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Recommendations for recording vocals that start just before beat 1/Anacrusis

danmdanm
in Loopy Pro

How do you recommend recording vocals that start just before beat 1/Anacrusis.
Currently I have "Record Intro" turned on using count in and "Intro" turned on (just below the audio wave representation in the info modal for the audio clip)...This works perfectly the first time through, but doesn't play the intro every time, which is what I'd like to happen. Is there a way to get the intro played each time through? Conceptually, I could move the start marker on the representation of the sound wave back .6 beats, but that would screw up the 8 bar length...Any thoughts? Thanks

Comments

  • McDMcD

    What app do you use for recording?
    Do you use a fixed BPM and an audible metronome?

  • danmdanm

    Hi @McD, All within Loopy Pro, fixed BPM and audible metronome, using headphones while recording vocals

  • McDMcD

    @danm said:
    Hi @McD, All within Loopy Pro, fixed BPM and audible metronome, using headphones while recording vocals

    Damn… I keep forgetting to check for the Loopy Pro category. I still think a digital audio interface is the way to go.

  • espiegel123espiegel123

    @danm said:
    How do you recommend recording vocals that start just before beat 1/Anacrusis.
    Currently I have "Record Intro" turned on using count in and "Intro" turned on (just below the audio wave representation in the info modal for the audio clip)...This works perfectly the first time through, but doesn't play the intro every time, which is what I'd like to happen. Is there a way to get the intro played each time through? Conceptually, I could move the start marker on the representation of the sound wave back .6 beats, but that would screw up the 8 bar length...Any thoughts? Thanks

    Intros only play before the loop. If you want it in the loop you need to include the repeating part in the loop itself.

  • danmdanm

    Sure, understood, thanks. I'm wondering how you would do this.
    I'm trying to avoid those abrupt sounding, partial vocals at the start of each loop, where the vocal comes in slightly truncated and a tad late each time through the loop (after the first time, of course).
    Is there a way you'd approach this scenario? Thanks

  • espiegel123espiegel123

    @danm said:
    Sure, understood, thanks. I'm wondering how you would do this.
    I'm trying to avoid those abrupt sounding, partial vocals at the start of each loop, where the vocal comes in slightly truncated and a tad late each time through the loop (after the first time, of course).
    Is there a way you'd approach this scenario? Thanks

    Sing the anacrusis both before the loop and at the end. You’ll want to practice so that volume and phrasing are consistent.

  • danmdanm

    Thanks. I thought of that, but doesn't that just introduce similar problem, but instead of truncated/partial vocal at the start of each audio clip, doesn't that just mean that there will be a truncated/partial start to the vocal that is heard unexpectedly (ie: that bit before the beat recorded at the end) the last time through

    Wasn't sure if there was a recommended way to approach this that addresses the issue w/o introducing similar other related issues. If you have other ideas or anyone else does, I'm happy to test them out. Thanks again

  • 1ktone1ktone

    @danm said:
    Thanks. I thought of that, but doesn't that just introduce similar problem, but instead of truncated/partial vocal at the start of each audio clip, doesn't that just mean that there will be a truncated/partial start to the vocal that is heard unexpectedly (ie: that bit before the beat recorded at the end) the last time through

    Wasn't sure if there was a recommended way to approach this that addresses the issue w/o introducing similar other related issues. If you have other ideas or anyone else does, I'm happy to test them out. Thanks again

    Maybe what you do is have a copy of the vocal without the extra end bit that you use for the last bar. It’s a bit of duplicating, but one of the benefits of digital audio is the ability to duplicate easily without loss. I’m assuming you’re recording in a controlled / planned / arranged way and not purely live.

  • Michael_R_GrantMichael_R_Grant
    edited August 2025

    I can't remember the settings I've used for this (it may work on the default, I'll check) and it requires one extra recording tap, but what I've done before is to:

    1. Tap a loop when the clock is midway through its cycle to start recording a loop at the end of the count-in.
    2. Tap the loop again before the count-in finishes, which starts the recording at the point this second tap happens (ie. before the time the loop is scheduled to start).
    3. I sing the bit that you want to happen 'before' the main loop starts, then the rest as usual, then I tap to count out.

    What SEEMS to happen is that the loop is still locked to the timing but I also get the intro from the beginning (which is now at the end of the loop). It's almost like it's a... pre-overdub!

    I'll see if I can reproduce this reliably for a video. But in terms of a feature, this should definitely be an easy setting that can be selected rather than finger gymnastics, as starting a vocal line before the beat is a very usual occurrence.

    So the key for my hack is to make sure you start the count-in with enough time to get your second tap and singing the intro in before the 'loop proper' starts. And it can't be the first loop - you need something running for this to work.

    Anyway, I'll report back when I can demonstrate this with timings.

  • danmdanm

    Thanks @Mountain_Hamlet and @Michael_R_Grant!
    @Michael_R_Grant, I agree entirely that it should be a feature that's easily accomplished.
    In the meantime, I'm eager to hear your report once you're able to reproduce your hack, thanks for offering to do that!

  • espiegel123espiegel123

    @Michael_R_Grant said:
    I can't remember the settings I've used for this (it may work on the default, I'll check) and it requires one extra recording tap, but what I've done before is to:

    1. Tap a loop when the clock is midway through its cycle to start recording a loop at the end of the count-in.
    2. Tap the loop again before the count-in finishes, which starts the recording at the point this second tap happens (ie. before the time the loop is scheduled to start).
    3. I sing the bit that you want to happen 'before' the main loop starts, then the rest as usual, then I tap to count out.

    What SEEMS to happen is that the loop is still locked to the timing but I also get the intro from the beginning (which is now at the end of the loop). It's almost like it's a... pre-overdub!

    I'll see if I can reproduce this reliably for a video. But in terms of a feature, this should definitely be an easy setting that can be selected rather than finger gymnastics, as starting a vocal line before the beat is a very usual occurrence.

    So the key for my hack is to make sure you start the count-in with enough time to get your second tap and singing the intro in before the 'loop proper' starts. And it can't be the first loop - you need something running for this to work.

    Anyway, I'll report back when I can demonstrate this with timings.

    If I understand what you are describing, turning on record intro would get the same result without needing an extra tap.

  • Michael_R_GrantMichael_R_Grant

    @espiegel123 said:

    @Michael_R_Grant said:
    I can't remember the settings I've used for this (it may work on the default, I'll check) and it requires one extra recording tap, but what I've done before is to:

    1. Tap a loop when the clock is midway through its cycle to start recording a loop at the end of the count-in.
    2. Tap the loop again before the count-in finishes, which starts the recording at the point this second tap happens (ie. before the time the loop is scheduled to start).
    3. I sing the bit that you want to happen 'before' the main loop starts, then the rest as usual, then I tap to count out.

    What SEEMS to happen is that the loop is still locked to the timing but I also get the intro from the beginning (which is now at the end of the loop). It's almost like it's a... pre-overdub!

    I'll see if I can reproduce this reliably for a video. But in terms of a feature, this should definitely be an easy setting that can be selected rather than finger gymnastics, as starting a vocal line before the beat is a very usual occurrence.

    So the key for my hack is to make sure you start the count-in with enough time to get your second tap and singing the intro in before the 'loop proper' starts. And it can't be the first loop - you need something running for this to work.

    Anyway, I'll report back when I can demonstrate this with timings.

    If I understand what you are describing, turning on record intro would get the same result without needing an extra tap.

    But 'record intro' doesn't actually play the intro back every time the loop cycles, right?

  • danmdanm

    That's right, 'record intro' records an intro just prior to beat 1 and in playback settings you can set that intro to play once when the clip first starts playing

  • espiegel123espiegel123

    @danm said:
    That's right, 'record intro' records an intro just prior to beat 1 and in playback settings you can set that intro to play once when the clip first starts playing

    If I understand the suggestion that was made, there wouldn’t be a pickup that plays before the loop start the way an intro would.

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