Ableton Notes

Resources

Ableton Shortcuts

See:

Shortcut          Description

Space             Start/Stop
S+Space           Start/Pause/Continue   (Does not go to 1.1.1 every time)
Alt+Drag          Drag clip region between start and end marker.
tab               Toggle Session/Arrangement
Ctrl              For fine dragging.
S+Tab             Toggle Clip/Device in Session view
[Delete]          Resets values to defaults.
0                 Toggle Deactivate clip, notes, plugins ... 

C+Z               Undo and S+C+Z to redo.
C+R               Rename tracks
C+D               Duplicate clip, etc

C+Scroll          Horizontal zoom in/out
Alt+Scroll        Vertical zoom in/out

q                 Hot swap effects -- will prompt you to select another effect to replace current one. 
C+,               Preferences

A                 toggle automation mode
C + U             Quantize


Arrangement View:

Home / Fn-Left    Take insert marker to begining of track in Arrangement.
C+Alt+Click       Drag in all 4 directions.
C+E               Split Clip          (E for Eraser/cutter)
C+J               Consolidate Clip.   (J for join)
C+Alt+F           Create Fade in/out, etc.
Ctl-L             Select region and C+L will activate region as loop

B                 Enable Draw mode for automation.
C+I               Insert time.   C+S+Del to delete time.
C+A+x             Delete automation of the region (not the clip itself)
C+g               Group tracks/devices
z                 Select region and Zoom-in.  Z to zoom out. Applies to single track of multi-tracks.
Alt+Scroll        Chosen track(s) vertically zoomed out/in. Ctl+Scroll is horizontal.
Alt+Click         On fold/unfold button of track, does so on all other tracks as well. Buld Fold/Unfold.
S                 Collapse all tracks. Also available in Pulldown menu

* Converts session region to scene: Select Region, right click - Consolidate Region to new scene 

* Automate on any effect parameter: Right click on any effect knob, enable show automation, creates automation line.

* Drag and drop another .als project to merge projects.

Grid Control:

C + 1             Narrows Grid (Increase resolution)
C + 2             Widens Grid (Decrease resolution)
C + 3             Toggle Triplet Grid.
C + 4             Toggle grip snap.  (Or use Alt drag)
C + 5             Toggle Adaptive grid and Fixed Grid


Quantization: 

CTRL-6       Sixteenth-Note Quantization
CTRL-7       Eighth-Note Quantization
CTRL-8       Quarter-Note Quantization
CTRL-9       1-Bar Quantization
CTRL-0       Quantization Off

?? [Shift + Enter]   Lets you preview samples. 

Notes

  • Options => Set audio driver => Toggle Sound Test to make sure you hear beep.

Ableton Specific Files

Find below a list of the file types used by Live. :

.adg = ableton device group files (contains the preset for Instrument Racks, Drum Racks or Audio Effect Racks)

.agr = ableton groove file (contains timing and “feel” for the modification of clips)

.adv = ableton device preset (contains a stored variation of a Live device)

.alc = ableton live clip (contains references to samples on disk (rather than the audio data itself))

.als = ableton live set or template set (contains the layout of a set, such as tracks, devices, Clips etc.)

.alp = ableton live pack (contains either factory content or a packed Live set. Note: Pure content packs can only be
       created by Ableton)

.ams = ableton meta sound (contains a microtonal, additive synthesis waveform which can be created by Operator)

.amxd = ableton max for Live device (contains the Max for Live device which can be edited and modified with Max)

.asd = ableton warp analysis file (contains specific information about analyzed audio data such as e.g. Warp marker
       positions, Pitch etc.)

.ask = ableton skin file (contains the colors of Live's Graphical User Interface)

Max For Live

Max for Live is a platform to build your own instruments and effects, tools. Live comes with Max devices as components. You can build your own effects/instruments using them. The .amxd file represents your own device/effect built using Max Live devices.

Macros in Ableton Live

Group bunch of effects, enable macro, map a knob to multiple controls of those effects. Just by turning one knob, you can now control many. See https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOufylM_AEA

Managing Headroom for mixing

Leave enough headroom between -3 DB to -6 DB while mixing. As you add more clips, master volume increases. The volume automation becomes problem as it is not relative. Use "utility" device to adjust gain instead of mixers. This works on relative level.

Clips Tips

  • System clips are in .alc format. You can have your own clips in .wav, .mp3, or what ever.
  • If you create your own music (by playing keyboard or singing), you can create your own clip by dragging into Paces => User Libray => Clips
  • To create multiple subclips out of parent clip, you can edit them in arrangement view, bring them to session view, right click 'Crop Clips' to lose the parent clip offset information. The subclips are created it .alc fomat (ableton live clip) by default -- it is virtual clip. You can convert .alc clip to wav format.
  • Ctrl+Shift+R to export Master to wav file.

Ableton Live Clip .alc

You can create/save small midi clip (or audio) associated with VST chain, effects, etc all with an .alc file. In session window drag the clip to your own user library and then use it like a "presets" for your workflow.

Volume automation in Ableton

  • Drop utility device and change the gain in Arrangement view using pencil tool. Or enable automation link symbol, while automation lane is selected, just record the gain control changes.
  • Volume fader automation and effects automation both can not be active at same time.
  • You can also create 'Audio Effects Rack' (Or create one by grouping existing audio effects - Ctrl-g), it comes with volume parameter automation.

Extracting Grooves

It captures timing and velocity of a drum loop and uses it to create a 'Groove'. This can be applied to another drums MIDI loop to follow the groove's timing and velocity.

Return Tracks

It is like preset for effects chain. Once you create a return track, the effect is available in all tracks "to send to". The Delay, Reverb return tracks is usually created by default.

Clip Envelops

See: Dubspot : Clip Envelope: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiDK54HDQOE

It is a way to do automation in session window instead of arrangement. By default envelop size is same like clip (linked), but can be unlinked and to make it looped.

Convert Audio loop to your own Ableton Drum Rack

See Thavious Beck Slice to MIDI and The Quick Glitch Technique https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XpvF6BctlRc&list=PL4A41851D13CC3B4F&index=9

Mastering

Max level should be around -3 to -6 DB. RMS average should be between -10 and -20 DB.

Audio to MIDI conversion

Converting melody and drums of any song audio to MIDI is super useful. Time warping beat recognition are all critical to understand a piece of music.

Ableton Audio to MIDI

Warping

  • Warping is identifies transition points, helps to detect bpm. You can restrict certain region and right click initiate "Warp From Here (Straight)" to help with proper warping/bpm detection.
  • You can easily timestretch tracks for beatmatching / remix.
  • Similar to video warping, typially an accelerated region is followed by declerated region if you keep entire track intact.
  • Ableton loses undo history once you save file, so be careful about warping operations.
  • Compressing a region makes the song go faster, stretching it makes to go slower. It does not highlight the original position after you move a warp marker.
  • See Beat Academy Video: Warping techniques: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OoVvYtqzT3s Remember to turn off auto-warning using global preferences.
  • Warping and slicing audio. Thavious Beck. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mniqlV2VKA4

Creating Submix in Ableton

Create one audio track, name it as "submix". Set the input audio to "None". Set the audio output of few other audio tracks as "submix". That's it.

i.e. If some audio track sends you it's output, you will automatically receive it, you need not and should not specifiy that in your input.

In addition, if you specify input audio as Mic-1, then you will end up mixing Mic Input along with all the inputs that other tracks send it to you.

FL Studio Vs Ableton

FL Studio PRos:

  • FL Studio is great for MIDI editing. Best Piano roll. (Ghost notes support does not exist in other DAWs)
  • Best native plugins: Sytrus better than FM8, Harmor, Edison, etc.
  • Edison is fantastic for removing noise.
  • Uses Newtone (instead of Melodyne, does ok job) for pitch editing of vocal etc.
  • Best step sequencer for beat making.
  • Modular layout -- You can create your own screen layout instead of rigid one like Ableton.

Cons:

  • Poor automation ... Automation creates new clip in sequencer, gets messy.
  • Editing audio clips slightly forces you to select menu option 'Make unique', encourages you to use loops, but discourages you to make minor changes.
  • Warping support does not exist. You can sync clip to beat, but only at constant bpm ???
  • By default everything is routed to Master directly, you have to assign it to mixer instance, it looks cluttered.
  • Bouncing to audio takes longer time.
  • Undo feature is not as robust as in Ableton. If you delete instrument, you can not undo.
  • Side chaining is more difficult.
  • Reusing your work and sharing between your projects is slightly more difficult. With ableton, you can store ableton clips .alc, etc everything in file system and can search and reuse it easily. To be fair, With FL Studio, you can create channel layers and then reuse them across projects with search support.