205: Get Better Takes Faster Through Comping On The Fly

The Self-Recording Band

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Episode show notes:
Have you ever been looking forward to having to go through 637 takes, trying to find the good parts after the recording session is done? Me neither.
How to avoid that? Learn to comp on the fly and commit as you go!
On this episode we're discussing comping on the fly vs "comp diving" after tracking, the pros and cons of each, and the skills you need to be able to pull this off without risking anything or ruining the flow of the session.
Here's why this matters:

• It saves you time later in the process
• It gives you a better idea of the final product
• Moving fast and committing helps avoid getting too close to it and losing perspective
• It prevents you from recording unnecessary takes and wearing out singers/performers
  It will lead to a better end result, because you're not as likely to cut corners

And here's how to do it:

• Know your basic editing tools and hotkeys (scissors, different ways to move events back and forth, fades, etc.)
• Know the comping features of your DAW. You don't have to (and shouldn't) create a new track for each take, etc.
• Make notes while listening to the performances
• Use breaks to quickly go through notes and adjust the comp
• Learn to listen for feel and emotion, rather than technical perfection (there are some exceptions, though)

Let's dive in!

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For links to everything we've mentioned in this episode, as well as full show notes go to: https://theselfrecordingband.com/205
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