Intro to BandLab

Tracks hold parts; regions hold audio or MIDI.

1. Sign in at BandLab, click Create in the top-right, then New Project. The New Track screen lets you start with Voice/Audio, an Instrument, or Import Audio/MIDI.
2. Choose Voice/Audio for microphone recording. Choose an instrument for notes you want to play or draw; MIDI stores note instructions, not a finished recording.
3. Name the project RN_First_Demo and save a first revision. Save after a usable take or major edit rather than relying on an open browser tab.
4. Find the timeline, bar ruler, moving playhead, track headers, and transport controls. Press Space to hear playback and Return to return to the beginning.

Browser permission and the selected input both matter.

1. Connect wired headphones and your microphone. Your built-in mic can capture a scratch demo; a compatible USB mic or interface is another option.
2. Make sure your operating system recognizes the input. In Chrome's site controls for BandLab, allow Microphone access; add a Voice/Audio track and choose Input Device and Input Channel.
3. For one mic on an interface, pick its individual channel rather than a stereo pair. Check hardware gain and record ten seconds.
4. For a Voice/Audio track, open AutoPitch and use Monitoring to hear yourself if desired. If the interface provides direct monitoring, avoid listening through both paths.

Put your backing against the bar ruler.

1. For the original beat exercise, set the project to 90 BPM and 4/4. For an imported beat, ask its producer for tempo and key when available.
2. Use Import Audio/MIDI in the New Track screen to bring in a supported file. Keep the original and its license outside the project as a backup.
3. Place the audio at the intended start, then listen with the metronome. Check several bars; changing a displayed tempo doesn't guarantee imported audio is correctly stretched.
4. If you use BandLab Sounds, browse a currently available free sample and add it to the arrangement. Keep your first backing simple enough to leave room for the voice.

Get a full idea down before polishing it.

1. Name a Voice/Audio track Lead, select it, and position the playhead before the section. Turn the beat down until you can hear yourself comfortably.
2. Start with AutoPitch off or low so you can judge the performance. Press R or click Record, perform the section, and stop when done.
3. For a second attempt, use another Voice/Audio track and mute the first take. This keeps the comparison simple and avoids accidentally replacing something you want.
4. Listen to both takes in context. Choose the stronger one, then record a separate double or a few ad-libs only where they add something.

Listen to every edit in context.

1. Select the unwanted part, move the playhead to its boundary, and right-click > Slice or press S. Repeat at the other boundary, then remove only the bad piece.
2. Move the replacement phrase from a second take into position. Keep the original available until you've checked the transition with the beat playing.
3. Trim extra silence, then use the fade handles at the start or end of an audio region to soften a click. Keep the first consonant and final word intact.
4. Save a revision and replay the whole passage. If several words need repair, another take may be faster than stitching every syllable.

Build a pocket before adding complicated fills.

1. Click Add Track > Drum Machine and choose Empty for a fresh pattern. Choose a kit, then set a one-bar pattern length.
2. For this 90 BPM practice groove, place kick hits on beats 1 and 3, snare on 2 and 4, and hats on eighth notes. Preview the pattern.
3. Right-click the editor for your main pattern and choose Copy. Select another pattern slot and Paste, then change one hit near its ending. Keep most of the groove the same so the variation feels intentional.
4. Check the Drum Machine track first: choosing Empty creates initial A and B regions. Move or remove the regions you do not need, then use Add or drag a pattern onto an empty spot when you need another region. Loop the main pattern to cover four bars and place the variation at your transition.

Leave room for the voice.

1. Click Add Track > Virtual Instruments, select a bass sound, and use Musical Typing or a connected MIDI keyboard to audition it.
2. For an original practice loop, make A your home note. Record short low A notes near the kick rhythm, then listen for overlap and muddiness.
3. Create a keys or synth track and try a short phrase using A, C, and E, or play them together as an A-minor chord.
4. Use the displayed octave controls if the notes are too high or low. Stop once the four-bar phrase works with the drums.

Edit pitch, timing, length, and note strength.

1. Double-click a MIDI region or right-click > Edit to open the MIDI Editor. If you haven't played a usable part yet, record a short attempt to create a region.
2. Use the Pencil tool to place notes, or double-click the grid. Drag a note's end handle to change its duration; move a note to change pitch or start time.
3. Select the notes that need tightening, right-click > Quantize, and choose a division that matches the intended rhythm. Compare the result rather than assuming tighter is always better.
4. Use the Velocity controls to vary note strength. Fix obvious wrong notes or excessive bass overlaps, then stop before you flatten the whole performance.

Give the loop an entrance and a change.

1. Build a 20-bar practice demo: keys in bars 1–4, full groove in 5–12, then a vocal or musical variation in 13–20.
2. Select regions, use Copy and Paste, and place them against the bar ruler. Use the region's Loop icon when repeating the same audio or MIDI part.
3. Leave one instrument out for a section, remove a drum hit before the change, or shorten a phrase. Make one change that the listener can actually hear.
4. Turn playback Cycle off and listen from the beginning. At 90 BPM in 4/4, this arrangement is about 53 seconds before any tail.

Give each effect a job.

1. Select a track and open the Fx Effects tab. Choose a free preset or + Add Effect; avoid effects marked as requiring membership for this first demo.
2. Try a small EQ change for unwanted rumble or a compressor for distracting volume swings. Use a little reverb or delay for space, then compare with the effect bypassed.
3. For melodic vocals, open AutoPitch, enable it, and choose the correct Key and Scale. Use the Level knob to adjust intensity and listen rather than maxing it automatically.
4. Save an effects setup you want to reuse; your saved custom preset appears under My Presets. Keep an unprocessed reference take or earlier revision available.

Start with volume balance.

1. Lower the backing, then bring it up around your lead. Check the loudest section and keep the Master meter from going into red.
2. Keep lead vocal, main bass, and kick near the center as a starting point. Try modest panning on supporting parts without scattering everything.
3. Press A to show Automation. Choose Volume, Pan, or an available effects parameter from the track header, then draw points for one small change.
4. Replay quietly through headphones and a familiar speaker. Compare effects at similar listening levels and fix the most obvious issue first.

Saving, exporting, and publishing are separate actions.

1. Save the latest revision and confirm it is in Library. If saving fails, keep Studio open and preserve downloadable tracks before refreshing or closing.
2. In Studio's top-left project menu, choose Project > Download > Mixdown As. Choose WAV for an uncompressed listening copy, then replay the downloaded file.
3. To keep separate parts, use Project > Download > Tracks or the track's three-dot menu > Export as Audio/MIDI. Note instrument sounds, tempo, effects, and automation for a rebuild.
4. Publish only when you're ready and have checked rights and credits. Leave Forkable off unless you want other users to copy, modify, republish, or potentially commercialize the content under BandLab's terms. Unlisted hides a revision from public feeds and search; anyone with its direct link can still access it.