An Industry Focused Investigation into Immersive Commercial Melodic Rap Production

This study explores mixing melodic rap for immersive audio to identify the genre's key musical elements and how they can be utilized in Atmos mixes. Furthermore, it explores how mixing engineers work within creative restrictions due to record label stipulations. The study’s methodology utilised a questionnaire to identify melodic rap productions, followed by a critical analysis of 52 key productions to identify the salient musical elements of the genre. Following this, five hip-hop mix engineers were provided with the premixed stereo stems of a song to remix in Dolby Atmos while adhering to typical industry practice: matching the stereo mix framework, working within loudness guidelines, and employing binaural distance settings. Their mixes and interviews were analyzed to explore how they employ the key elements despite the imposed restrictions.