Have you ever said "we can fix it later?" If you're using those words in the studio, you're headed for trouble. But in certain situations, you can fix it later.

When you Punch in you are inserting new information into a preexisting recorded track. You basically hit or "punch" the record button on the target track at a sepcific time to replace the section with a new performance.

Here's an example: You have a twelve bar lead, you play the first eleven bars like you've never played before. But, that 12th bar sounded like a llama with bad gas. So, you punch in the 12th bar.  When you punch in you are just recording a small part of a track.

There is a real technique to punching in. To repair a problem with a track you have to make the punch as consistent with the original as possible so that it appears seamless. Same guitar sound, same levels, same eq, everything must be set exactly the same.

• Find the part of the song that is messed up. Make note of the position in the song, you don't want to punch in during the wrong part of the song.
• Que up a few bars before the part, that way you can play along before your part. Most software programs will allow you to set the pre-roll.
• Now that you've set your software, when to start playing, when to start recording and when to stop. All that's left is press record, play along with the part, nail the punched lead, and your done.

I'd recommend that you walk away for a few minutes, come back and listened to the track by itself. Does it sound like one single take? Or does it sound completely different than the original? If it sounds different at all, keep trying. You don't want the listener to notice any difference.

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