Hyperpop Mixing Guide

Hyperpop has emerged as one of the most exciting and boundary-pushing genres of the 21st century. Born from the intersection of pop, electronic, and experimental music, hyperpop thrives on exaggerated sounds, distorted vocals, and an unapologetically chaotic approach to production.

At its core, hyperpop is about pushing the boundaries of what's considered "pop," incorporating extreme and often unconventional sound design choices. With subgenres like digicore, dariacore, glitchcore, and more emerging at an ever-increasing rate, it's clear that hyperpop is an umbrella term for a diverse range of sounds.

Hyperpop vocals thrive on intensity, and clipping—both soft and hard—can bring dramatic crunch without sacrificing clarity when applied correctly.

Types of Clipping

• Soft Clipping: A subtle form of distortion that gently rounds peaks, adding harmonic richness without overly harsh artifacts. Great for bringing warmth and grit to a vocal while maintaining musicality.
• Hard Clipping: For a more aggressive, in-your-face sound, hard clipping chops off peaks entirely. To avoid abrasive harshness, carefully filter out excess high-end frequencies (5–8 kHz) after clipping.

The chaos of hyperpop comes alive with unique textures and unpredictable effects.

Effect Layering Techniques

• Use bitcrushers to degrade audio in a rhythmic, intentional way, and layer with reverse delays or granular effects to add complexity.
• Combine extreme pitch-shifting or time-stretching with hard-clipped adlibs to create impactful contrast within the mix.

While clipping can bring boldness, clarity remains key.

Key Techniques

• Use multiband compression or dynamic EQ to tame harsh frequencies introduced by clipping.
• Center the main vocal using mid/side processing, allowing distorted layers or FX to occupy the stereo field for an expansive sound.