Editing

Introduction

When a recording of a piece of music is made, it is usual to record it multiple times or in several sections, so that that the performer or performers have the best opportunity to get each section as they would like it. These multiple versions of the same piece are called 'takes'.

Almost all records you hear are produced by combining the best takes of each section, to produce the final polished 'performance'.

Editing is the stage of production where this selection and combination of recorded material takes place and is part of the record production process called 'post-production', which also includes making changes to the recorded sound in order to, for example, reduce noise or improve clarity. The intention is to improve the fidelity of the final sound. Often, this additional post-production work takes place concurrently with the edit, but they are not dependent on one another.

Editing typically goes through several stages.

First edit

During the first edit, the producer listens to the recorded material - the 'raw takes' - and makes broad decisions as to which sections are 'better' from each take. This process will generally reject sections which contain performance errors or extraneous noises but, in some cases, a section of a performance that has a particularly good flow or 'feel' to it may be retained despite an error - the intention being to replace just that passage, bar or even single note further through the editing process.

This first edit will often be sent to the performer who listens to and comments on the sections that have been chosen, so that their views may be taken into account when producing the second edit.

Second edit

The second edit seeks to address any remaining performance issues that either the performer or the producer have identified in the first edit. At this stage, these are typically specific issues such as a missed note in a run, a split chord or the tuning of a single note. The editor identifies these areas from all available takes and chooses a replacement bar or note. The replacement section is then inserted into the first edit.

Joining sections

Technically, the method by which the joins, from one take to another, can be made seamless is called 'crossfading'.
During a crossfade, one section of audio fades out whilst another fades in over the same period of time so that there is no overall change in volume as the two sections overlap.
Although this helps to mask the join between the sections, the editor must be very careful to align the incoming and outgoing sections of audio very precisely so as to avoid any audible differences during the transition. Part of the skill of performing an edit is knowing at which points in the music an edit will be least audible.
Clearly there will be times when it is not possible to make the most desirable edit because of inconsistencies in the performance of the available takes - such as variation in the tempo or tuning. Where this occurs, it is necessary either to replace a larger section, from points where these inconsistencies will be least noticeable, or to use a second choice of take for the replacement.

Final edit

Once all of the amendments have been made, the 'final edit' is circulated and, hopefully, approved by all concerned. If there are any further changes to be made, a third and fourth edit may be performed in a similar manner to the second.