Very good strategy, especially if it is their own work.
 
Another question to throw out here... since some of these will be mastered twice (as they are going onto EPs), is there a recommendation for the first iteration?
 
Being unfamiliar with this genre (and having never mastered an album), I am leery to collapse the dynamic range on these dramatically since it would allow for no leeway in the final (EP) master. Is this a correct approach to take?

gswitz
Bit, does that mean I should re-do and re-bounce my tracks using -14? I'd be glad to.
 
Are we just doing -12 and -14?

I'm awaiting word from the artist, so no need to change anything yet.

Well dub, if your not being choosy!! I will offer my help also if needed.

Great work dub. Having an involvement with the youth in your community is a good way to give something back. I hope they appreciate your effort though I'm sure you're just glad to be doing it.

I had a few teachers as a youth who taught us music and on the side helped us become a small community of like minded young people. It was a great time in my life and I remember and appreciate their efforts and the influence it had in my life.

Not ignoring my own thread. Buried in work.  will post soon
 

hello all who have agreed to help.  i will likely pvt message you all.  i think i will just share a drop box folder with anyone wishing to participate.  i have to say that gswitz and mettelus did an awesome job so far. 
 
gswitz..the consensus on the two you too crack at is that there may be just a little too much sizzle on the high end but very nice otherwise. I think if you dial that down just a tad and it will be exactly the sound the artist was seeking.
 
mettelus- your file was also awesome.  slightly different approach.  Yours sounds more like the underground hip-hop sound favored by the more "conscious' type of rappers.  Evidently the artist wants the exaggerated vinyl sound left in there.
 
I know i sound like a broken record, but i want to say thank you to all of you again. This is a prime example that solid sound principals trumps constructs like genres.  I'm almost finished mixing another and would like to give Grem a shot since I think such experiences are educational for all involved and help bridge gaps.

Thanks for the feedback. The hiss on the second I sent is louder than the original track, but the other tracks were also brought up. I just did a third (sent you a PM with link), which makes the vinyl hiss more pronounced, but beyond that I would actually need to drive the music down. Not sure if you have the opportunity to A/B with them in person, but that will definitely make the changes clearer to them.
 
This is definitely a challenging and fun exercise for me, especially with material I would never have picked on my own. So the folks reading this thread can get a chuckle... I actually removed the vinyl hiss completely from the first master I made just because I have a no-noise fetish  But it was obvious enough to ask if it was intentional.

Anyone who i don't have an email for that is participating, please PM your email so i can add to dropbox shared folder, please.  Thank you

Hello people.  I have not abandoned this project.  just got bogged down with a lot of work, travel etc.  Plus, the young man involved has been in the process of moving.  I uploaded a new file ready to be mastered for anyone with the time to take a crack at it.  The artist liked the results of each version so far.  This is the last vocal submission for what looks like will be an EP project that will also include several instrumental tracks.

C cool, dub. What's the file we are looking for?