SAMPLED

Production and recording · updated 2026-08-16

TAKE FOLDER / PLAYLIST

A container holding every pass at a part so you can audition and combine them without cluttering the arrangement.

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

  • A container holding every pass at a part so you can audition and combine them without cluttering the arrangement.
  • They keep every alternate take in the session in case a later decision reverses.
  • Loop-record eight passes into one take folder, then promote the best phrases upward into the comp lane.
  • Watch out: deleting unused takes to save disk space before the mix is approved.
  • Sits under production and recording in this glossary, with 2 primary sources below.

Quick checklist

  • Can you define take folder / playlist in one sentence without looking?
  • Can you point at take folder / playlist 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?

TAKE FOLDER / PLAYLIST IN DEPTH

Take folders (or playlists, or lanes, depending on the DAW) stack multiple recorded passes on one track so you can audition and comp between them without cluttering the arrangement. They keep every alternate take in the session in case a later decision reverses.

How it works in practice

Loop-record eight passes into one take folder, then promote the best phrases upward into the comp lane.

The mistake people make

Deleting unused takes to save disk space before the mix is approved. Storage is cheap; a lost preferred take is not recoverable.

WHERE TAKE FOLDER / PLAYLIST SITS

Take folder / playlist 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

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3 quick questions on take folder / playlist. Answers are marked instantly — nothing is sent anywhere.

  1. 1. Which statement best describes take folder / playlist?

  2. 2. What is the mistake people most often make with take folder / playlist?

  3. 3. In practice, which of these applies to take folder / playlist?

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SOURCES AND CITATIONS

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

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

    Primary reference · support.apple.com

    “A container holding every pass at a part so you can audition and combine them without cluttering the arrangement.”— 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.

  • Ableton — Learning Music (opens in a new tab)

    Manufacturer learning resource · Ableton

    “Take folders (or playlists, or lanes, depending on the DAW) stack multiple recorded passes on one track so you can audition and comp between them without cluttering the arrangement.”— the claim this source supports

    Why it counts: A free, hands-on explainer from a DAW maker — useful for hearing the concept rather than only reading it.

RELATED TERMS IN PRODUCTION AND RECORDING

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