How Lo Fi started
Lo Fi got it's start in the underground rock/punk scene of the 60s, 70s, and 80s with bands that would record their music on a budget in garages or home studios on "cheap" gear.
So kind of like all of us home studio owners right now!
They would record fast and leave all the imperfections in. It was raw, real, and awesome.
What Is Lo Fi Music? - Examples
Here are a few examples of some popular Lo Fi songs you may have heard.
What is Lo Fi Hip Hop?
Lo Fi Hip Hop refers to a genre that consists of modern hip hop mixed in with Jazz instruments to create a chill vibe for the listener.
Artists and producers will use Lo Fi plugins to add tape crackle, hiss to give you that nostalgic feel to the music.
The modern Hip Hop elements are not solely just mixed with Jazz, but can have really any kind of instruments and vocals. As long as it sounds "older" and degraded and relaxed then you're on the right track.
Here are some examples of Lo Fi Hip Hop.
How To Make Lo Fi Music
I've put together a Lo Fi Hip Hop(ish) production tutorial to show you how you can add these elements to your tracks.
Check it out below!
Using A Lo Fi Plugin To Help Tame Harsh Vocals and Cymbals
You don't always have to use Lo Fi plugins just for creating that "messed up" old sound.
You can actually use it as a tool to help on certain tracks that may have been recorded too harsh.
Below I have video tutorial where I show you how I used a stock protools lo fi plugin on vocals and drum cymbals to tame that harshness, but then bring back the presence that I took away with the lo fi plugin but without the harshness.
It's a subtle fix, but it can go a long way. Check it out!
Comment below and let me know if and how you use lo fi plugins in your music.
I will be adding some lo fi mixing tutorials soon, and will update this page when I do.
Comments 2
The best lo-fi Hip Hop plugins I have found are the ones built into Maschine as they attempt to simulate the actual circuitry of the old classic 8bit and 12bit hardware samplers that degraded the sound in the first place which was used to make early Hip-Hop.
As well as Izotope Vinyl if you want to add the Vinyl crackle sound you have in one of your YouTube links.
Author
Thanks for sharing! – I’ve heard a lot of good things about Mashine- Scott