Mix and master hip-hop vocals in your browser
To mix and master hip-hop vocals, put your vocal and your beat side by side in Lyro’s studio, which runs in your browser. Start the vocal on the “Vocal, clean” preset and the beat on “Beat, under a vocal”, balance the two, then master to the Loud target (-10 LUFS) and export WAV.
Mixing and mastering run on your own device, so they cost no credits, on every plan.
At a glanceHip-hop
| Tempo (BPM) | 80 to 100 for boom bap, most often 85 to 95 |
|---|---|
| Keys | minor keys, often G minor or D minor; the sample sets the harmony |
| Feel | swung sixteenth notes, kick and snare slightly behind the beat, head-nod groove |
| Signature sounds | a dusty swung drum break with a fat snare, a chopped soul or jazz sample, a warm round bassline and a rapped vocal with clear diction |
| Song form | usually a 4 to 8 bar intro on the sample, then 16-bar verses alternating with 8-bar hooks, arranged by muting and unmuting parts of the loop |
| Vocal preset | Vocal, clean |
| Beat preset | Beat, under a vocal |
| Master target | Loud, -10 LUFS |
How it goesThree steps
- Drop in your vocal and beatLyro reads the tempo, so the waveforms snap to the beat grid and timed effects land on the beat.
- Shape and balanceStart from the suggested presets in the table, then adjust the low cut, EQ, compression, reverb and delay until the hip-hop vocal sits where it should.
- Master to a target and exportPick the loudness target, compare before and after, and export WAV with its loudness and true peak shown.
Tips for this genre
Hip-hop vocals are rapped: rhythmic speech locked to the drums, where diction and flow (how the syllables sit on the beat) matter more than melody. Hooks are often sung or chanted.
- Keep the rap dry and upfront: a firm compression, a low cut around 90 Hz and only a short reverb, so every word reads.
- Put the beat on “Beat, under a vocal”, which dips its mids where the voice lives, then balance until the words still read at low volume.
Where the limits are
- This is a mixer you operate, not an automatic mix; the presets are starting points.
- It shifts pitch but does not correct it: apply pitch correction (auto-tune) before you upload, if you want it.
- It has no de-esser and does not load third-party plug-ins.
- Phones have less memory than computers; long projects with many tracks belong on a laptop.
Questions
What loudness should I master hip-hop to?
Start at the Loud target, -10 LUFS. Rap is usually mastered loud and dense; the Loud target (-10 LUFS) keeps the drums hitting without squashing the voice. The studio shows the measured loudness and true peak when you export.
Does mixing or mastering cost credits?
No. The studio runs in your browser, so nothing is sent to a model while you mix, and it costs no credits on any plan.
Can I mix a beat and a vocal I made somewhere else?
Yes. Upload any vocal and beat, or stems, and mix them in the studio. You need the rights to what you upload.
Can the studio auto-tune my vocal?
No. It shifts pitch by semitones and fits a clip to the project tempo, but it does not correct pitch. If you want that sound, apply it before you upload.
Related
More for this genre: A beat for your vocal, A vocal for your beat
Other genres: Trap, Drill, R&B, Pop, Afrobeats, Reggaeton, Rock, Acoustic folk, Lo-fi