A clip is a single unit of audio or MIDI handled in a DAW. Recorded phrases, imported loops, and programmed chord progressions can be dragged into place, moved, duplicated, and looped. Some DAWs call material placed on the timeline a region, and the name and the exact scope differ.
Audio clips and MIDI clips
An audio clip holds audio data with a waveform, while a MIDI clip holds performance data such as notes and velocities. A MIDI clip has no sound of its own; it plays the software instrument connected to it. They may look similar, but what you can edit is different.
The unit of placement and editing
You place clips on tracks, change their start position and length, and trim out only the part you need. You build a song by duplicating and repeating them, splitting off unwanted sections, and nudging their positions. It also matters that most DAWs let you edit without damaging the original file.
How it relates to loops
One approach is to repeat a short clip to build a beat or a chord progression. Dragging the end of a clip sometimes repeats its contents and sometimes extends the material itself, so check the display and the settings before you do it. Adding variation partway through, so that repetition does not become monotonous, is part of arranging.
How clips are played back
In a typical DAW, clips sound along the timeline as the project plays. Some DAWs, such as Ableton Live, also let you trigger clips in any order and then record that into the timeline. Checking how clips behave in your own DAW first will save you confusion.
Clips and regions
Clip and region are used in similar ways, but the official name differs from product to product. What matters is that both are the unit in which you edit audio or MIDI. For the basic production window, see the article on DAWs.
