How do I edit vocal takes while still recording?

[henningaround]

Originally Posted by Itz G. Major

Oh yes, here's the link to the youtube I was watching. https://youtu.be/p4gYFdBG-Ws

He is actually stopping recording and punching back in every time before he slides, trims or fades a clip.

[chompers2022]

He is stopping and starting the recording very fast, he is not editing while still recording.
So confusing that he isn't letting beat play so you could hear what he is doing. IT seems like he is letting roll. He even says "never let the music stop" it is stopping. He just means stop and start FAST.
In the video he is simply grabbing the clip he just recorded and is moving to a new track. It is a cool way to keep the flow rolling, but its also a nightmare when you lose a clip cause it gets lost in the mayhem.
Ive been in these type of rap sessions where fast isnt fast enough. it gets crazy.
The shortcut for new playlist is the secret to fast takes with out losing track of the takes. Of course , as he points out, the special self made templates are key to getting your own moves flying!

[its2loud]

There's a very simple explanation for how he's doing this. He's simply using quick punch. When you use quick punch, pro tools is always recording as long as the transport is moving. It holds the recorded audio in a buffer until you punch out of the record. You can use the numpad 3 key to go very quickly in and out of record and as long as the transport never stops, the audio will always be recorded. As soon as you do a punch out, the audio on the record track is available to edit and pull out any heads or tails before/after the punch.

[EmilILönneberga]

Are you sure? I can't edit any audio that way until I stop the recording / playback.
Simply punching out leaves the recorded clip still 'red' like a recording and it's 'immune' to any edits until I actually hit stop.
Or do I miss something? I always wanted to do that when recording voice over.
So even though I agree that the focus always should be on the performance, sometimes it would be nice to get rid of some unwanted noise in between words or add some fades while still recording.

Edit: Also, as far as I know, you can't combine quick punch and loop recording in Pro Tools.

[its2loud]

Originally Posted by EmilILönneberga

.
Simply punching out leaves the recorded clip still 'red' like a recording and it's 'immune' to any edits until I actually hit stop.
Or do I miss something?.

Oops. My goof. You’re right. My brain had remembered it how I explained but the audio does in fact stay red until the transport stops. However, it is a good way to create individual takes and still have handles to pull out if needed.

[EmilILönneberga]

Absolutely. I love the feature.
Sometimes, still in 'rehearsal' mode I just hit record / punch in in at the end of a take if I liked it a lot.
Or some actors tend to be always a little early, no problem if recorded with quick punch.
Made many talents / clients happy.

[paul_g]

As everyone else has said, do at least 3 or 4 good takes. Take good notes while the artist is singing. Make note (i.e. Take 2, verse 3= Good), or this phrase in this take # was better than take #.

Then, use play list, refer to your notes, but moreover refer to your ears. What you may have heard and made note of may be different as you recall it. Comp together the best track.

That's pretty much how it's done.

As far as writing and not writing lyrics, completely understand. Kurt Cobain would just walk into Nirvana's practice space and just start jamming on a new tune, with nothing written, lyrics or chords. Krist used to have to look over Kurt's shoulder to try to figure out what he was playing. Eventually, you have to write the lyrics/chords for copyright and publishing.

"Remember, before there was Pro Tools, there were Pro's" ~ Steve Lukather

[loopzilla2]

Editing and comping vocal takes while recording is an essential skill. Ten (or even five) years ago no one worked this way - hence the confusing advice you're getting here.

Keep your hand on the mouse and keyboard at all times. All big studios have the Mac set up to use command-Space for punch-in/out. F12 is too slow; you can't stop quickly if your hand is over F12 and not the space bar.

Stopping is the key. Once you stop, the take is available for editing and sliding. It's tricky to learn when to stop/continue/restart without altering flow. As your experience increases, so will your speed. :)

Alternate between two or three tracks if necessary.

Hope this helps - there aren't many (good) videos on this technique, but a visit to any major hip-hop studio will get you going. :)

[JFreak]

What kind of "greens" and "beverages" is the recording guy supposed to get from the artist? If the song is not getting there in realtime, I for one would need "mushroom" soup or "sugar" to cope with the madness...

[loopzilla2]

Ha!

It is its own madness - for sure. Fun though. :)