Guide

Here's the basic workflow for finishing a single vocal cover. For more detailed explanations, see the bundled guide you can open from the app's menu under "Help" → "User Guide...".

Utawave's timeline, editing recorded waveforms and programmed MIDI notes side by side — Recorded waveforms and programmed MIDI both live on a single timeline, ready to edit.

1. Set up your audio device

Once the app launches, press the AUDIO button at the top-right to choose the microphone (input) and headphones (output) you want to use. If you're using an audio interface, select it here. If the delay (latency) while recording bothers you, lowering the buffer size on the same screen will improve it.

On Windows, ASIO is recommended: if you're using an audio interface, choose ASIO as the driver type in the AUDIO settings. It has far less latency than the standard drivers, making it comfortable to record while monitoring your own voice. You can get an ASIO driver from your interface manufacturer's website (most products include one with their bundled driver).

No ASIO? (USB mics, etc.) Use WASAPI Exclusive Mode: choosing Windows Audio (Exclusive Mode) in the AUDIO settings gives lower latency than the standard shared mode, making monitoring while recording more comfortable.
Note: Exclusive Mode lets Utawave take over the device, so while recording you can't route audio to other apps at the same time — a YouTube backing track in your browser, a Discord call, or streaming software (OBS, etc.). If you want to stream or use other apps simultaneously, keep shared mode, or use your interface's direct monitoring feature.

2. Import a backing track

Drag and drop an audio file (WAV / MP3, etc.) onto the window, or import it with Ctrl+I (Cmd+I on Mac). The track is automatically placed at the start of the song (0 seconds) and copied into the project folder, so your original file stays untouched.

If the key doesn't match your voice: right-click the imported waveform → "Change key..." to pick a key within a range of ±6 semitones. You can return to the original pitch at any time.

3. Create a vocal track and record

Add a track with + Add Track at the bottom-left.
Light up the track's R (record arm) and check the input channel.
Press the R key to start recording. Use Space to play / stop.

For any part you want to redo, press R while playing back to re-record from that point (punch-in). Every time you record, the previous take is automatically moved aside to a take lane, so there's no risk of overwriting and losing it. You can promote your favorite take to the main lane with Shift+↑.

Don't worry about your record-button timing: when you start playback with a track that has R (record-arm) lit, recording is already running in the background from that moment. So even if you hit the record button a little late, your first note isn't cut off — it's captured cleanly from the playback position.

If you want a click (metronome): use CLICK on the toolbar to create a dedicated click track. Set the tempo by double-clicking the BPM display, or use the TAP button to tap it in.

4. Clean up the waveforms

What you want to do	How
Split a clip	`Alt+Click` (`Option+Click` on Mac)
Fade in / out	Select a range and press `F`, or drag the handle at a clip corner
Crossfade	Select a range across two overlapping clips and press `X`
Cut out silent sections at once	Right-click a clip → "Strip silence"
Fine-tune a clip's volume	Clip gain / gain envelope (breakpoints)
Undo / Redo	`Ctrl+Z` / `Ctrl+Shift+Z`

5. Balance the mix

Adjust volume with the fader in the track header, left/right placement with Pan, and the amount of reverb with Rev. If you have VST3 plugins, you can insert them into the INS slots on a track or the master (scan them first from the menu under "File" → "Manage plugins...").

6. Export

Press Ctrl+E to open the Export dialog, then choose a format (WAV / AIFF / MP3) and a range (whole project / selected range / bar range) and export. In addition to the full mix, per-track export (stems) is also supported.

Key shortcuts

Key	Action
`Space`	Play / stop
`R`	Start / stop recording (punch-in while playing)
`L`	Loop playback on / off
`Alt+C`	Metronome (CLICK) on / off
`N` / `B`	Move forward / back one bar
`+` / `-`	Move playhead forward / back
`F` / `X`	Fade / crossfade
`Shift+↑`	Promote a take to the main lane
`Ctrl+S`	Save
`Ctrl+E`	Export
`Ctrl+I`	Import audio
`Ctrl+,`	Preferences

* On Mac, read Ctrl as Cmd and Alt as Option. You can see the full list of shortcuts in the app under "Help" → "Keyboard shortcuts".

Good to know

Auto-save: your project is saved automatically at a set interval (5 minutes by default, adjustable), and generational backups are kept in the Backup/ folder.
Crash recovery: even if the app crashes, the next time you open the project it offers to recover from the most recent backup.
Portable projects: every audio file is copied into the project folder, so you can move or back up the whole folder at once.

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