WHAT YOU’LL LEARN

• What “tracking” means in audio production

• How to properly set input levels (gain staging)

• Recording vocals inside your DAW (Pro Tools workflow)

• Punch-in / punch-out recording

• Comping (combining best takes)

• Using headphones during recording

• Session organization basics (tracks, naming, labeling)

🎬 WATCH THE LESSON

⚠️ IMPORTANT: Watch this full lesson before moving forward. This knowledge applies to every chapter after this.

WHY THIS MATTERS (REAL-WORLD APPLICATION)

If your tracking is poor, you’ll:

• Record distorted or weak vocals

• Have inconsistent takes

 • Spend hours fixing issues later

• Deliver low-quality results to clients

Professional engineers focus on clean recordings FIRST.

🧪 QUICK PRACTICAL EXERCISE

Inside your DAW:

1. Create a new session

2. Add a vocal track

3. Set your input gain: Peaks between -12 dB to -6 dB

4. Record 3 takes of the same line

5. Listen back and pick the best parts (comping)

👉 This is exactly how real sessions are done

⚠️ COMMON BEGINNER MISTAKES

❌Recording too loud (clipping)

❌Recording too quiet (weak signal)

❌Not labeling tracks

❌Not saving sessions properly

❌Letting artists record inconsistent takes

📥 DOWNLOADABLE RESOURCE

Tracking Session Template (Pro Tools)

Gain Staging Checklist

🔒 MEMBER NOTE

This content is part of Foundation X Academy (Members Only)
Your access includes:

Full 20-chapter program

Real-world engineering techniques

Industry-level training without college debt