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Loop Recording In Pro Tools
Do you ever have a performance that you know you could nail perfectly if only you were able to record several takes back to back, without interruptions? This week at the Pro Tools Corner I will introduce you to a must-know Pro Tools technique called loop recording. Using loop record mode, you can easily record passages of audio back to back in a continuous loop, without stopping playback. Because of this, loop recording is ideal for maintaining performance “momentum” while recording alone or when the artist asks, “can you just give me a couple passes?”
Loop Recording 101
Loop recording in Pro Tools is actually accomplished through a dedicated transport mode called “Loop Record.”
To activate Loop Record mode in Pro Tools:
Choose Options>Loop Record
Or
Righ-Click on the record button in the transport and select “Loop.”
Or
Hit Option+L (MAC) or Alt+L (PC)
Once loop record mode is active you will see the record button surrounded by the loop icon:
Recording Loop Passes:
Loop record works much like regular selection-based audio recording. On a record enabled track(s), select the audio passage you wish to loop (loop record will only work with a selection – see example screenshot below) and initiate recording using your favorite key command:
Key Commands to initiate record:
Command+Spacebar (MAC) or Control+Spacebar (PC)
F12-key
Number “3” on the numeric keypad
Here a 2 measure loop record pass has been set up from 3|1|000 to 6|1|000.
Tips for making selections:
- Make sure you select enough of a loop to reset your performance position, take a breath, etc, since pre-roll only applies to the first loop pass (post-roll doesn’t apply at all). For example, if you are playing a fast guitar scale climbing the neck, be sure to give yourself enough time to reset your finger position before the next pass. Remember you can always trim away audio you don’t need so recording too much is always better then not recording enough.
- Make selections on grid boundaries using grid mode. Loop record passes that occur on grid boundaries, especially on bar markers, are much easier to preview and comp passes after the fact. Remember, the “Alternates” list is based on start time, which is much easier to keep track of if the loop begins at a grid point.
- Create a selection based memory location of your loop record selection so you can get back to the same selection quickly when you need to record additional passes.
- Don’t worry about pressing stop in a hurry, Pro Tools will throw away the last take if it is less then half the time of your selection.
After Recording
After recording multiple loop record passes, your audio regions list should contain a master bold, “whole-file” region and additional regions referencing each loop record pass (see example screenshot).
This picture shows a loop record pass on the “Guitar” track. Notice the bold master region “Guitar_01” and the 5 separate takes Guitar_01-01 through 05. The bold region represents all the takes in a single file, each pass stamps out a new region so only one hard disk file is created for an entire set of loop passes. If you were to drag out the bold file Guitar_01, all five passes would be represented back to back for a total of fifteen measures.
Selecting Different Takes:
Think of Pro Tools loop record passes as being stacked on top of each other. The last full take you recorded (the last take greater then half of your selection size) will be the region showing after you finish a loop record set.
You can select an alternate take from the “Alternates” pop-up menu by right clicking the region and choosing “Matches” from the menu.
You can also access this list instantly by Command+Clicking (MAC) or Control+Clicking (PC) the region with your Selector Tool (note: you must click with the selector tool for this to work).
TIP: To ensure proper placement of the alternate region, first select the entire region before selecting a new take. To quickly select the entire region, double click with the selector tool.
How the Takes List Works:
The way that Pro Tools knows which takes belong in the “alternates” menu is actually a matter of preference, as defined under Setup>Preferences>Editing Tab. The “Matching Start Time” Takes List allows you to define what properties Pro Tools looks for beside the start time of a region. Every time a region is created, Pro Tool time-stamps that region with an original “created at” stamp, the takes list uses this as a primary matching tool to define the alternates list of a loop record pass. Users can also choose to filter out tracks with the same name and same length, making the alternates list more manageable. I suggest that you at least check the “Match Track Names” preference.
Create a “Best Of” or “Comp” take:
Many times I like to take the best parts of multiple loop record passes and combine them together to create an “ultimate” take. For example, I may choose the first half of take 3 and the second half of take 2, or whatever I think sounds best. To do this efficiently I check the “Separate Region Operates on All Related Takes” and “Include Take Region Lengths that Match” option in the editing preferences tab. Having this option checked allows me to cut one loop take while simultaneously cutting all related takes at the same exact spot.
By cutting this guitar region in half, I now have 10 new regions in my regions list, representing the two new halves of each of my 5 original takes.
By selecting just the first half of the take I can now access the loop passes for only that half, thus creating a composite or “comp” of 2 or more takes. You can use this trick to comp not only on loop record passes, but also selection based record passes of equal length and start time.
More Loop Record Tips:
- When recording alone set up extra-long loop record passes (the whole song even), this will give you enough time to get in the booth and do multiple passes without interruption.
- Loop record is a great way to capture doubles, harmonies, or vamps in the same pass. After recording, duplicate the track (Track>Duplicate) and recall the alternate takes.
- Remember, pre-roll only applies to your first take.
- Loop recording also works with MIDI, however MIDI merge will be automatically disabled while loop record mode is on.
- When comping together multiple takes, wait until you have the pieces you want showing before adding crossfades or trimming. Once region size changes, it is harder to keep track of the alternate’s list.
Pro Tools Tidbits
If you have a Pro Tools related question that you would like me to take a shot at answering or have any feedback, please send it to brian@audioMIDI.com. I will do my best to select the questions that seem to stump the most people.
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