How do you record the ‘tail of a loop’?

Artefact2001

I mainly work with MIDI so apologies if this is obvious. My scenario — recording audio loops within AUM that I want to export for final arrangement.

It’s easy to record the loops themselves, but what’s the best method of recording the decay or fx tail if you’d like to use that in the arrangement, rather than just fading or cutting out?

I could record into a separate channel and try to stop the instrument channel right at the end of the bar, and keep recording, but with things like drums or an 16th note arp, this is pretty hit and miss! 🤔

thanks!

robosardine

You can just record it. Stop the instrument at the desired time- but continue to record until the tail has finished. Then when you are arranging it just use alternate tracks so that the tail from track 1 bar 1 overlay on to the start of track 2 bar 2 (or however long they are). If you are using it to launch clips then just make sure you start recording after the first loop has passed. Would this not work? If there is a noticeable change you could always add in someone coughing or sneezing at the start of the measure 😀

Multicellular

I insert extra blank loops.

Artefact2001

Thanks guys, blank loop, ‘no midi for a couple of bars’, would do the trick nicely! 👍

Telefunky

I do this frequently by a copy of the final loop on it's own fx track.
Depending on intended effect the snippet may get moved and shrunk.
Balancing of level may apply, but often the decay is used for a kind of emphasis.

espiegel123

@Artefact2001 said:
I mainly work with MIDI so apologies if this is obvious. My scenario — recording audio loops within AUM that I want to export for final arrangement.

It’s easy to record the loops themselves, but what’s the best method of recording the decay or fx tail if you’d like to use that in the arrangement, rather than just fading or cutting out?

I could record into a separate channel and try to stop the instrument channel right at the end of the bar, and keep recording, but with things like drums or an 16th note arp, this is pretty hit and miss! 🤔

thanks!

Depending on the effect, sometimes it makes sense to record the track dry and have the effect on another bus which you can either record on its own or use for auditioning/monitoring and then use that same effect on playback.

Multicellular

@espiegel123 said:

@Artefact2001 said:
I mainly work with MIDI so apologies if this is obvious. My scenario — recording audio loops within AUM that I want to export for final arrangement.

It’s easy to record the loops themselves, but what’s the best method of recording the decay or fx tail if you’d like to use that in the arrangement, rather than just fading or cutting out?

I could record into a separate channel and try to stop the instrument channel right at the end of the bar, and keep recording, but with things like drums or an 16th note arp, this is pretty hit and miss! 🤔

thanks!

Depending on the effect, sometimes it makes sense to record the track dry and have the effect on another bus which you can either record on its own or use for auditioning/monitoring and then use that same effect on playback.

Good point. And though I said above I do a blank loop after a tail, I also usually use effects in the (big) box. Better workflow for me usually to wait to do that there. Still, some things are not really so much an effect as, e.g. sample that decays beyond the loop, adsR that decays after the loop.