Assembling clips into a track and making it sound ok

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yaddayadda

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Extreme noob here when it comes to recording, so I don't even know if I'm using the correct terms, but I will explain what I mean. And if I'm in the wrong sub-forum, just direct me to the right place (this looked like the most reasonable place out of the ones I saw).

What I'd like to do is, for example, take a guitar riff that will repeat throughout the song, get a good "cut" or "take" of that riff recorded, then simply duplicate that "clip" or "cut" by simply copying the clip of the riff over and over and assembling the copies visually onto a track - in fact just putting the duplicates of the clip side by side on the track.

I tried this, and there was some kind of noticeable... again I don't know the term... "incongruence"... between the copied riffs. in other words, it didn't sound like a guy playing the riff over and over throughout the song, it sounded like a clip that had been copied and pieced together side by side, so that when one riff ended and the next one started, there was some 'non-blending' between the two that was noticeable.

I also tried to simply loop it in a player, but that had a similar issue.

Can someone either explain, or simply point me to a resource, on how to do this properly (assemble and blend 'cuts' onto a track)? I tried googling, but I honestly didn't even know what to google for, so I'm sure I used incorrect terms.

Thanks.
 
There are many ways of doing this, and the best way will depend on what DAW you are using, because each does some things the same and other things slightly differently.

What DAW are you using?
 
@gecko zzed, I was testing things on some ancient version of cubase which I've since deleted. I will get a new DAW, however could you give me some basic techniques or approaches which are not specific to a DAW? Or, perhaps you could mention DAW-specific techniques and I'll make a note of it.
 
By the way, I assume that what I want to do is a standard or normal thing that many do? If not, by all means say so.
 
I don't build parts up by looping much, but sometimes I have to reconstruct a word or a few notes. That often means overlapping clips with a crossfade. It's pretty standard.
 
You should play the riff more than once. Play it 3 times, the first and last notes you play will sound different than those same parts of the phrase when coming into and out out the same riff to another repeat of the riff.

Of course, you have to play to a click and crossfade the pieces together.

This is a common way to construct a song in some genres.
 
Reaper has an automatic crossfade feature when joining clips, I would think most DAWs do. It doesn't always work well with guitar clips due to the variances in playing.
 
If you are working in some sort of rock genre, it is customary to at least play all the way through the part, then arrainge the song by copying the parts and moving them around.

Most of the time, guitarists will just play through the song. If there are any mistakes, they will either punch in that spot, or the engineer will take that same riff from a different part of the song, copy and paste it over the mistake.

Of course, everything has to be played to the click or it won't work.
 
I usually have at least three different takes of the same riff; that way they sound a bit different strung together. Say part A and then B and then C and then B and then A . . . etc. Of course the best way is to just do it all from beginning to end, and if there are mistakes, copy and paste as mentioned by Farview.
 
Probably better off just playing the entire guitar part to a click track. Do a couple of takes like TimOD said. And likely less time consuming than all the copying and pasting.
The only thing I use the copy/looping method is on drums. With todays samples you can piece together a kit. All other instruments I record live to guide tracks. As I can't play drums. But for me it takes maybe the same or less amount of time to paste them in than to set up a live kit, place mics and record.
 
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