So I have been trying to find the right blend of effects to generally incorporate into my mixes using TP2 and my S2 when mixing hip-hop. The problem becomes just how “accurate” you have to be when incorporating them into the mix than say mixing a DnB/Dub/House/Dance type mix which I think is a bit more forgiving when mixing.
Beatmasher 2 - Probably my most used effect. Problem becomes if you are a 1/10th of a second off it can ruin the mix in a heartbeat
Gater - Use this ever now and again. I am not sure if I am satisfied with what it does since it creates what I like to call “the void”, where the volume is just too cut-off even in moderate settings.
Filter:92 - Since I have the S2, this comes in even more handy since filter knobs are not directly present.
Iceverb - A subtle effect that I will incorporate 16-32 bars worth of gradual swiping of the knob.
Other than these I have not found much that “really works” with hip-hop. I am configured with 6 individual effects but should I be using at least 1 bank of “stacked” single effects? Are there other effects I should be looking at?
maybe Turntable FX? Can be quite good if used sparingly and in the right place.
Additionally, the Mulholland Drive sounds quite good when combined with the Iceverb and the Gater, but it’s a really noticeable effect and might not be what you’re going for. LoFi might be worth checking out too in addition with the Iceverb, it’s a pretty cool effect which isn’t too overstated.
I was having inconsistent feedback from Turntable FX. It seemed to work maybe 30% of the time. Not sure what I might have been doing wrong.
I have Lo-Fi in my settings right now, but I have never been quite happy with the effect. Maybe a chain with something else might get me a better result.
I find I use effects much more sparingly with hip hop. Vocals are typically more dominant, so it makes effects more difficult to use (unless you can separate them with acapellas and instrumentals). It’s the only time I ever do any scratching, really. I use a lot of cue points and one shot samples, however. Are you disappointed with how your sets are coming out? If not, don’t worry about forcing effects into your set.
As for effects, reverb, iceverb, and delay can be very useful. I also occasionally beat juggle hip hop tracks by setting the loop know to “1/2” and then alternating back and forth every half beat. Can be a cool effect, as long as there aren’t too many vocals.
He’s either referring to the delay or the reverb freeze. Use either of those two effects in advanced FX mode - the second button “freezes” the delay/reverb, making for a nice fade out.
yeah I meant delay freeze is really all i ever use. I set up a button on my dicers to activate the delay frozen to quarter notes… comes in handy to save a difficult transition.