EQ Rap Vocals Like The Pros
Step 1: High Pass Filter
The first step of getting your vocals sound clean, crispy and professional is to add a High Pass Filter. A High Pass Filter allows you to cut unwanted frequencies out of your vocals which lie below a certain threshold. In the case we want to remove any rumble or sub bass to not interfere with the 808s of your Trap Beats!
A good starting point are 80 Hz. From there on play around with your cut off point until you think it sounds good. I would not go above 150 Hz in order to prevent from thinning out your voice too much.
Check out the graphic below if you're confused about filter types.
Step 2: Low Pass Filter
The second step should be to remove any frequncies in the 10 kHz to 11 kHz range. This prevents your voice from sounding too harsh and helps smoothen out the whole audio picture. Check out the image above to understand what a Low Pass Filter is.
Here again it is important to play around with the cut off point. Every vocal performance and voice is unique. This means there is no one fits all approach to get your vocal sound right!
Step 3: Midrange EQ "Air EQ"
A midrange EQ can be used to boost your upper mids and clean up your mudiness by cutting frequencies around 500 Hz. This again makes your vocals sound more crispy, less muddy and all around more professional, who doesn't want that?
In order to reduce muddiness try cutting your vocals around the 500 Hz range. Once again, play around with it until it sounds good to you! When you done getting rid of mud it is time to polish your freshly cleaned vocals.
You can do that by giving your upper mids a boost. The range you want to make louder usually lays around 2 kHz - 4 kHz. Again fiddle around with until you found something that sounds good in the context of your mix!
Below is a picture that shows you how an "Air EQ" CAN look like.
Step 4: Presence EQ
In order to top it off add a presence EQ to your vocals. This does exactly what it sounds like. This type of EQ makes your vocals sound more present and clear, so you should not go over board with this to not drown the beat out!
How do you add presence to your vocals? The EQ range associated with presence lies around the 4 kHz to 6 kHz range. Try boosting your vocals around this range according to taste and mix. If done right your vocals should be popping sound clear and have a strong presence in the mix.
Takeaway
Wether your are an aspiring music producer that wants to help his clients make better music or are a rapper yourself that wants to make his vocals sound more professional these tips will make sure to give your vocals a strong sporty presence in the mix!
You are eager to try these tips out and are still looking for a hard beat? Check out my Beatstore by clicking the link below!
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