SAMPLED

Production and recording · updated 2026-08-16

COMPING

Building one keeper take out of the best pieces of several takes.

A studio control room with a DAW session open on screen, monitor speakers and a control surface — the recording and editing setup these production terms describe.
Production and recording — A studio control room with a DAW session open on screen, monitor speakers and a control surface — the recording and editing setup these production terms describe.

Photo: Gooi & Vecht Studio, Audio 1 control room with Nuendo 6.5 (opens in a new tab) by Marco Raaphorst (opens in a new tab), via Wikimedia Commons — CC BY 2.0 (opens in a new tab)

Key takeaways

  • Building one keeper take out of the best pieces of several takes.
  • Every major DAW supports it through take folders or playlists, and it is standard practice for lead vocals in every commercial genre.
  • Record four full passes, then build the comp line by line, keeping breaths from the take you use on either side of the edit.
  • Watch out: comping so finely that the performance loses continuity.
  • Sits under production and recording in this glossary, with 2 primary sources below.

Quick checklist

  • Can you define comping in one sentence without looking?
  • Can you point at comping in a real session, mix or contract?
  • Have you tried the practical move above at least once?
  • Would you catch the common mistake before it costs you a take?
  • Have you opened one of the primary sources below rather than a forum thread?

COMPING IN DEPTH

Comping means assembling one performance from several takes by choosing the best phrase — sometimes the best word — from each. Every major DAW supports it through take folders or playlists, and it is standard practice for lead vocals in every commercial genre.

How it works in practice

Record four full passes, then build the comp line by line, keeping breaths from the take you use on either side of the edit.

The mistake people make

Comping so finely that the performance loses continuity. Switching takes mid-phrase changes tone and mic distance in ways listeners hear as unease.

WHERE COMPING SITS

Comping belongs to production and recording in the Sampled music glossary. Studio words: what the gear does, what the engineer is asking for, what the session sheet means.

TEST YOURSELF

0/3 answered · 0 correct

3 quick questions on comping. Answers are marked instantly — nothing is sent anywhere.

  1. 1. Which statement best describes comping?

  2. 2. What is the mistake people most often make with comping?

  3. 3. In practice, which of these applies to comping?

Ready for the full thing? Take the 25-question terminology test and get a certificate with your name and score.

SOURCES AND CITATIONS

Free, primary references for comping — standards bodies, manufacturers, government offices and university course material. Each one lists the line of this entry it backs up.

  • Reaper user guide (PDF) (opens in a new tab)

    Primary reference · reaper.fm

    “Building one keeper take out of the best pieces of several takes.”— the claim this source supports

    Why it counts: Published by the organisation responsible for the thing being defined, so it is a first-hand source rather than a summary of one.

  • Apple — Logic Pro User Guide (opens in a new tab)

    Primary reference · support.apple.com

    “Comping means assembling one performance from several takes by choosing the best phrase — sometimes the best word — from each.”— the claim this source supports

    Why it counts: Published by the organisation responsible for the thing being defined, so it is a first-hand source rather than a summary of one.

RELATED TERMS IN PRODUCTION AND RECORDING

Back to the full music glossary or read our latest articles.