Although hip-hop is over 40 years old and influences the sound of everyone from Stevie Wonder to Taylor Swift, the term "hip-hop engineer" often evokes visions of kids with cracked software and distorted records. This presentation explores arguments often referenced in this ongoing debate of skill, including mixing "real vs. synthetic" instruments, the loop based nature of hip-hop, and mixing samples. It also illustrates a time when engineers in other genres once overcame similar criticisms. Providing an honest, first-hand look at what’s involved in mixing urban records, and the hurdles that exist in and out of the studio, this presentation sheds light on the importance of the mixing engineer, in any genre, as a vital part of the arrangement process.
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