Editing at the Take Level

September 24th, 2024
music, tech
Lily recently wrote a song, and I've been helping them record it. I got us set up to record four tracks (vocals, drums, keyboard x2) and we did a bunch of takes:

Most of the takes are full-length, but after we got a really nice version of the end we did some rounds with just the beginning because there was a part where we weren't quite together on a transition.

What I'd like to do now is edit this into a single composition, after which we'll probably do some overdubbing. The problem is everything I can find assumes your takes are already time-aligned because you recorded to either a click or a scratch track. The ideal flow for what I have would be:

  • Treat each take as a single unit, like a section of multi-track tape.

  • Edit together pieces from different takes into a approximately right overall piece.

  • Tweak the placement of cuts so that different tracks can switch between takes at slightly different places, based on what each instrument is doing at the time.

Is there good tooling for this? I'm using Reaper for my DAW, but could consider using something else if it made this flow better.

Referenced in: Moonlight

Comment via: facebook, lesswrong, mastodon, substack

Recent posts on blogs I like:

American effective altruists should probably donate to political candidates

My recommendation for donors who are American citizens or permanent residents is that they donate directly to high-value political candidates.

via Thing of Things December 28, 2025

Opinionated takes on parenting

This post is a collection of parenting takes that sometimes go through my head, based on my experience raising our two boys (5 and 2 years old). All of this is based on my experience and might not apply to others (see the law of equal and opposite advice)…

via Victoria Krakovna December 16, 2025

How to Make a Christmas Wreath

Yesterday, I made a Christmas wreath. Here's how to make one. First, find an evergreen tree near your house. Clip off a few branches from the tree. Try to have as many leaves or needles on the branches as possible. Next, bring them home. What I usu…

via Anna Wise's Blog Posts December 6, 2025

more     (via openring)