sure you set the scale to the key of the track, obviously.

 

Last edited: Oct 15, 2015