How do you guys comp vocal tracks in Live?

Pandamonium · Post by **Pandamonium** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 1:39 pm

Just wondering how you guys comp (cut together little bits of multiple vocal takes to make 1 good one) tracks in live. I can't figure out how to do it and end up having to rewire Live up to SX3 and do it in SX3. Would be great to be able to do it all in live.

rbmonosylabik · Post by **rbmonosylabik** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 5:06 pm

I haven't worked much with vocals in Live, but I'd put them in arrangement view, cut with ctrl/cmd + E and consolidate with ctrl/cmd + J

dgkenney · Post by **dgkenney** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 6:21 pm

Another technique to try is using the "Legato" setting in clips. For example, let's say you have loop recorded a 4 bar piece 4 times. Copy the 16 bar clip three times in the same column of the session view. You now have 4 clips of the 16 bar track. Then adjust the loop marker to bars 1-4 on the first clip, bars 5-8 on the second clip, 9-12 on the third and 13-16 on the last. Make sure each clip is set to "legato"

The clips will be in time relative sync so you can jump between them and find the best from each. (It's like cutting them up but instead of doing it visually you can do it by launching and listening. When you find the right combination, record it to the arrange window or in the session window as a new 4 bar clip.

To be honest I haven't used this technique for vocals but it works great for improv instrument solos so it should work fine depending on the material.

Hope that made some sense.

Dan

TheAnimal · Post by **TheAnimal** » Sun Jul 23, 2006 9:20 pm

dgkenney wrote:Another technique to try is using the "Legato" setting in clips. For example, let's say you have loop recorded a 4 bar piece 4 times. Copy the 16 bar clip three times in the same column of the session view. You now have 4 clips of the 16 bar track. Then adjust the loop marker to bars 1-4 on the first clip, bars 5-8 on the second clip, 9-12 on the third and 13-16 on the last. Make sure each clip is set to "legato"

The clips will be in time relative sync so you can jump between them and find the best from each. (It's like cutting them up but instead of doing it visually you can do it by launching and listening. When you find the right combination, record it to the arrange window or in the session window as a new 4 bar clip.

To be honest I haven't used this technique for vocals but it works great for improv instrument solos so it should work fine depending on the material.

Hope that made some sense.

Dan

That's a cool idea!

Pandamonium · Post by **Pandamonium** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 8:27 am

Novel aproaches for sure, but far from ideal in a pro enviroment with clients looking over your shoulder. I need to be able to see all the takes at once and snip between them like in SX/Nuendo. I was hoping there was some way to do it in live and that I had somehow missed it. I guess this will be one of the features we will be drooling over in Live 7 (Along with a drum rompler that has enough slots for a real drum kit!). If I could comp tracks properly in live it would allow me to work exlusively in Live, which would suit me just fine.

dgkenney · Post by **dgkenney** » Mon Jul 24, 2006 3:14 pm

Pandamonium wrote:Novel aproaches for sure, but far from ideal in a pro enviroment with clients looking over your shoulder.

Good point! I should have prefaced my "legato" suggestion by stating it should only be used in amateur situations or, at the minimum, with the blind or seeing impaired.

I need to be able to see all the takes at once and snip between them like in SX/Nuendo.

Not trying to dissuade you from your work flow but it really isn't that much different. You can't just look at a waveform and decide if it is a good take or not. In either case youhave to listen to each take and "catalog" what is good or not so good in each. After you do that, what's the difference between snipping and launching?

Again, each of us must/should work inthe way that is most comfortable, and I also understand "client expectations" but like many things in Live, sometimes looking at them in a different way or work flow provides excellent results. Just another tool in the box.

I, like you, hope the Abletons will continue to develop the DAW features and would welcome a lane-type editing capability.

Cheers,

Dan