Recording audio

This chapter walks you through recording a mono take from a microphone or instrument plugged into your audio interface. You will give Head Chef access to your inputs, choose the input for a track, arm the track, record with or without a count-in, and finish or cancel the take. It also explains what Head Chef does with input monitoring and latency, and where your recordings are kept.

Before you record #

Head Chef 1 records one mono take at a time from the stopped cursor. Check these points first, because Head Chef refuses to record until each one is true:

• The session is saved. If it is not, you see Save your session before recording.
• The armed destination is an empty mono audio track. Without Head Chef input monitoring, start in a new session with empty mono audio tracks. To record with an amp sound and existing backing, follow Monitoring.
• Exactly one empty audio track is armed, and it has an input chosen.
• Head Chef has microphone access.
• The input's sample rate matches the session's sample rate. Set the session rate in Session Settings before you add audio.
• Playback is stopped and the cursor is where the take should begin. Place the cursor before connecting Input or Auto monitoring.

To set up a recording session:

1. Choose File > New Session… and create the session.
2. Choose File > Save Session and save it in a folder you can write to.
3. Choose Track > Add Track > Add Mono Audio Track.

Give Head Chef microphone access #

macOS asks your permission before any app can use an audio input, including an audio interface.

1. Click the input button on the audio track's header. It reads Choose input… until you pick one. The Mono recording input window opens.
2. Click Enable input. macOS asks whether Head Chef may use the microphone.
3. Allow access.

If you clicked Don't Allow earlier, the window shows Microphone access is off. Allow Head Chef microphone access before recording. Open System Settings, go to Privacy & Security > Microphone, turn on Head Chef, then click Refresh inputs in the Mono recording input window. The Audio Engine window (Settings > Audio Engine…) also shows the current Microphone access state.

Choose the recording input #

1. Click the input button on the audio track's header. In Mix, click Input on the track's strip.
2. In the Mono recording input window, open the input menu and choose one input channel. Each entry shows the device, the channel and the device's sample rate, for example Interface · Input 1 · 48 kHz.
3. If you connected an interface after opening the window, click Refresh inputs.
4. Click Close.

The track header now shows the chosen device and channel. Head Chef saves the input with the track, so it is still chosen when you reopen the session. If the device is not connected, the header reads Input unavailable.

Arm the track #

1. Click Arm on the track header, or select the track and press ⇧R.
2. The Arm button lights up. In the Mono recording input window, the status changes to Track armed.

Click Arm again to disarm. Only an empty audio track can be armed for a new take.

Monitoring #

You can hear the input through Head Chef's Amp and Tuner, or use your interface's direct monitoring.

To hear the amp while recording a dry take:

1. Choose the input for an empty mono audio track and arm it.
2. Add Amp and Tuner from the track's built-in effects list and click Open.
3. In the amp's monitor menu, choose Input to hear the live input, or Auto to hear the armed input while stopped and recording, then hear the recorded clip during ordinary playback. Off disables Head Chef's input monitoring.
4. Adjust the amp sound. More contains Monitor Level and Mute monitor, which change what you hear without changing the recorded input.

The take stores the unprocessed input while you hear the amp. Existing backing and the click play through the normal mix. The count-in finishes before the dry take begins, and the take starts at the cursor position you chose. Head Chef refuses a channel setup it cannot record safely before capture starts.

In Jam, open Amp from JAM ALONG to choose your input sound and tune before recording. Jam saves the dry take and plays it through the current saved amp sound. See Shape your input with Amp and Tuner.

For direct monitoring, use the knob, switch or control software supplied with your interface. If you select Interface direct monitoring in the amp, Head Chef turns off its software monitoring. The interface's direct path must be adjusted or muted at the interface; the amp and Silent Tune cannot control it.

Watch the level meter in the Mono recording input window and on the track header. If you see Input clipped. Reduce the interface input gain., turn down the gain on your interface and try again. The amp's Input Drive cannot repair an overloaded interface input.

Use a count-in #

A count-in plays the metronome for a number of bars before the take starts, so you can come in on time.

1. In the Options menu, choose the count-in item to turn the count-in on or off. Its name shows how many bars it counts, for example Count-In (2 Bars). The Count-In button in the Floating Transport does the same. You can also press Num 8 on the numeric keypad.
2. To change the number of bars, right-click the metronome button (♩) in the toolbar and choose 1 Bar, 2 Bars or 4 Bars under Count-In Bars.

The count-in follows the session tempo and time signature from the chosen cursor position. The cursor stays there while the count-in plays; the backing and dry take begin together after it. While it plays, the status line shows Count-in with the time left. The metronome settings also set whether the click plays during the take; see Transport and navigation.

Record a take #

1. Click ⏺ Rec in the toolbar, or choose Transport > Record. Head Chef prepares the input and shows Record ready · Press Space to record. The track's meter shows the input level.
2. Press Space, click the Play button (it now reads ● Record), or choose Transport > Start Recording to start the take. If the count-in is on, it plays first.
3. Perform. The status line shows Recording with the elapsed time.
4. To finish, press Space, click the Play button (it now reads ■ Finish), click ■ Stop, or choose Transport > Finish Recording.

To start recording directly without the ready step, press F12 or Num 3.

Head Chef shows Finishing recording… while it completes the file, then Take recorded with its length. The take appears as a clip on the armed track at the position where you started recording. The cursor returns to that position when the take finishes. Adding the take is one step in the edit history, so Edit > Undo removes it and Edit > Redo puts it back.

Record another take over the song #

Keep each new take on its own empty mono audio track:

1. Finish the current take and set its amp monitor menu to Off. Disarm that track.
2. Add or select another empty mono audio track and choose its recording input.
3. Stop playback and place the cursor where the new take should begin. Arm the new destination.
4. Open its Amp and Tuner and choose Input or Auto in the monitor menu so the existing song can play while you record.
5. Use ⏺ Rec, then Space, and finish the take as above.

The earlier take and the backing stay in the song. Each finished take is one separate Undo step. Save the session to keep the copied audio and clip positions together.

Cancel a take #

• To leave record ready, click ⏺ Rec again, choose Transport > Record Ready, or click ■ Stop, before you start the take.
• To cancel during preparation or the count-in, choose Transport > Cancel Recording Start, or click the Play button, which reads Cancel at this stage.

While a take is preparing, counting in or recording, Head Chef locks other changes to the session. Finish or cancel the take first.

Recording states #

A take moves through a fixed series of states. The status line at the bottom of the window, the Play button and the Transport menu show where you are.

While the track is ready, counting in or recording, the Arrange lane shows Recording · and the track name, and the track's meter shows the input level. Pointing at ⏺ Rec shows what to do next, for example Press Space to record. Press Record again to leave readiness. F12 starts recording directly. while ready, and Recording. Press Space or Stop to finish. while recording.

The Take recorded line stays until your next edit. Times in the status line read minutes, seconds and milliseconds.

How long a take can be #

A take is a 32-bit float mono file. Head Chef writes it to disk as you record; there is no fixed take-length or encoded-byte allowance. Leave enough free space in the session's folder for the take and saved audio copies.

The status line shows elapsed time. The recording activity indicator does not count down to an invented maximum. Finish the take when your performance is complete. A device or disk problem can stop recording; see When a take stops on its own.

Messages before a take starts #

When something stops Head Chef from getting ready, the Record command stays unavailable. Point at ⏺ Rec to read the reason. With an audio track selected while stopped, the status bar also shows the next setup step beside the last action when no error, import, edit or playback needs that space. Head Chef checks these in order and shows the first that applies.

While Head Chef is preparing, counting in or recording, other changes to the session show Stop recording or cancel record readiness before changing the session. Finish or cancel the take first.

When a take stops on its own #

If something goes wrong during a take, Head Chef stops it, keeps the audio it has captured, and shows Recording stopped. followed by the reason on the status line:

When the stopped take holds audio, the status line also shows Recovery…. See Where takes are stored.

Where takes are stored #

Head Chef writes each take, as it records, into a folder named .headchef-recordings next to your session file. The name starts with a dot, so Finder hides it unless you show hidden files. When the take finishes, Head Chef adds it to the session.

Because the audio reaches the disk while you play, a take survives an unexpected stop. If recording stops early, or Head Chef quits during a take, the status line shows Recording stopped. with the reason and a Recovery… button. When you open that session again after Head Chef quit during a take, the status line reads An earlier recording is ready to recover. Keep it in this session or dismiss it. Click Recovery… to open the Recording stopped window, and choose:

• Keep take to add the recovered audio to the session as a take.
• Dismiss to leave it out of the session. The audio stays in the recording folder.
• Keep open to decide later.

You must keep or dismiss a recovered take before you can record again.

Latency #

Latency is the delay between a sound reaching your interface and Head Chef receiving it, and between Head Chef sending audio and you hearing it. Choose Settings > Audio Engine… (⌘,) to see it. Near the bottom, the window lists Input, Output and Round-Trip latency in milliseconds and samples for the buffer you choose.

A smaller hardware buffer lowers latency but asks more of your Mac. The window notes this when you pick a very small buffer: 32 and 64 sample buffers minimize monitoring latency but increase real-time CPU load.