How to Use Reference Tracks to Record the Easy Way

One of the best recording hacks out there is the reference track. Reference tracks allow you to build a song one instrument at a time with relative ease.

If you are a minimalist like me, you may only be capable of recording one or two inputs at a time. I use a Focusrite Scarlett Solo, which allows for one XLR microphone input and one 1/4 inch line input. So technically, I could record vocals and another instrument simultaneously, but I don’t. I only record one instrument at a time.

Why to Record Instruments Separately

Recording each instrument separately allows you to edit each instrument individually later. Since the instrument was recorded in isolation, any effects applied to it will only affect that instrument. But if you record an entire band with one microphone, for example, any editing will affect all instruments. Furthermore, you couldn’t do any mixing. There would only be one track with one volume fader, so you couldn’t adjust the volume levels of individual instruments.

That said, recording the accompaniment or the singing by itself can be hard. Without the other as a guide, you may lose your place in the song. It might be hard to remember how many times to play a chord progression without the lyrics to guide you.

This is where reference tracks come in. The following 3-step guide will teach you the easiest way to record a simple song with just vocals and guitar.

1. Record Vocals and Guitar Together

To avoid losing your place when recording the vocals and guitar separately, start by recording a reference track. Consider this a “dummy track” since it won’t be used in the final song. Record guitar and vocals into the same microphone. This track will serve as a reference for when you record the separate vocal and guitar tracks. Later when you have the separate vocal and guitar tracks recorded, you can mute the reference track or get rid of it.

Keep in mind that since the reference track will not be part of the final song, it does not need to be perfect. If you sing out of tune or hit a bad note, that’s okay. The one thing that you should get right when recording the reference track is timing. If you play out of time, it will be hard to play along to later. So make sure to record to a click track or a metronome.

2. Record Guitar Alone

Once you have a reference track, create a new track in your DAW and record the guitar part again by itself. Have the reference track playing as you record. This way, you can play along to the song rather than to just a click track. It makes it easy to remember the song’s structure. You can anticipate changes from verse to chorus, for example, through lyric queues, instead of counting out measures in your head.

To prevent the reference track playing from bleeding into the new guitar track, listen to the reference track (and the click track for that matter) through headphones. Monitor your live instrument through the headphones, too. That way, the microphone will only pick up the guitar and not the reference track. (If you record through a line-in input, you don’t need to worry about bleeding).

3. Record Vocals Alone

Now that you have a foundational accompaniment track, you can record the rest of the instruments on top. In this case, record vocals next. Mute the reference track and use the new guitar track as a reference instead. The guitar track will be a better reference because it is an actual and permanent part of the song. Plus, listening to prerecorded vocals in the reference track while singing is more distracting than helpful. If you don’t have the lyrics memorized, just read them from a lyric sheet.

With the guitar already recorded separately, you can focus on just vocals instead of singing and playing at the same time. You will perform better because you can give singing your full attention. This way, each instrument is recorded in its turn.

Build Layer by Layer

Repeat step 3 for any subsequent instruments. With each successive track, you will have more to reference in your headphone monitors. Layer instruments in order of most to least importance. Eventually, you will have recorded all parts of the song, and you are ready to move on to editing and mixing.

This 3-step recording process is the most efficient way to build a song from the bottom up. The reference track will save you the headache of remembering an accompaniment part without reference to the lead instrument and vice versa.

Finally, one last protip: If you ever have trouble getting a good take, break up the recording into multiple parts. There is no need to play through all 3 minutes of a song flawlessly. Record just the first verse. Once you have a good take, create a new track and start recording where you left off. Later, you can combine all the parts into one track in your DAW. So long as the instrument part has natural breaks, you can record it in chunks. And with a full reference track, you will always know where to pick up.

Conclusion

Reference tracks are like training wheels: They relieve you of unnecessary mental strain. Plus, there is no virtue in not using them. Listeners won’t know and don’t care. So why make it harder for yourself? Streamline your recording process and start with a reference track. You won’t regret it.