# Recording Studio

Record takes of a piece, manage them in My Takes, import outside recordings, and send a take to the Trainer for calibration.

> Type: How-to · Status: Beta · Platforms: iPadOS 17+ · Last reviewed: 2026-07-18

## What the Studio is for

The Studio is where a piece's recordings live. It does four things: capture a **take** (a recording of you playing the piece), manage saved takes (play, rename, share, delete), import recordings made elsewhere, and hand a take to the Trainer so Follow can learn the piece's timing. One take is enough to calibrate a piece; every additional take refines it.

The Studio has two faces: a **take manager** (a tab inside the piece's Properties, titled `Studio`) and a **capture widget** that appears over the open score once you tap `Record`. You manage takes in the first; you record in the second.

## Open the Studio

On iPad:

1. Open the piece in the reader.
2. Tap the headphones button in the navigation bar (accessibility name: `Recordings`).
3. Properties opens directly on the `Studio` tab.

On iPhone:

1. Open the piece in the reader.
2. Tap the wrench button (`Tool chest`) to open the side panel on its `Tools` tab.
3. In the **Piece** section, tap `Studio`.

> **Note** — Opening the Studio never starts recording. The `Studio` tab is the take manager; the microphone only goes live after you tap `Record` and then the start button (`Start recording`).

The Trainer's Step 2 (`Open Studio`) leads to the same place — see [Prepare a piece for Follow](../follow/prepare.md).

> **Limit** — A piece browsed straight from the Catalog shows a `Reference recordings` section only. Add the work to `My Library` before recording or importing your own takes.

## Record a take

Capture always runs in the same compact **studio pill**. What you see before you start differs by device.

On iPad:

1. In the `Studio` tab, tap `Record`. Properties closes and the studio pill appears in the navigation bar, reading `Press ◼ to record in the studio`.
2. Tap the red square button (`Start recording`) and play. The first time, iOS asks for microphone access.
3. The pill switches to capture: a pulsing red dot, a live wave, and a running timer. The square button becomes `Pause recording`.
4. Tap the checkmark (`Finish and save take`) when you're done. The pill reads `Take saved`, then closes.

On iPhone:

1. In the `Studio` tab, tap `Record`. Properties closes and a setup card opens below the navigation chrome, headed `RECORDING STUDIO` with the piece title.
2. Check the input badge under the title. It names the input about to be used (for example `Built-in microphone`); an external audio interface shows a waveform-mic icon and a green dot. Plug in your interface *before* recording if you want it used.
3. Tap the round blue record button (`Start recording`) and play. The setup card closes and the studio pill takes over at the top of the score, so the page stays visible while you record.
4. Tap the checkmark (`Finish and save take`) when you're done. The pill reads `Take saved`, then closes.

To record another take, tap `Record` in the `Studio` tab again.

### Controls while recording

These are the studio pill's controls, on both devices.

| Control | What it does |
|---|---|
| `Finish and save take` (checkmark) | Stops and saves the take. |
| `Pause recording` / `Resume recording` (square button) | Freezes the microphone without ending the take. The timer holds. |
| `Redo — discard and re-record` (circular arrow) | Discards the current take **and** immediately starts a fresh one — a one-tap re-record. |
| `Discard this take` (trash) | Ends the take, deletes the audio captured so far, and closes the studio. There is no confirmation step. |
| `Close studio` (✕) | Closes the studio. A take in progress is discarded. |

The wave next to the timer moves with your playing — that is the sign the microphone is reaching the app. If it stays flat while you play, the wrong input is selected: discard the take, change what is plugged in, and start again.

## Manage takes: `My Takes`

Saved takes appear in the `Studio` tab under `My Takes`, with a count in the header. Each row shows the take's name, file size, date, duration, its anchor count, a `Calibrated` / `Not Calibrated` badge, and `· In trainer` on the take the Trainer currently follows.

- **Tap a row** to play it inline — a scrubber with 10-second skip buttons appears under the row.
- **Tap the `⋯` button** (`Recording actions`) for the full menu:
  - `Use in trainer` — makes this take the one the Trainer references. It reads `Active in trainer` on the current one.
  - `Calibrate this take` — opens the calibrator (shown only while the take is `Not Calibrated`).
  - `Rename` and `Save a copy…` — rename in place, or save the audio file out.
  - **Publish** (`Export video`, `Share to YouTube / Reels`, `Share to SoundCloud`) — shown only for calibrated takes; calibration is what makes video export possible.
  - `Delete recording` — removes the take. Swiping the row left does the same.

> **Limit** — A take's calibration (its sync anchors and replay markers) is stored with the audio file. Deleting a take deletes its calibration too; if it was the piece's only calibrated take, the piece drops back to uncalibrated.

## Bring in recordings from outside

Three sections of the `Studio` tab add audio you didn't record here:

- `Import Recording` — pulls an existing audio or video file from Files.app or iCloud Drive into `My Takes`.
- `Search Authorized Recording for Auto Calibration` — searches `IMSLP`, `Musopen`, and `Wikimedia` for downloadable performances. Downloads land in a separate `Authorized recordings` section, kept with their source and licence metadata; they can play, calibrate, and — when the licence allows — go to the Trainer.
- `Find a Reference Recording` — searches `Spotify`, `Apple`, and `YouTube`. These are listening links only: no download, no calibration. Saved links also appear under `Authorized recordings`.

> **Important** — Licence matters for calibration, not for listening. An imported recording with an unknown, NonCommercial, or NoDerivatives licence stays on your device and calibrates manually only; it never unlocks network auto-calibration. Your own takes have no such restriction.

## From take to Follow

A saved take is already a training take — there is no separate upload or "train" step. To make Follow track the piece, calibrate a take: tap `Calibrate this take` from its row in `My Takes`, or run the Trainer's `Auto-calibrate`. The full path is on [Prepare a piece for Follow](../follow/prepare.md).