II. Setting up a DAW session

This guide is designed to be cross-platform. These steps can be used on any DAW for setting up a multi track session with instrument/microphone inputs and external MIDI instruments. Available DAWs in LL02 include: Ableton Live, Pro Tools & Logic Pro.

Create a new session

Project settings

• Name your project clearly and store it in a clearly-labeled folder.

• Choose a sample rate of at least 44.1 kHz (higher sample rates sucha as 48 kHz will yield higher audio quality but will occupy more memory), and 24-bit depth in your DAW.

Tempo map & metronome. 

• If necessary, set the correct BPM, time signature, assign a count-in bar) and enable the metronome. (Some DAWs don't support time signature changes or only offer a narrow range of time signatures. Ableton live offers some variety of time signatures).

• For non-rigid or "tempo free" based music, you can change the time grid to minutes and seconds. Slow metronomes (i.e tempo 15 can help articulate longer durations of time)

• For multi-tempo based music. Check if your DAW supports tempo change curves in individual tracks. You can create each tempo curve separately and record individual tracks one by one. Some DAWs don't allow dynamic tempo changes so you may have to create each click track first with other softwares such as Polytempo Network and then import them as playback guides into your DAW.

Map I/O and label tracks.

• Connect MIDI devices ( compatibility via USB is necessary)
  • For external synths, create: a MIDI track to send notes/clock to the synth and an audio track to record the synth’s audio return. If playback monitoring is in time but recorded audio is offset, measure and correct with the DAW’s driver-compensation workflow.
• Connect audio sources (microphones, line instruments)

• Create as many tracks as you will need to record:

• Each mono microphone should be assigned to an individual mono track.

• Stereo setups can be assigned to two mono tracks or one stereo track.

• For mid-side setups, route the mid (cardioid) microphone to one track and the figure-8 microphone's signal to a second track, then duplicate the figure-8 track, pan the original to one side and the duplicate to the opposite, and invert the polarity (or phase) of one of the duplicate figure-8 tracks to create a wider stereo image.

• Name audio tracks clearely, reflecting the source of the recording(e.g., “ flute close mic,” “tam-tam contact mic”,"moog matriarch", "external softsynth", etc.)

• Route your tracks to the Master or to at least one stereo mix bus.

Assigning Gain and Input Checks

• Start with mic gain low.

• Have the performer play/sing/talk  as loud as they will need to during the recording.

• Raise the preamp until peaks land around −12 to −6 dBFS in your DAW meters. This is the standard headroom and considered a good signal to noise ratio.

• For non-standard recordings or when aiming for a particular sound quality, always ensure that levels in your DAW remain below 0 dBFS. Exceeding this threshold will cause digital clipping, which distorts the signal and irreversibly damages the recorded audio data.
• If you wish a distorted "Hard Clipping" sound, please consider that digital clipping at the moment of recording is irreversible. For a reversible solution, consider adding a limiter, a compressor or a distortion effect (analog or digital) during the mixing phase.

Latency

Buffer size

• Start at 128–256 samples for tracking; raise to 512–1024 when mixing with many plugins. Lower buffer = lower latency but higher CPU load (and vice-versa). 

Direct (hardware) monitoring

•  If your interface offers “Direct Monitor,” use it for near-zero-latency headphone feeds while tracking. (You’ll hear the mic pre right from the interface, not after the DAW’s roundtrip.) 
• DAWs like Ableton can compensate recorded clip placement based on driver-reported latency. See: “Driver Error Compensation” (DEC)

Test Recording

• Arms tracks, verify meters move, record a short section (around 30–60 seconds).

• Play back and check: no clipping, correct stereo image, monitor balance. If you hear unwanted noises, or non-intentional hum and hiss, check cabling/grounding (balanced where possible and proper unbalanced-to-balanced wiring like DI boxes).

Record

• You can add session markers to indicate takes, sections, or repetitions.

• Label your markers clearly so that when you revisit the session, you can quickly recognize each section and understand how it fits within your project.

Save, Export & Back up.

• Save your session.
• For true cross-DAW portability, export consolidated audio stems, starting at 0:00, same length, same sample rate/bit depth, plus session assets.

Export.

• Use uncompressed WAV. If needed, make sure to save the metadata of the session into your export.
• Audio Stems: One file per track (incl. printed FX if needed), start time at 0:00.
• Click Tracks (as audio, if needed). 
• Tempo map for MIDI files (export a Standard MIDI File with tempo/markers).
• Submixes.
• General Mix.

Back up

• Keep a copy of the aforementioned files in an external hard drive on on the cloud.
• Keep a copy of all your raw recordings ( before effects or plug-ins) for your records.