How to Record a Hip Hop Rap Song: Step by Step Instructions

Hopefully you used my article on How to Write a Hip Hop Rap Song.

If you followed the steps and got your Hip Hop Rap song at hand let's get it recorded!

You will need the following:

1. Hip Hop Rap Song

2. Instrumental

3. Studio or Recording Software ' Programs to record your music on the computer '

4. Studio or Recording Hardware ' Hardware, Headphones, Hand Held Recorder, Microphone, Computer '

5. A quite environment with plenty of time and dedication.

Let's get started.

1. Rehearsal

Once you have your Hip Hop Rap Song created you need to rehearse it. I would recommend starting off with a Acaplela. ' Rapping it out loud with no music '

This is where a Handheld recorder would come into good use. You can use your sound recorder or studio software you have to do this also. Once you rap your hip hop vocals over and over tell you develop your style of flow. As a added advice I recommend rapping your verse's separate from your chorus at first. You will have to decide if you are singing your chorus or rapping it in a different flow or style. Once this is figured out you can practice it all together.

Please keep in mind if you are rapping a Gangster Hip Hop Rap song make it sound Gangster. You don't want your style of music to differ from the actual song. For a example Eminem would not write a song and make it sound like twinkle twinkle little star. Wait thats a bad example he might do some thing like that. I think you get the point and actually its usually a given what you should flow like with the song you wrote. If it's your style its your style.

2. Setting Up

Do you have the right equipment to start actually recording your Hip Hop Rap Song? I have already covered a article that should really help you on your way its called ' Build a Simple Home Recording Studio that Will Get the Job Done! '

Lets take into consideration you have all the equipment now do you have a instrumental for your new Hip Hop Rap Song?

If yes you can skip the rest of this section and start on step 3. Recording. For those of you that do not have a Instrumental, Worry no more there is hundreds of resources out there including Software and web sites that offer free or even paid instrumentals. If you do not want to waste your time and effort into producing instrumentals I recommend find a dj or producer to do it for you. A great solution for both paid and free instrumentals is the web site SoundClick they offer instrumentals in all ranges from Gangster, Hip Hop,Slow,Dirty South. You name it you can usually find it there.

When looking for instrumentals keep in consideration how your chorus will sound with it and if it actually fits the style of the Hip Hop Rap song you are wanting to make. Does it have a place for multiple chorus's? Does it have a place for a Intro ? Actually how long is the instrumental? Is there enough room for all my verses? If you want the song played on the radio it can not be over three minutes and thirty seconds. Keep all these things in mind when creating or finding the right instrumental for your Hip Hop Rap Song.

Keep working on the above once you think you are ready move on to the next step. If not dont give up some times it takes a while to find the correct Instrumental dont settle for some thing that just dont work.

3. Recording

Load the software you plan to use and load the instrumental on the first track and lock it in place. Test all the levels of your Microphone with your headphones on and make sure your meter is not throwing itself in the read when you spit your lyrics. I highly recommend you not doing your intro if you have a intro for your song. I feel that your intro will be much more powerful if you actually know what the song is totally going to sound like before doing this. Any ways a Intro is used to Introduce the song and how can you do that if you have no clue what it is going to sound like.

Record your verse number one adding your reverb and double ups and so fourth. Once you do this you can add the exact same to the other verse or two. It's much easier to do right now then to wait for the final product to be done either way is fine.

Reverb, Echo, Flanger, are on most recording software you will find them under the effects menu. They are great to use for making your vocals standout and giving it a more professional feel, Just don't over do it!

Double ups are great for Hip Hop Rap Songs they add a extra boost to the end emphasizing what you are saying.. You create this effect by recording your verse and on a different track replay your verse and saying over the last words or word of each sentence. Such as ' I love this RAP ' You would say RAP. To add this effect.

Once the verses are recorded start on your chorus. This would be a great time to try some of the effects out. A great tip if you are good at getting things on beat you can easily copy your chorus and place it in the correct openings that where left over. If not you will have to repeat your chorus each time and hope it all sounds the same.

Take time to listen to your Verses and Chorus to play thru your mind and go ahead and write the intro or remix what you have or just record it exactly as you wrote. Please remember once you mix down to fade out your song under effects if it isn't already fade out you do not want your Hip Hop Rap Song to just cut off when its done.

4. Saving Your Work

Always save your Hip Hop Rap song in the original file format your Recording Software offers. This will highly reduce on loss of song quality. Once your song is complete you will need to mix down all your tracks into one final file. Ushually Edit, Select All, Mix Down will do the job but there is countless options on many soft wares some times just save as and Mp3 High Quality will mix down the entire song. This will have to be some thing you explore with your Recording Software.

5. Burn,Upload,Share

Congratulations on recording your Hip Hop Rap Song hopefully you have a great time reading this and working on your music. Its your time to Burn,Upload and share your great music with the world.. Hopefully this article has been helpful please bookmark it and keep checking back with me for more great articles.. God Bless