The 2010s saw mixtapes make a huge comeback. In fact, Rolling Stone’s 100 best albums of the 2010s even included several mixtapes such as Frank Ocean’s Nostalgia Ultra and Chance The Rapper’s Acid Rap. Accessibility was a huge reason for this boom, as artists need not go through middlemen or labels to put their mixtapes out into the world due to the increasing influence of the internet and music streaming platforms. More and more artists want to capitalize on the popularity of the mixtape. And while more new music is always a good thing, these artists are susceptible to making mistakes that could negatively affect their end product. To help them out, we’ve put together a list of the common mistakes that people make when making a mixtape. Read on if you want to know more about these mistakes and how you can avoid them!
1. Too Many Songs
The mixtape market is incredibly saturated. This has made it increasingly competitive over the years. Due to this, it would be in your best interest to avoid throwing in “filler tracks” on your mixtape. Every song on your mixtape has to be a certified banger. Frank Ocean’s Nostalgia Ultra isn’t as long as a full-length album, but every track on that mixtape is still remembered to this day. Trim it down to the choice cuts — the tracks that you’re 100% confident in. Remember that you can always just keep working on the songs that just aren’t ready yet when it comes to quality and release it in another mixtape.
2. Poor Quality
A common misconception about mixtapes is that production value doesn’t matter. While it is true that people don’t expect studio quality recordings from DIY projects, this doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t exert any effort in trying to improve the quality of your mixtape. One way to improve the quality of your mixtape is through the use of a decent microphone. This is especially true for vocal intensive mixtapes, as it’ll improve the overall clarity of the sound of the tracks. The Blue Yeti USB microphone is an easy to use mic that enables users to record quality tracks with very little fuss thanks to its hassle-free workflow that allows you to set it up in a manner of seconds. Prepping your space for recording will also improve the quality of your mixtape. Position acoustic diffusers around your recording space to minimize the sound that bounces around the room.
3. Trying to Do Too Much
While digital audio workstations like Ableton Live let you create tracks from scratch, sometimes trying to do too much could be detrimental for your mixtape. Know your strengths and be open to collaborations. You may be an amazing lyricist but not everyone can produce their own beats. One easy solution for this is to enlist some help. As we’ve discussed in our piece Your Place to Buy Rap Beats Online, purchasing beats can fast track the songwriting process as all you’ll need to do from there is to add vocals. To help you out even more we also offer mixing and mastering services for your finished tracks.
Contributed by Alexis Lewis Exclusively for jbzbeats.com
