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Ableton Live 10 Reference Manual

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Ableton Reference Manual Version 10
for Windows and Mac
Reference Manual by Dennis DeSantis, Michelle Hughes, Ian Gallagher, Kevin Haywood, Rose Knudsen, Gerhard Behles, Jakob Rang, Robert Henke, Torsten Slama.
1
Schönhauser Allee 6-7 | 10119 Berlin, Germany
Contact Support: www.ableton.com/support/contact
Copyright 2018 Ableton AG. All rights reserved. Made in Germany.
Except as permitted by such license, no part of this publication may be reproduced, edited, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permis­sion of Ableton.
Ableton, the Ableton Logo, the Live logo are trademarks of Ableton AG. Apple, Finder, GarageBand, Mac, Macintosh, macOS, OS X and QuickTime are trademarks of Apple Inc, registered in the U.S. and other countries. Windows is a reg­istered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States and other countries. Intel is a registered trademark of Intel Corporation or its subsidiaries in the United States and other countries. SONiVOX is the brand name trademark of Sonic Network, Inc. VST and ASIO are trademarks and software of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. ReWire, Recycle and REX2 are trademarks of Propellerhead Software AB. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective holders.
Content provided by:
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SONiVOX — www.sonivoxrocks.com Chocolate Audio — www.chocolateaudio.com Puremagnetik — www.puremagnetik.com Cycling ‘74 — www.cycling74.com SonArte — www.sonarte.ca e-instruments — www.e-instruments.com Zero-G — w ww.zero-g.co.uk Goldbaby — www.goldbaby.co.nz Sample Magic — www.samplemagic.com Soniccouture — www.soniccouture.com Loopmasters — www.loopmasters.com Uppercussion — www.uppercussion.com Physical Modeling technology provided by: Applied Acoustics Systems — www.applied-acoustics.com
Contents
Welcome to Live 21
1.1 The Ableton Team Says: Thank You ……………………………………………………………………21
1.2 What’s New in Live 10? …………………………………………………………………………………21
1.2.1 Device Additions and Improvements ........................................................................21
1.2.2 Capture ...................................................................................................................... 22
1.2.3 Multi-Clip Editing ...................................................................................................... 22
1.2.4 Nested Group Tracks ................................................................................................ 23
1.2.5 Arrangement Editing Improvements ......................................................................... 23
1.2.6 Automation Improvements ........................................................................................ 24
1.2.7 Navigation Improvements ........................................................................................ 24
1.2.8 Mixing Improvements ............................................................................................... 25
1.2.9 Browser Improvements .............................................................................................. 25
1.2.10 Setup Improvements .................................................................................................. 26
1.2.11 Interface Improvements ............................................................................................ 26
1.2.12 File Handling Improvements ..................................................................................... 27
1.2.13 Max for Live Updates ............................................................................................... 28
1.2.14 Push Device Visualizations ....................................................................................... 28
1.2.15 Push Note Layouts ..................................................................................................... 28
1.2.16 Push MIDI Clip Mode ............................................................................................... 29
1.2.17 Additional Push Improvements ................................................................................. 29
3
First Steps 31
2.1 Learn About Live ……………………………………………………………………………………………31
2.1.1 Using the Info View and Index ..................................................................................31
2.2 Setting up Preferences ………………………………………………………………………………… 32
2.3 The Main Live Screen …………………………………………………………………………………… 33
Authorizing Live 37
3.1 Copy Protection FAQs ………………………………………………………………………………… 37
3.1.1 Can I Use Live or Other Ableton Products Without a Serial Number? ................. 37
3.1.2 What if I Change My Computer’s Components? ................................................... 38
3.1.3 Can I Authorize Live More than Once?...................................................................38
3.1.4 Can I Play my Set from a Computer That Is Not Authorized?................................ 38
3.1.5 What Do I Do About Problems or Questions Regarding Copy Protection? ......... 39
Live Concepts 41
4.1 The Browser …………………………………………………………………………………………………41
4.2 Live Sets …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 42
4.3 Arrangement and Session …………………………………………………………………………… 42
4.4 Tracks ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 43
4.5 Audio and MIDI ………………………………………………………………………………………… 46
4.6 Audio Clips and Samples ……………………………………………………………………………… 46
4.7 MIDI Clips and MIDI Files …………………………………………………………………………… 48
4.8 Devices and the Mixer ………………………………………………………………………………… 49
4.9 Presets and Racks ………………………………………………………………………………………… 52
4.10 Routing ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 52
4.11 Recording New Clips …………………………………………………………………………………… 53
4.12 Automation Envelopes ………………………………………………………………………………… 54
4.13 Clip Envelopes …………………………………………………………………………………………… 55
4.14 MIDI and Key Remote ………………………………………………………………………………… 56
4.15 Saving and Exporting ………………………………………………………………………………… 57
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Managing Files and Sets 59
5.1 Working with the Browser …………………………………………………………………………… 59
5.1.1 Understanding the Browser’s Hierarchy .................................................................. 60
5.1.2 Downloading and Installing Packs in the Browser ..................................................64
5.1.3 User Folders ............................................................................................................... 67
5.1.4 Searching for Files .....................................................................................................68
5.2 Sample Files ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 72
5.2.1 The Decoding Cache .................................................................................................73
5.2.2 Analysis Files (.asd) ....................................................................................................73
5.2.3 Exporting Audio and Video ....................................................................................... 74
5.3 MIDI Files ……………………………………………………………………………………………………81
5.3.1 Exporting MIDI Files ................................................................................................. 82
5.4 Live Clips …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 82
5.5 Live Sets …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 83
5.5.1 Creating, Opening and Saving Sets .......................................................................83
5.5.2 Merging Sets ............................................................................................................. 84
5.5.3 Exporting Session Clips as New Sets ...................................................................... 86
5.5.4 Template Sets ............................................................................................................. 86
5.5.5 Viewing and Changing a Live Set’s File References ............................................... 87
5.6 Live Projects ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 88
5.6.1 Projects and Live Sets ................................................................................................ 89
5.6.2 Projects and Presets ................................................................................................... 92
5.6.3 Managing Files in a Project ...................................................................................... 92
5.7 Locating Missing Files ………………………………………………………………………………… 92
5.7.1 Manual Repair .......................................................................................................... 93
5.7.2 Automatic Repair ....................................................................................................... 93
5.8 Collecting External Files ……………………………………………………………………………… 95
5.8.1 Collect Files on Export .............................................................................................. 96
5.9 Aggregated Locating and Collecting ……………………………………………………………… 97
5.10 Finding Unused Files …………………………………………………………………………………… 97
5.11 Packing Projects into Packs …………………………………………………………………………… 98
5.12 File Management FAQs ……………………………………………………………………………… 98
5.12.1 How Do I Create a Project? .....................................................................................98
5.12.2 How Can I Save Presets Into My Current Project? ................................................. 99
5.12.3 Can I Work On Multiple Versions of a Set? ............................................................ 99
5.12.4 Where Should I Save My Live Sets? ........................................................................ 99
5.12.5 Can I Use My Own Folder Structure Within a Project Folder? .............................. 99
Arrangement View 101
6.1 Navigation ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 101
6.2 Transport …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 103
6.3 Launching the Arrangement with Locators ………………………………………………………105
6.4 Time Signature Changes ………………………………………………………………………………106
6.5 The Arrangement Loop …………………………………………………………………………………108
6.6 Moving and Resizing Clips …………………………………………………………………………… 11 0
6.7 Audio Clip Fades and Crossfades ………………………………………………………………… 11 0
6.8 Selecting Clips and Time ……………………………………………………………………………… 113
6.9 Using the Editing Grid ………………………………………………………………………………… 11 4
6.10 Using the ...Time Commands ………………………………………………………………………… 11 5
6.11 Splitting Clips ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 116
6.12 Consolidating Clips ……………………………………………………………………………………… 117
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Session View 119
7.1 Session View Clips ……………………………………………………………………………………… 11 9
7.2 Tracks and Scenes ……………………………………………………………………………………… 121
7.3 The Track Status Fields ………………………………………………………………………………… 123
7.4 Setting Up the Session View Grid …………………………………………………………………… 12 4
7.4.1 Select on Launch ......................................................................................................125
7.4.2 Removing Clip Stop Buttons ....................................................................................126
7.4.3 Editing Scenes ..........................................................................................................126
7.5 Recording Sessions into the Arrangement ………………………………………………………… 126
Clip View 131
8.1 The Clip Box ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 134
8.1.1 Clip Activator Switch ................................................................................................134
8.1.2 Clip Name and Color ............................................................................................. 13 5
8.1.3 Clip Signature .......................................................................................................... 135
8.1.4 Clip Groove Chooser ............................................................................................. 135
8.1.5 Clip Offset and Nudging ........................................................................................ 13 6
8.2 The Sample Box ………………………………………………………………………………………… 137
8.2.1 Warp Controls ..........................................................................................................137
8.2.2 Sample Loop/Region and Display ........................................................................ 138
8.2.3 Clip Pitch and Gain ................................................................................................. 144
8.2.4 Destructive Sample Editing ..................................................................................... 14 4
8.2.5 Saving Default Clip Settings with the Sample ....................................................... 145
8.2.6 High Quality Interpolation ..................................................................................... 145
8.2.7 Clip Start and End Fades ........................................................................................ 14 6
8.2.8 Clip RAM Mode ...................................................................................................... 147
8.2.9 Reversing Samples .................................................................................................. 147
8.2.10 Cropping Audio Clips ............................................................................................. 14 8
8.2.11 Replacing and Editing the Sample .........................................................................14 8
8.3 The Notes Box …………………………………………………………………………………………… 14 9
8.3.1 Transform Tools ........................................................................................................ 14 9
8.3.2 Bank and Program Change ....................................................................................15 0
8.3.3 MIDI Loop/Region ..................................................................................................151
8.4 Clip Defaults and Update Rate ……………………………………………………………………… 151
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Audio Clips, Tempo, and Warping 153
9.1 Tempo ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 15 3
9.1.1 Setting the Tempo .................................................................................................... 15 3
9.1.2 Tapping the Tempo .................................................................................................. 154
9.1.3 Nudging the Tempo ................................................................................................ 15 5
9.2 Time-Warping Samples ……………………………………………………………………………… 155
9.2.1 Tempo Master/Slave .............................................................................................. 15 6
9.2.2 Warp Markers ......................................................................................................... 157
9.2.3 Using Warp Markers .............................................................................................. 159
9.2.4 Quantizing Audio ....................................................................................................16 5
9.3 Adjusting for Good Stretching Quality …………………………………………………………… 165
9.3.1 Beats Mode ............................................................................................................. 166
9.3.2 Tones Mode ............................................................................................................. 16 7
9.3.3 Texture Mode........................................................................................................... 167
9.3.4 Re-Pitch Mode ......................................................................................................... 167
9.3.5 Complex Mode ....................................................................................................... 167
9.3.6 Complex Pro Mode ................................................................................................16 8
9.3.7 REX Mode ................................................................................................................ 16 8
Editing MIDI Notes and Velocities 171
10.1 Creating an Empty MIDI Clip ………………………………………………………………………… 171
10.2 The MIDI Editor …………………………………………………………………………………………… 172
10.3 MIDI Editor Navigation and Transport …………………………………………………………… 174
10.4 Editing MIDI ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 176
10.4.1 Non-Destructive Editing ...........................................................................................176
10.4.2 Folding and Looping ................................................................................................176
10.4.3 Grid Snapping......................................................................................................... 178
10.4.4 Editing Notes ........................................................................................................... 178
10.4.5 Changing Note Length ........................................................................................... 180
10.4.6 The ...Time Commands in the MIDI Editor ............................................................. 180
10.4.7 Quantizing Notes .................................................................................................... 180
10.4.8 Editing Velocities ......................................................................................................181
10.4.9 MIDI Note Stretch ................................................................................................... 18 4
10.4.10 Cropping MIDI Clips .............................................................................................. 185
10.4.11 Deactivating Notes ................................................................................................. 185
10.4.12 The Transform Tools ................................................................................................. 185
10.5 Multi-Clip Editing ………………………………………………………………………………………… 18 5
10.5.1 Editing in the Session View ..................................................................................... 18 6
10.5.2 Editing in the Arrangement View ............................................................................ 187
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Converting Audio to MIDI 189
11.1 Slice to New MIDI Track ……………………………………………………………………………… 18 9
11.1.1 Resequencing Slices .................................................................................................191
11.1.2 Using Effects on Slices .............................................................................................191
11.2 Convert Harmony to New MIDI Track …………………………………………………………… 19 2
11.3 Convert Melody to New MIDI Track ……………………………………………………………… 19 2
11.4 Convert Drums to New MIDI Track ………………………………………………………………… 193
11.5 Optimizing for Better Conversion Quality………………………………………………………… 193
Using Grooves 195
12.1 Groove Pool ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 196
12.1.1 Adjusting Groove Parameters ................................................................................ 197
12.1.2 Committing Grooves ............................................................................................... 19 8
12.2 Editing Grooves ………………………………………………………………………………………… 199
12.2.1 Extracting Grooves ..................................................................................................19 9
12.3 Groove Tips ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 199
12.3.1 Grooving a Single Voice ........................................................................................200
12.3.2 Non-Destructive Quantization ...............................................................................200
12.3.3 Creating Texture With Randomization ...................................................................200
Launching Clips 201
13.1 The Launch Box …………………………………………………………………………………………… 201
13.2 Launch Modes ……………………………………………………………………………………………202
13.3 Clip Launch Quantization………………………………………………………………………………203
13.4 Velocity ………………………………………………………………………………………………………203
13.5 Legato Mode ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 204
13.6 Follow Actions ……………………………………………………………………………………………205
13.6.1 Looping Parts of a Clip ...........................................................................................206
13.6.2 Creating Cycles ....................................................................................................... 207
13.6.3 Temporarily Looping Clips ...................................................................................... 207
13.6.4 Adding Variations in Sync ......................................................................................208
13.6.5 Mixing up Melodies and Beats ..............................................................................208
13.6.6 Creating Nonrepetitive Structures ..........................................................................209
Routing and I/O 211
14.1 Monitoring ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 212
14.2 External Audio In/Out ………………………………………………………………………………… 213
14.2.1 Mono/Stereo Conversions .....................................................................................214
14.3 External MIDI In/Out ………………………………………………………………………………… 214
14.3.1 The MIDI Ports List in the Preferences ......................................................................214
14.3.2 Playing MIDI With the Computer Keyboard .......................................................... 215
14.3.3 Connecting External Synthesizers ...........................................................................215
14.3.4 MIDI In/Out Indicators ...........................................................................................216
14.4 ReWire Slave Routing ………………………………………………………………………………… 217
14.5 Resampling ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 218
14.6 Internal Routings ………………………………………………………………………………………… 219
14.6.1 Internal Routing Points ............................................................................................. 220
14.6.2 Making Use of Internal Routing .............................................................................222
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Mixing 231
15.1 The Live Mixer …………………………………………………………………………………………… 231
15.1.1 Session Mixer Features ...........................................................................................234
15.2 Audio and MIDI Tracks ………………………………………………………………………………… 235
15.3 Group Tracks ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 236
15.4 Return Tracks and the Master Track …………………………………………………………………238
15.5 Using Live’s Crossfader …………………………………………………………………………………239
15.6 Soloing and Cueing …………………………………………………………………………………… 242
15.7 Track Delays ………………………………………………………………………………………………244
Recording New Clips 245
16.1 Choosing an Input ………………………………………………………………………………………245
16.2 Arming (Record-Enabling) Tracks …………………………………………………………………… 246
16.3 Recording ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 247
16.3.1 Recording Into the Arrangement ............................................................................ 247
16.3.2 Recording Into Session Slots ...................................................................................248
16.3.3 Overdub Recording MIDI Patterns ........................................................................250
16.3.4 MIDI Step Recording .............................................................................................. 251
16.4 Recording in Sync ………………………………………………………………………………………252
16.4.1 Metronome Settings ................................................................................................ 253
16.5 Recording Quantized MIDI Notes …………………………………………………………………254
16.6 Recording with Count-in ………………………………………………………………………………254
16.7 Setting up File Types ……………………………………………………………………………………255
16.8 Where are the Recorded Samples? ………………………………………………………………… 255
16.9 Using Remote Control for Recording ……………………………………………………………… 255
16.10 Capturing MIDI …………………………………………………………………………………………… 257
16.10.1 Starting a New Live Set .......................................................................................... 257
16.10.2 Adding Material to an Existing Live Set ................................................................258
9
Working with Instruments and Effects 259
17.1 Using the Live Devices ………………………………………………………………………………… 2 61
17.1.1 Live Device Presets ..................................................................................................264
17.2 Using Plug-Ins …………………………………………………………………………………………… 270
17.2.1 Plug-Ins in the Device View .....................................................................................271
17.3 VST Plug-Ins ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 275
17.3.1 The VST Plug-In Folder ............................................................................................ 275
17.3.2 VST Presets and Banks ............................................................................................277
17.4 Audio Units Plug-Ins …………………………………………………………………………………… 278
17.5 Device Delay Compensation ………………………………………………………………………… 279
Instrument, Drum and Effect Racks 281
18.1 An Overview of Racks ………………………………………………………………………………… 282
18.1.1 Signal Flow and Parallel Device Chains ...............................................................282
18.1.2 Macro Controls .......................................................................................................283
18.2 Creating Racks ……………………………………………………………………………………………283
18.3 Looking at Racks ………………………………………………………………………………………… 284
18.4 Chain List ……………………………………………………………………………………………………286
18.4.1 Auto Select ...............................................................................................................287
18.5 Zones ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 288
18.5.1 Signal Flow through Zones .....................................................................................288
18.5.2 Key Zones ................................................................................................................289
18.5.3 Velocity Zones .........................................................................................................290
18.5.4 Chain Select Zones .................................................................................................290
18.6 Drum Racks ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 292
18.6.1 Pad View .................................................................................................................. 294
18.7 Using the Macro Controls ……………………………………………………………………………296
18.8 Mixing With Racks ……………………………………………………………………………………… 297
18.8.1 Extracting Chains ....................................................................................................298
Automation and Editing Envelopes 301
19.1 Recording Automation in Arrangement View …………………………………………………… 301
19.2 Recording Automation in Session View ……………………………………………………………302
19.2.1 Session Automation Recording Modes .................................................................304
19.3 Deleting Automation ……………………………………………………………………………………304
19.4 Overriding Automation …………………………………………………………………………………304
19.5 Drawing and Editing Automation ……………………………………………………………………305
19.5.1 Drawing Envelopes .................................................................................................307
19.5.2 Editing Breakpoints ..................................................................................................308
19.5.3 Locking Envelopes ....................................................................................................310
19.5.4 Edit Menu Commands .............................................................................................310
19.5.5 Editing the Tempo Automation................................................................................. 311
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Clip Envelopes 313
20.1 The Clip Envelope Editor ……………………………………………………………………………… 313
20.2 Audio Clip Envelopes …………………………………………………………………………………… 315
20.2.1 Clip Envelopes are Non-Destructive ......................................................................315
20.2.2 Changing Pitch and Tuning per Note ..................................................................... 315
20.2.3 Muting or Attenuating Notes in a Sample .............................................................316
20.2.4 Scrambling Beats .....................................................................................................317
20.2.5 Using Clips as Templates ......................................................................................... 318
20.3 Mixer and Device Clip Envelopes ………………………………………………………………… 318
20.3.1 Modulating Mixer Volumes and Sends ..................................................................319
20.3.2 Modulating Pan ....................................................................................................... 320
20.3.3 Modulating Device Controls ..................................................................................320
20.4 MIDI Controller Clip Envelopes ……………………………………………………………………… 320
20.5 Unlinking Clip Envelopes From Clips ……………………………………………………………… 3 21
20.5.1 Programming a Fade-Out for a Live Set .................................................................3 21
20.5.2 Creating Long Loops from Short Loops .................................................................322
20.5.3 Imposing Rhythm Patterns onto Samples ...............................................................323
20.5.4 Clip Envelopes as LFOs .......................................................................................... 324
20.5.5 Warping Linked Envelopes ..................................................................................... 324
Working with Video 325
21.1 Importing Video ………………………………………………………………………………………… 325
21.2 The Appearance of Video in Live …………………………………………………………………… 326
21.2.1 Video Clips in the Arrangement View ....................................................................326
21.2.2 The Video Window ................................................................................................. 327
21.2.3 Clip View ................................................................................................................. 327
21.3 Matching Sound to Video …………………………………………………………………………… 328
21.4 Video Trimming Tricks …………………………………………………………………………………… 329
Live Audio Effect Reference 333
22.1 Amp ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 333
22.1.1 Amp Tips .................................................................................................................. 335
22.2 Auto Filter ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 336
22.3 Auto Pan …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 339
22.4 Beat Repeat ………………………………………………………………………………………………340
22.5 Cabinet ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 342
22.5.1 Cabinet Tips ............................................................................................................. 343
22.6 Chorus ………………………………………………………………………………………………………344
22.7 Compressor ………………………………………………………………………………………………345
22.7.1 Sidechain Parameters .............................................................................................349
22.7.2 Compression Tips ....................................................................................................350
22.7.3 Upgrading from Legacy Mode .............................................................................. 3 51
22.8 Corpus ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 352
22.9 Drum Buss …………………………………………………………………………………………………356
22.10 Dynamic Tube ……………………………………………………………………………………………358
22.11 Echo …………………………………………………………………………………………………………359
22.11.1 Echo Tab ..................................................................................................................360
22.11.2 Modulation Tab ....................................................................................................... 3 61
22.11.3 Character Tab .......................................................................................................... 362
22.11.4 Global Controls .......................................................................................................363
22.12 EQ Eight ……………………………………………………………………………………………………364
22.13 EQ Three …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 367
22.14 Erosion ………………………………………………………………………………………………………368
22.15 External Audio Effect ……………………………………………………………………………………369
22.16 Filter Delay ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 370
22.17 Flanger ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 372
22.18 Frequency Shifter ………………………………………………………………………………………… 373
22.18.1 Frequency Shifter Tips ............................................................................................. 375
11
22.19 Gate ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 376
22.20 Glue Compressor ………………………………………………………………………………………… 378
22.20.1 Sidechain Parameters .............................................................................................380
22.21 Grain Delay ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 3 81
22.22 Limiter ………………………………………………………………………………………………………383
22.23 Looper ………………………………………………………………………………………………………384
22.23.1 Feedback Routing ....................................................................................................389
22.24 Multiband Dynamics …………………………………………………………………………………… 389
22.24.1 Dynamics Processing Theory .................................................................................. 390
22.24.2 Interface and Controls ............................................................................................ 392
22.24.3 Sidechain Parameters .............................................................................................394
22.24.4 Multiband Dynamics Tips ....................................................................................... 394
22.25 Overdrive …………………………………………………………………………………………………396
22.26 Pedal ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 397
22.26.1 Pedal Tips and Tricks ...............................................................................................399
22.27 Phaser ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 400
22.28 Ping Pong Delay …………………………………………………………………………………………4 01
22.29 Redux ………………………………………………………………………………………………………403
22.30 Resonators …………………………………………………………………………………………………404
22.31 Reverb ………………………………………………………………………………………………………405
22.31.1 Input Processing .......................................................................................................405
22.31.2 Early Reflections ......................................................................................................406
22.31.3 Global Settings ........................................................................................................406
22.31.4 Diffusion Network ................................................................................................... 407
22.31.5 Output ......................................................................................................................407
22.32 Saturator ……………………………………………………………………………………………………408
22.33 Simple Delay ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 410
22.34 Spectrum …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4 11
22.35 Tuner ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 413
22.36 Utility ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 415
22.37 Vinyl Distortion …………………………………………………………………………………………… 417
22.38 Vocoder …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 418
22.38.1 Vocoder Tips ............................................................................................................ 420
12
Live MIDI Effect Reference 423
23.1 Arpeggiator ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 423
23.1.1 Style and Rate Sections .......................................................................................... 424
23.1.2 Transposition and Velocity Sections .......................................................................426
23.2 Chord ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 427
23.3 Note Length ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 428
23.4 Pitch ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 429
23.5 Random ……………………………………………………………………………………………………430
23.6 Scale ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4 31
23.7 Velocity ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 432
Live Instrument Reference 435
24.1 Analog ………………………………………………………………………………………………………435
24.1.1 Architecture and Interface ......................................................................................436
24.1.2 Oscillators ................................................................................................................ 437
24.1.3 Noise Generator .....................................................................................................438
24.1.4 Filters ........................................................................................................................439
24.1.5 Amplifiers ................................................................................................................. 440
24.1.6 Envelopes ................................................................................................................. 441
24.1.7 LFOs .........................................................................................................................443
24.1.8 Global Parameters ..................................................................................................444
24.2 Collision ……………………………………………………………………………………………………446
24.2.1 Architecture and Interface ......................................................................................446
24.2.2 Excitator Tab ............................................................................................................ 447
24.2.3 Resonator Tabs ........................................................................................................ 449
24.2.4 LFO Tab .................................................................................................................... 453
24.2.5 MIDI Tab .................................................................................................................. 454
24.2.6 Sound Design Tips ...................................................................................................456
24.3 Electric ………………………………………………………………………………………………………457
24.3.1 Architecture and Interface ......................................................................................458
24.3.2 Mallet Section .........................................................................................................458
24.3.3 Fork Section .............................................................................................................459
24.3.4 Damper Section .......................................................................................................459
24.3.5 Pickup Section .........................................................................................................460
24.3.6 Global Section ........................................................................................................460
24.4 External Instrument ……………………………………………………………………………………… 4 61
24.5 Impulse ………………………………………………………………………………………………………463
24.5.1 Sample Slots ............................................................................................................463
24.5.2 Start, Transpose and Stretch ...................................................................................464
24.5.3 Filter ..........................................................................................................................465
24.5.4 Saturator and Envelope ..........................................................................................465
24.5.5 Pan and Volume ......................................................................................................465
24.5.6 Global Controls .......................................................................................................465
24.5.7 Individual Outputs ...................................................................................................466
24.6 Operator ……………………………………………………………………………………………………466
24.6.1 General Overview ..................................................................................................466
24.6.2 Oscillator Section ....................................................................................................468
24.6.3 LFO Section ............................................................................................................. 471
24.6.4 Envelopes .................................................................................................................472
24.6.5 Filter Section ............................................................................................................ 4 74
13
24.6.6 Global Controls ....................................................................................................... 476
24.6.7 Glide and Spread ...................................................................................................477
24.6.8 Strategies for Saving CPU Power ..........................................................................477
24.6.9 Finally... .................................................................................................................... 478
24.6.10 The Complete Parameter List...................................................................................478
24.7 Sampler ……………………………………………………………………………………………………488
24.7.1 Getting Started with Sampler ................................................................................. 488
24.7.2 Multisampling ..........................................................................................................488
24.7.3 Title Bar Options ......................................................................................................489
24.7.4 Sampler’s Tabs......................................................................................................... 491
24.7.5 The Zone Tab ........................................................................................................... 491
24.7.6 The Sample Tab ....................................................................................................... 498
24.7.7 The Pitch/Osc Tab ................................................................................................... 505
24.7.8 The Filter/Global Tab ............................................................................................. 507
24.7.9 The Modulation Tab .................................................................................................51 0
24.7.10 The MIDI Tab ............................................................................................................ 513
24.7.11 Importing Third-Party Multisamples ........................................................................ 514
24.8 Simpler ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 514
24.8.1 Playback Modes ......................................................................................................515
24.8.2 Warp Controls ..........................................................................................................521
24.8.3 Filter .......................................................................................................................... 522
24.8.4 Envelopes .................................................................................................................524
24.8.5 LFO ........................................................................................................................... 525
24.8.6 Global Parameters ..................................................................................................526
24.8.7 Context Menu Options ........................................................................................... 527
24.8.8 Strategies for Saving CPU Power ..........................................................................528
24.9 Tension ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 529
24.9.1 Architecture and Interface ...................................................................................... 529
24.9.2 String Tab ................................................................................................................. 530
24.9.3 Filter/Global Tab .................................................................................................... 537
24.9.4 Sound Design Tips ...................................................................................................540
24.10 Wavetable ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 541
24.10.1 Wavetable Synthesis ............................................................................................... 541
24.10.2 Oscillators ................................................................................................................ 542
24.10.3 Sub Oscillator ..........................................................................................................543
24.10.4 Filters ........................................................................................................................544
24.10.5 Matrix Tab ................................................................................................................545
24.10.6 Mod Sources Tab .................................................................................................... 547
24.10.7 MIDI Tab .................................................................................................................. 550
24.10.8 Global and Unison Controls ..................................................................................550
14
Max for Live 553
25.1 Using Max for Live Devices …………………………………………………………………………… 553
25.2 Editing Max for Live Devices …………………………………………………………………………554
25.3 Max Dependencies ……………………………………………………………………………………555
25.4 Learning Max Programming …………………………………………………………………………556
Max for Live Devices 557
26.1 Max for Live Instruments ………………………………………………………………………………557
26.1.1 DS Clang .................................................................................................................557
26.1.2 DS Clap ...................................................................................................................558
26.1.3 DS Cymbal ..............................................................................................................559
26.1.4 DS FM ......................................................................................................................560
26.1.5 DS HH ...................................................................................................................... 5 61
26.1.6 DS Kick ..................................................................................................................... 562
26.1.7 DS Sampler ..............................................................................................................563
26.1.8 DS Snare ..................................................................................................................564
26.1.9 DS Tom ..................................................................................................................... 565
26.2 Max for Live Audio Effects ……………………………………………………………………………566
26.2.1 Envelope Follower ...................................................................................................566
26.2.2 LFO ...........................................................................................................................567
26.2.3 Shaper ......................................................................................................................568
26.3 Max for Live MIDI Effects ……………………………………………………………………………… 569
26.3.1 Envelope ..................................................................................................................569
26.3.2 Expression Control ................................................................................................. 571
26.3.3 Note Echo ................................................................................................................ 572
15
MIDI and Key Remote Control 573
27.1 MIDI Remote Control …………………………………………………………………………………… 573
27.1.1 Natively Supported Control Surfaces ................................................................... 5 74
27.1.2 Manual Control Surface Setup .............................................................................. 576
27.1.3 Takeover Mode ....................................................................................................... 577
27.2 The Mapping Browser ………………………………………………………………………………… 578
27.2.1 Assigning MIDI Remote Control ............................................................................. 578
27.2.2 Mapping to MIDI Notes .........................................................................................579
27.2.3 Mapping to Absolute MIDI Controllers .................................................................580
27.2.4 Mapping to Relative MIDI Controllers ..................................................................580
27.2.5 Computer Keyboard Remote Control ....................................................................583
Using Push 585
28.1 Setup …………………………………………………………………………………………………………586
28.2 Browsing and Loading Sounds ………………………………………………………………………586
28.3 Playing and Programming Beats ……………………………………………………………………588
28.3.1 Loop Selector ...........................................................................................................588
28.3.2 16 Velocities Mode .................................................................................................590
28.3.3 64-Pad Mode .........................................................................................................590
28.3.4 Loading Individual Drums ....................................................................................... 5 91
28.3.5 Step Sequencing Beats ........................................................................................... 592
28.3.6 Real-time Recording ................................................................................................ 594
28.3.7 Fixed Length Recording ..........................................................................................596
28.4 Additional Recording Options ………………………………………………………………………598
28.4.1 Recording with Repeat ............................................................................................598
28.4.2 Quantizing ...............................................................................................................599
28.5 Playing Melodies and Harmonies …………………………………………………………………600
28.5.1 Playing in Other Keys ..............................................................................................602
28.6 Step Sequencing Melodies and Harmonies ……………………………………………………604
28.6.1 Adjusting the Loop Length.......................................................................................606
28.7 Melodic Sequencer + 32 Notes ……………………………………………………………………608
28.7.1 32 Notes ..................................................................................................................608
28.7.2 Sequencer ................................................................................................................609
28.8 Navigating in Note Mode …………………………………………………………………………… 610
28.9 Controlling Live’s Instruments and Effects ………………………………………………………… 611
28.10 Mixing with Push ………………………………………………………………………………………… 612
28.11 Recording Automation ………………………………………………………………………………… 614
28.12 Step Sequencing Automation ………………………………………………………………………… 615
28.12.1 Note-Specific Parameters .......................................................................................615
28.12.2 Per-Step Automation ................................................................................................616
28.13 Controlling Live’s Session View ……………………………………………………………………… 617
28.13.1 Session Overview ....................................................................................................618
28.14 Setting User Preferences ……………………………………………………………………………… 619
28.15 Push Control Reference ………………………………………………………………………………… 622
16
Using Push 2 635
29.1 Setup …………………………………………………………………………………………………………636
29.2 Browsing and Loading Sounds ………………………………………………………………………636
29.3 Playing and Programming Beats ……………………………………………………………………640
29.3.1 Loop Selector ..........................................................................................................640
29.3.2 16 Velocities Mode ................................................................................................. 642
29.3.3 64-Pad Mode .........................................................................................................643
29.3.4 Loading Individual Drums .......................................................................................643
29.3.5 Step Sequencing Beats ...........................................................................................647
29.3.6 Real-time Recording ................................................................................................650
29.3.7 Fixed Length Recording ..........................................................................................652
29.4 Additional Recording Options ………………………………………………………………………653
29.4.1 Recording with Repeat ............................................................................................653
29.4.2 Quantizing ...............................................................................................................654
29.4.3 Arrangement Recording ..........................................................................................655
29.5 Playing Melodies and Harmonies …………………………………………………………………656
29.5.1 Playing in Other Keys ..............................................................................................658
29.6 Step Sequencing Melodies and Harmonies ……………………………………………………660
29.6.1 Adjusting the Loop Length....................................................................................... 6 61
29.7 Melodic Sequencer + 32 Notes ……………………………………………………………………663
29.7.1 32 Notes ..................................................................................................................664
29.7.2 Sequencer ................................................................................................................664
29.8 Working with Samples …………………………………………………………………………………666
29.8.1 Classic Playback Mode ..........................................................................................668
29.8.2 One-Shot Mode ...................................................................................................... 670
29.8.3 Slicing Mode ........................................................................................................... 6 71
29.9 Navigating in Note Mode …………………………………………………………………………… 674
29.10 Working With Instruments and Effects …………………………………………………………… 675
29.10.1 Adding, Deleting, and Reordering Devices ..........................................................677
29.10.2 Working with Racks ................................................................................................678
29.11 Track Control And Mixing ……………………………………………………………………………680
29.11.1 Rack and Group Track Mixing ...............................................................................683
29.12 Recording Automation …………………………………………………………………………………685
29.13 Step Sequencing Automation …………………………………………………………………………686
29.14 Clip Mode …………………………………………………………………………………………………686
29.14.1 Using MIDI Tracks in Clip Mode ...........................................................................688
29.14.2 Real-Time Playing Layouts ......................................................................................689
29.14.3 Sequencing Layouts ................................................................................................689
29.14.4 Note-Specific Parameters ...................................................................................... 691
29.15 Controlling Live’s Session View ……………………………………………………………………… 692
29.15.1 Session Overview ...................................................................................................694
29.16 Setup Menu ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 694
29.17 Push 2 Control Reference ………………………………………………………………………………697
17
Link, Synchronization, and ReWire 705
30.1 Setting up Link …………………………………………………………………………………………… 705
30.2 Using Link ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 706
30.3 Synchronizing via MIDI…………………………………………………………………………………708
30.3.1 Synchronizing External MIDI Devices to Live .......................................................708
30.3.2 Synchronizing Live to External MIDI Devices .......................................................709
30.3.3 Sync Delay................................................................................................................710
30.4 Connecting via ReWire ………………………………………………………………………………… 71 0
30.4.1 Running Live in ReWire Master Mode ....................................................................711
30.4.2 Running Live in ReWire Slave Mode ...................................................................... 711
30.4.3 More on ReWire ......................................................................................................712
Computer Audio Resources and Strategies 713
31.1 Managing the CPU Load ……………………………………………………………………………… 713
31.1.1 CPU Load from Multichannel Audio .......................................................................714
31.1.2 CPU Load from Tracks and Devices ........................................................................ 714
31.1.3 Track Freeze ..............................................................................................................715
31.2 Managing the Disk Load ……………………………………………………………………………… 717
Audio Fact Sheet 719
32.1 Testing and Methodology …………………………………………………………………………… 719
32.2 Neutral Operations ……………………………………………………………………………………… 719
32.2.1 Undithered Rendering .............................................................................................720
32.2.2 Matching sample rate/no transposition.................................................................721
32.2.3 Unstretched Beats/Tones/Texture/Re-Pitch Warping ..........................................721
32.2.4 Summing at Single Mix Points .................................................................................721
32.2.5 Recording external signals (bit depth >/= A/D converter) ................................. 722
32.2.6 Recording internal sources at 32 bit ......................................................................722
32.2.7 Freeze, Flatten ......................................................................................................... 722
32.2.8 Bypassed Effects ...................................................................................................... 723
32.2.9 Routing .....................................................................................................................723
32.2.10 Splitting Clips ........................................................................................................... 724
32.3 Non-Neutral Operations ……………………………………………………………………………… 724
32.3.1 Playback in Complex and Complex Pro Mode ....................................................724
32.3.2 Sample rate conversion/transposition ..................................................................725
32.3.3 Volume Automation ................................................................................................. 725
32.3.4 Dithering ...................................................................................................................725
32.3.5 Recording external signals (bit depth < A/D converter)......................................726
32.3.6 Recording internal sources below 32 bit ............................................................... 726
32.3.7 Consolidate .............................................................................................................726
32.3.8 Clip fades .................................................................................................................726
32.3.9 Panning .................................................................................................................... 727
32.3.10 Grooves ................................................................................................................... 727
32.4 Tips for Achieving Optimal Sound Quality in Live ……………………………………………… 727
32.5 Summary and Conclusions …………………………………………………………………………… 728
18
MIDI Fact Sheet 729
33.1 Ideal MIDI Behavior …………………………………………………………………………………… 729
33.2 MIDI Timing Problems ………………………………………………………………………………… 73 0
33.3 Live’s MIDI Solutions ……………………………………………………………………………………730
33.4 Variables Outside of Live’s Control ………………………………………………………………… 731
33.5 Tips for Achieving Optimal MIDI Performance ………………………………………………… 734
33.6 Summary and Conclusions …………………………………………………………………………… 735
Live Keyboard Shortcuts 737
34.1 Showing and Hiding Views …………………………………………………………………………… 737
34.2 Accessing Menus ………………………………………………………………………………………… 738
34.3 Adjusting Values …………………………………………………………………………………………738
34.4 Browsing …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 738
34.5 Transport …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 739
34.6 Editing ………………………………………………………………………………………………………739
34.7 Loop Brace and Start/End Markers ……………………………………………………………… 74 0
34.8 Session View Commands ……………………………………………………………………………… 741
34.9 Arrangement View Commands ……………………………………………………………………… 741
34.10 Commands for Tracks …………………………………………………………………………………… 742
34.11 Commands for Breakpoint Envelopes ……………………………………………………………… 74 3
34.12 Key/MIDI Map Mode and the Computer MIDI Keyboard ………………………………… 743
34.13 Zooming, Display and Selections …………………………………………………………………… 74 3
34.14 Clip View Sample Display …………………………………………………………………………… 74 4
34.15 Clip View MIDI Editor ………………………………………………………………………………… 74 4
34.16 Grid Snapping and Drawing ………………………………………………………………………… 745
34.17 Global Quantization …………………………………………………………………………………… 74 5
34.18 Working with Sets and the Program ……………………………………………………………… 74 6
34.19 Working with Plug-Ins and Devices ………………………………………………………………… 74 6
34.20 Using the Context Menu ……………………………………………………………………………… 746
19
Index 748
20
Chapter 1

Welcome to Live

1.1 The Ableton Team Says: Thank You

Live is the result of musicians wanting a better way to create, produce and perform music us­ing a computer. A great deal of effort has been put into making Live easy and fun to use, yet at the same time capable of helping you create music with unlimited depth and sophistication. This effort continues even as you read these lines... in fact, a new, improved Live version might already be available for download! Please check on our website now1, or choose the Check for Updates command from the Help menu.
21 Welcome to Live
We hope you enjoy using Live and that it enhances your creative process.
Your Ableton Team.

1.2 What’s New in Live 10?

1.2.1 Device Additions and Improvements

•Wavetable (page 541) is a new dual-oscillator wavetable synthesizer that’s both easy to program and deeply powerful.
•Echo (page 359) is a new and highly-flexible delay effect with lots of modulation possi­bilities. It’s capable of a wide range of sounds from classic analog-style delays to modern, digital approaches.
1 http://www.ableton.com/downloads
•Drum Buss (page 356) is a new effect that brings analog-style character, body, and glue to drum tracks. Drum Buss combines a range of commonly used drum processing tools into a single device:
•Pedal (page 397) is a new effect, inspired by three classic guitar distortion pedals. Pedal is capable of a range of distortion sounds from warm overdrive to aggressive distortion to heavy and broken fuzz tones.
•Ut i lit y’s (page 415) Gain control can now be adjusted from -infinity dB to +35 dB. The Left/Right Phase buttons now invert the signal at Utility’s input rather than at its output. A Bass Mono section allows you to convert frequencies below an adjustable point to mono, with an adjustable crossover control.
•EQ Eight (page 364) can now boost or cut frequencies down to 10 Hz.

1.2.2 Capture

Capture (page 257) introduces a new way of (not) thinking about MIDI recording.
22 Welcome to Live
Now, Live is always listening to MIDI input on armed or input-monitored tracks. Press the Cap­ture button after you’ve played to create a clip containing your music. Live will automatically try to find the tempo and set appropriate loop boundaries.
With Capture, you never have to worry about losing your experiments and improvisations because you forgot to start recording. You can always capture what you’ve just played, after you’ve played it.

1.2.3 Multi-Clip Editing

Up to eight MIDI clips can be viewed simultaneously in the Detail View.
Within the multi-clip view (page 185), clicking a clip’s notes or its loop bar selects this clip for editing.
If multiple clips of different lengths are selected, the editor will show as many loop iterations as are necessary for the clips to realign.

1.2.4 Nested Group Tracks

Group Tracks (page 236) can now be created or moved within other Group Tracks. There is no limit to the number of nested Group Tracks.

1.2.5 Arrangement Editing Improvements

•Holding [CTRL](PC) / [CMD](Mac) while scrolling will zoom to the mouse pointer’s posi­tion. Holding [ALT] while scrolling will zoom the amplitude or pitch of the selected tracks.
•All Arrangement clips within a time selection can be moved using the left and right arrow keys. Hold [ALT](PC) / [CMD](Mac) while scrolling to temporarily toggle the grid on or off.
•[CTRL][Shift](PC) / [ALT][Shift](Mac)-dragging within an Arrangement clip will slide the material within the clip without moving the clip itself. Hold [ALT](PC) / [CMD](Mac) while dragging to temporarily toggle the grid on or off.
•Holding [Shift] while dragging the edge of a warped audio clip in the Arrangement will stretch the audio.
23 Welcome to Live
•Arrangement clips can be moved by dragging the upper half of the clip. Dragging in the lower half will select time.
•It’s now possible to activate, deactivate, or reverse a selected range of time. If the time selection includes only a portion of a clip or multiple clips, Live will split the clips as neces­sary, then perform the action on the split clips.
•Live now plays back MIDI notes in the Arrangement even if playback is started at a posi­tion after the beginning of the notes. This behavior can be toggled off or on via the Chase MIDI Notes command in the Options menu.
•Double-clicking in a MIDI track in the Arrangement will create a new clip. The clip will be the length of the Arrangement’s grid resolution.
•When editing in the Arrangement or Detail View, Follow is now paused rather than dis­abled. Follow will resume when scrubbing or restarting playback.
•[CTRL][L](PC) / [CMD][L](Mac) will now toggle the Arrangement loop on or off.
•Audio or MIDI files can be imported via an “Import...” command in the Create menu. The
file will be inserted at the Insert Marker position in the Arrangement View or in the selected clip slot in the Session View.
•The Lock Envelopes switch (page 310) can be MIDI or key mapped.

1.2.6 Automation Improvements

•Clip fades are now always available directly on the clip if the track is tall enough.
•In the Arrangement, all automation lanes are shown or hidden via the Automation Mode button or the [A] key. When automation lanes are visible, the content lanes are minimized to the height of the clip headers.
•It is possible to Split or Consolidate clips in a time selection within an automation lane.
•Introduced fade edge handles in the Arrangement View, which allow users to change the duration of a fade in (via the Fade In Start Handle) and fade out (via the Fade Out End Handle) without affecting the fade peaks. However, a fade edge cannot move beyond the fade peak. To do this, the clip start/end must be used to increase the size of the clip.
24 Welcome to Live
•Breakpoints now snap to the grid (or to existing breakpoints) when moved horizontally.
•Breakpoint values can now be adjusted vertically without moving the breakpoints in time.
•Automation segments can be moved horizontally.
•It is now possible to create an automation breakpoint by double-clicking anywhere in an envelope view/automation lane. In the Arrangement View, this means that MIDI clips can only be created by double-clicking in the content lane.
•Automation values are now displayed when hovering over or dragging breakpoints or automation segments.
•The [Shift] modifier is no longer required for moving automation segments past existing breakpoints.

1.2.7 Navigation Improvements

•In Arrangement View, Detail View, Simpler and Sampler, holding [CTRL](PC) / [CMD]
(Mac) while scrolling will zoom to the mouse pointer’s position.
•The Detail View now zooms to show the selected time within an Arrangement clip.
•Pressing [Z] will zoom to the time selection in the Arrangement and Detail Views. Press [Shift][Z] to zoom back out.
•On U.S. keyboards, it is now possible to zoom by pressing [+] without holding [Shift].
•Audio effects can now be dragged to the Master track’s Scene Launch area.
•Dragging clips from existing tracks to the clip/device drop area creates a new track with those clips, and also the devices from the original tracks.
•Dragging frozen clips and tails to the clip/device drop area in the Arrangement View cre­ates new frozen tracks (which also contain the devices from the original track).
•Holding [Shift] while scrolling will scroll horizontally on both Mac and Windows (this pre­viously only worked on Macs).
25 Welcome to Live
•The Show All Tracks command in the View and context menus in the Arrangement View minimizes all tracks, allowing you to see as many as possible on your screen.

1.2.8 Mixing Improvements

A number of small improvements make mixing easier:
•A [right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) command can switch each track’s Pan control to a Split Stereo Pan control. In Split Stereo mode, you can adjust the stereo position of the left and right channels independently.
•Double-clicking on a knob or slider will reset it to its default value.
•Individual Drum Rack pads can now be routed to one of the Drum Rack’s internal return chains.

1.2.9 Browser Improvements

•A new Collections section (page 60) of the browser allows you to tag browser items
with up to seven colors. Each color can also be given a custom name. Searching or brows­ing within a Collection will then show only items with that tag applied.
•Uninstalled Packs or Packs with available updates can be installed directly from the brows­er.
•Group Tracks (including nested Group Tracks) now appear when unfolding Sets in the browser, and can be dragged into the current Set.

1.2.10 Setup Improvements

•It is now possible to provide custom names for input and output channels via the Input/ Output Config buttons in the Audio preferences. These names then appear in all Input/ Output choosers.
•It is now possible to choose between different metronome sounds via the Metronome’s pull-down and context menus.
26 Welcome to Live
•The Metronome can be set to click at various note divisions via its pull-down and context menus. The default Auto setting follows the time signature’s denominator. Note divisions that don’t fit into one bar of the current time signature will be disabled.
•When Enable Only While Recording is enabled in the Metronome’s pull-down and context menus, the Metronome will only be audible while recording. The Enable Only While Re­cording setting is not saved and must be enabled every time Live is started.
•The Computer MIDI Keyboard is now off by default, and can be toggled on and off with the [M] key.
•Context menu items now react when the mouse is released, instead of after the initial mouse click. This makes it possible to drag away from a selection to cancel triggering an item, while keeping the context menu open. When hovering over disabled context menu items, they are no longer highlighted.

1.2.11 Interface Improvements

•Updated the appearance of clips.
•Enabled sample dots on waveforms. When zooming in, it’s easier to see where samples
are on the Beat Time Ruler.
•MIDI notes are now drawn in their clip’s color in the Note Editor.
•Added an Assign Track Color to Clips menu item to the context menu of track headers. The command applies the track color only to clips in the currently active view (Session or Ar­rangement).
•Incorporated a new font throughout the interface.
•Live’s dials and sliders now look sharp at any zoom level.
•Introduced a set of five new Themes (page 32) in place of the previously available Live “Skins”.
•The clip/device drop area is now always displayed in Session View to enable dragging.
•Added Pen Tablet Mode to Live’s Look/Feel Preferences. Pen Tablet Mode allows graphic tablets and touch screens to control Live. This replaces the “AbsoluteMouseMode” options. txt entry.
27 Welcome to Live
•Live now supports HiDPI monitors on Windows 10.

1.2.12 File Handling Improvements

•The Undo history is no longer cleared when saving a Live Set.
•The Export Audio/Video dialog now shows toggles for Encode PCM and Encode MP3. When Encode PCM is on, a lossless audio file is created. In addition to WAV and AIFF, FLAC formats are available for PCM export. When Encode MP3 is on, a CBR 320 kbps MP3 file is created. It is possible to export PCM and MP3 simultaneously. If neither toggle is enabled, the Export button will be disabled.
•Saving a Set creates a Backup folder within the Project. This folder contains the 10 most recently saved versions of the Set.
•Recorded audio files now include a timestamp in the filename.
•Live Sets now load samples faster, which may reducing the loading time of some Sets.
•Large Live Sets can now be closed 5-10 times faster.
Numerous changes for Windows 10:
•Live now supports the Jump List.
•When using Live 9 and 10 in parallel, they no longer ask for admin rights if you start them interchangeably.
•Owners of both Live 9 and 10 can choose which version of Live to open a Live Set with, by using the [right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) command on that Set and selecting “Open Wit h”.
•It is now possible to associate .als files with a specific Live version, via “Control Panel” ­“Apps” - “Default Apps”.

1.2.13 Max for Live Updates

28 Welcome to Live
•Max for Live is now bundled with the Live installation and is loaded whenever Live is started.
•Max for Live devices can now support multiple audio inputs and outputs, and routing is available via the Live API.

1.2.14 Push Device Visualizations

•Compressor’s Gain Reduction view and Sidechain controls are now available on Push 2.
•EQ Eight’s filters and spectrum are now visible on Push 2’s display.
•Operator’s envelopes are now displayed graphically on Push 2’s display.

1.2.15 Push Note Layouts

•Melodic Sequencer + 32 Notes is a new note layout on Push 1 (page 608) and Push 2
(page 663) that uses the bottom 32 pads for notes and the top 32 as a step sequencer.
Pressing notes selects them for sequencing. This mode allows for real-time playing and step
sequencing at the same time. Holding Note (Push 1) or Layout (Push 2) temporarily shows the loop length controls in the fifth row of pads.
•When using the Loop Selector layout in Drum Racks and Simpler’s Slicing Mode, holding Note (Push 1) or Layout (Push 2) momentarily toggles the 16 Velocities layout.
•When using the 64-pad layout, holding Note (Push 1) or Layout (Push 2) momentarily shows the loop length controls in the top row of pads.
•Holding Shift while pressing Note (Push 1) or holding Shift while pressing Layout (Push 2) now locks the alternate layout on. Pressing Note (Push 1) or Layout (Push 2) again returns to the original layout.
•Layouts are now remembered per track.
•Holding Duplicate and tapping a loop length pad copies the contents of that page and allows you to paste it to another page by tapping the corresponding loop length pad.
•Holding Delete and tapping a loop length pad deletes the content of that page.
29 Welcome to Live

1.2.16 Push MIDI Clip Mode

•When using MIDI tracks in Clip Mode (page 688), Push 2’s display shows the notes within the selected MIDI clip.
•MIDI clips can be cropped from Push 2.

1.2.17 Additional Push Improvements

•Control Surfaces, including Push 1 and 2, are now available when Live runs as a ReWire slave.
•The Repeat button’s state is now remembered for each track.
•Added Split Stereo Pan Mode to Push 1 and 2. When Split Stereo Pan Mode is active while in Global Mix Mode, the current pan value is displayed but the pan dial is inactive. In Track Mix Mode, either the pan dial or stereo pan sliders are shown, depending on the active pan mode.
•It is now possible to convert audio to MIDI from Push 2, via the Convert button.
•The Collections folder for color labels is now a root level entry in the Push 2 browser.
•Nested chains can now be displayed, folded, and unfolded on Push 2.
•On Push 2, holding a track’s selection button arms the track.
30 Welcome to Live
Chapter 2

First Steps

2.1 Learn About Live

Live comes with a set of interactive lessons to take you step by step through the key features of the program. The lessons are organized in a table of contents, which can be opened directly in the program via the Help menu. We highly recommend following the lessons. Many users have told us that the lessons helped them become familiar with the program very quickly.
31 First Steps
We also recommend that you read the Live Concepts chapter (page 41), which encapsulates everything that Live is and can do, and is therefore a worthwhile read for both beginners and experienced users. The remaining chapters of this manual serve as in-depth reference for the material introduced in Live Concepts.

2.1.1 Using the Info View and Index

Live’s Info View tells you the name and function of whatever you place the mouse over. For cer­tain items, you can create your own text and it will appear in this window.
The Info View and its Show/Hide Button.
If you require more information on a specific user interface element or topic, please consult this reference manual. The index, found at the end of the manual, contains the names of all user in­terface elements and will lead you to the relevant section.
32 First Steps

2.2 Setting up Preferences

Live’s Preferences window is where you can find various settings that determine how Live looks, behaves and interfaces with the outside world. This window is accessed from the Preferences command, which in Windows is available in the Options menu and in OS X is available in the Live menu. Preferences can also be accessed with the [CTRL][,](PC) / [CMD][,](Mac) shortcut.
Live’s Preferences are distributed over several tabs:
•In the Look/Feel tab, you can modify various settings, including the language used for text display and the color scheme, or “Theme,“ for the Live user interface. This is also where you can adjust the size of objects displayed on the screen: the Zoom Display slider allows you to zoom Live’s screen to any percentage between 50% and 200% of the standard interface size.
•The Audio Preferences are used to set up Live’s audio connections with the outside world via an audio interface. Please take the time to follow the program’s built-in “Setting up Au­dio I/O“ lesson, which will walk you through all the steps required to set up and optimize the settings for any given system. To access the lesson, use the Help View command from
the Help menu.
•The Link/MIDI Preferences are used to help Live recognize external devices for three sepa­rate and distinct purposes:
―Playing MIDI notes. To learn how to route an external device into Live for MIDI input,
or how to send MIDI to an external device, please see the Routing and I/O chapter
(page 214).
―Controlling parts of the interface remotely. This subject is covered in detail in the
MIDI and Key Remote Control chapter (page 573).
―Syncing the program with external devices, either via Ableton Link or via MIDI.
Please see the Link, Synchronization, and ReWire chapter (page 705) for details.
•The File/Folder Preferences pertain to Live’s file management (page 59) and the loca­tion of plug-in devices (page 270).
•The Library Preferences allow you to specify a default location for various types of in­stalled files, including Packs and your User Library, as well as whether or not samples and other files are self-contained when saving Sets (page 96).
33 First Steps
•The Record/Warp/Launch Preferences allow customizing the default state for new Live Sets (page 83) and their components (page 131), as well as selecting options for new recordings (page 245).
•The Licenses/Maintenance Preferences are used to manage licensing and installation of the Live platform (page 37).

2.3 The Main Live Screen

Most of your work in Live happens in the main Live screen. This screen consists of a number of views, and each view manages a specific aspect of your Live Set, which is the type of document that you create and work on in Live. If you have multiple monitors (or even one very large moni­tor), you can open a second window to display all of Live’s views at the same time.
Each one of the selector buttons at the screen borders calls up a specific view; clicking this one, for instance, opens and closes Live’s browser:
The Browser Selector.
You can run Live in Full Screen Mode by selecting the Full Screen command from the View menu. Full Screen Mode can also be toggled by pressing [F11](PC) / [CTRL][CMD][F](Mac). On Win­dows and versions of OS X prior to 10.9, you can leave Full Screen mode by clicking a button that appears in the lower right corner of the screen.
34 First Steps
Turn Full Screen Off (Windows and OS X 10.8 or older).
When using OS X version 10.9 or higher, Live uses the operating system’s native full screen con­trols. You can turn Full Screen Mode on by clicking the arrows in the top right corner.
Turn Full Screen On (OS X 10.9 or higher).
When in Full Screen Mode on OS X version 10.9 or higher, Live’s menus will appear when mov­ing your mouse pointer to the top of the screen. You can turn Full Screen Mode off by clicking the arrows on the right side of the menu bar.
Enabling the Second Window option via [CTRL][Shift][W](PC) / [CMD][Shift][W](Mac) or in the View menu opens a second window that will display an alternate collection of Live’s views.
If Live’s browser is open, you can adjust the main window’s horizontal split by dragging.
Adjusting the Main Window Split.
35 First Steps
36 First Steps
Chapter 3

Authorizing Live

Live is protected against illegal use by a copy protection scheme. This scheme has been de­signed to meet the highest security standards while avoiding hassles for our customers. If you find this procedure to be an inconvenience, please understand that the copy protection secures your investment: It allows Ableton to provide you with support and to continue developing Live.
Please be aware that the standard Live license grants you the right to use Live on only one com­puter at a time. You can, however, authorize Live more than once under the legal and technical conditions described later (page 37).
37 Authorizing Live
The first time you run Live, you will be prompted to complete the authorization process. The soft­ware will walk you through the steps.
If the computer that you wish to authorize is connected to the internet, you can authorize imme­diately by pressing the appropriate button in the dialog box. If you do not have an internet con­nection, press the “No internet on this computer“ button and follow the instructions.

3.1 Copy Protection FAQs

3.1.1 Can I Use Live or Other Ableton Products Without a Serial Number?

If you do not (yet) own Live or its add-on products, you can still try them out, but saving and exporting will be disabled.
If trying Live or another product raises your interest in purchasing it, please visit the Ableton web­shop2. This site contains information about Ableton’s distributor and dealer network. It also offers you the opportunity to buy Ableton products online.

3.1.2 What if I Change My Computer’s Components?

If you change your computer components for some reason, Live may indeed ask you to autho­rize the software another time. Live does not need to be reauthorized when computer peripher­als are replaced (audio or MIDI hardware, printers, modems). But you may need to authorize again if the motherboard, processor or network card is replaced. On some computers, reformat­ting a hard drive will require a new authorization.

3.1.3 Can I Authorize Live More than Once?

The standard Live license allows you to use Live on only one computer at a time. However, the Ableton server will provide you with two authorizations in good faith that you will use Live on only one machine at a time.
38 Authorizing Live
You can therefore run Live on both a studio desktop computer and a tour laptop, but not at the same time.
Should the Ableton server reject your demand for another authorization, please contact Able­ton’s technical support3.
To use Live on more than one computer at a time, you may require a secondary license or a site license. Ableton offers these licenses at special rates.

3.1.4 Can I Play my Set from a Computer That Is Not Authorized?

Even if Live is not authorized, you can still load and perform a Live Set with no time limitation. You cannot, however, save or export your work. When you go on tour, consider taking along your Live USB installer and a backup of the last state of your Live Set(s). In case of an emergen­cy, you can install and run Live on any computer available and play your backup Live Set(s).
2 http://www.ableton.com/shop 3 http://www.ableton.com/help

3.1.5 What Do I Do About Problems or Questions Regarding Copy Protection?

Please visit Ableton’s technical support page.
39 Authorizing Live
40 Authorizing Live
Chapter 4

Live Concepts

This chapter introduces the essential concepts of Live. We advise you to read this chapter early in your Live career, as a solid understanding of the program’s basic principles will help you fully exploit Live’s potential for your music-making.

4.1 The Browser

Live’s browser (page 59) is the place where you interact with your library of musical assets: the core library of sounds that are installed with the program, any additional sounds you’ve installed via Ableton Packs, presets and samples you’ve saved, your Ableton and third-party devices, and any folders that you’ve added manually.
41 Live Concepts
Live’s Browser.

4.2 Live Sets

The type of document that you create and work on in Live is called a Live Set (page 83). Live Sets reside in a Live Project — a folder that collects related materials — and can be opened ei­ther through the File menu’s Open command or via Live’s browser.
A Live Set in the Browser.
42 Live Concepts

4.3 Arrangement and Session

The basic musical building blocks of Live are called clips. A clip is a piece of musical material: a melody, a drum pattern, a bassline or a complete song. Live allows you to record and alter clips, and to create larger musical structures from them: songs, scores, remixes, DJ sets or stage shows.
A Live Set consists of two environments that can hold clips: The Arrangement is a layout of clips along a musical timeline; the Session is a real-time-oriented “launching base” for clips. Every Session clip has its own play button that allows launching the clip at any time and in any order. Each clip’s behavior upon launch can be precisely specified through a number of settings (page
201).
Clips in the Session View (Left) and in the Arrangement View (Right).
The Arrangement is accessed via the Arrangement View (page 101) and the Session via the Session View (page 119). If you’re using Live in a single window, you can toggle between the
two views using the computer’s [Tab] key or their respective selectors. If you’re using two win­dows, pressing [Tab] will swap the Session and Arrangement from one window to the other.
Because the two views have distinct applications, they each hold individual collections of clips. However, it is important to understand that toggling or swapping the views simply changes the appearance of the Live Set and does not switch modes, alter what you hear or change what is stored.
The Arrangement and Session View Selectors.
The Arrangement View and the Session View interact in useful ways. One can, for instance, im­provise with Session clips and record a log of the improvisation (page 126) into the Arrange- ment for further refinement. This works because Arrangement and Session are connected via tracks.
43 Live Concepts

4.4 Tracks

Tracks host clips and also manage the flow of signals, as well as the creation of new clips through recording, sound synthesis, effects processing and mixing.
A Track in the Arrangement View.
The Session and Arrangement share the same set of tracks. In the Session View, the tracks are laid out in columns, while in the Arrangement View they are stacked vertically, with time moving from left to right. A simple rule governs the cohabitation of clips in a track:
A track can only play one clip at a time.
Therefore, one usually puts clips that should play alternatively in the same Session View column, and spreads out clips that should play together across tracks in rows, or what we call scenes
(page 121).
A Scene in the Session View.
At any one time, a track can be playing either a Session clip or an Arrangement clip, but never both. So, who wins? When a Session clip is launched, the respective track stops whatever it is doing to play that clip. In particular, if the track was playing an Arrangement clip, it will stop it in favor of the Session clip — even as the other tracks continue to play what is in the Arrangement. The track will not resume Arrangement playback until explicitly told to do so.
44 Live Concepts
This is what the Back to Arrangement button is for, which is found in the Master Track in the Ses­sion View and at the top-right of the scrub area in the Arrangement View. This button lights up to indicate that one or more tracks are currently not playing the Arrangement, but are playing a clip from the Session instead.
The Back to Arrangement Button in the Session View.
The Back to Arrangement Button in the Arrangement View.
45 Live Concepts
We can click this button to make all tracks go back to playing the Arrangement. Each track in the Arrangement View also has its own Back to Arrangement button, allowing you to resume Ar­rangement playback of only certain tracks.
A Single Track’s Back to Arrangement Button.
We can also capture the current state into the Arrangement by activating the Arrangement Re­cord button. Disengaging Record Mode or stopping Live using the Stop button leaves us with an
altered Arrangement.

4.5 Audio and MIDI

Clips represent recorded signals. Live deals with two types of signals: audio and MIDI. In the digital world, an audio signal is a series of numbers that approximates a continuous signal as generated by a microphone or delivered to a loudspeaker. A MIDI signal is a sequence of com­mands, such as “now play a C4 at mezzo piano.“ MIDI is a symbolic representation of musical material, one that is closer to a written score than to an audio recording. MIDI signals are gen­erated by input devices such as MIDI or USB keyboards
It takes an instrument (page 259) to convert MIDI signals into audio signals that can actually be heard. Some instruments, such as Live’s Simpler (page 514), are for chromatic playing of one sound via the keyboard. Other instruments, such as Live’s Impulse (page 463), have a dif- ferent percussion sound assigned to each keyboard key.
Audio signals are recorded and played back using audio tracks, and MIDI signals are recorded and played back using MIDI tracks. The two track types have their own corresponding clip types. Audio clips cannot live on MIDI tracks and vice versa.
4
.
46 Live Concepts
Information about inserting, reordering and deleting audio and MIDI tracks is found here (page
235).

4.6 Audio Clips and Samples

An audio clip contains a reference to a sample (also known as a “sound file“ or “audio file“) or a compressed sample (such as an MP3 file). The clip tells Live where on the computer’s drives to find the sample, what part of the sample to play and how to play it.
When a sample is dragged in from Live’s built-in browser, Live automatically creates a clip to play that sample. Prior to dragging in a sample, one can audition or preview it directly in the browser; the switch in the browser with the headphone icon activates previewing.
4 For an introduction to MIDI and digital audio, please see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Midi and http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_audio.
Samples Are Dragged in from Live’s Browser.
Live offers many options for playing samples in exciting new ways, allowing you to create an abundance of new sounds without actually changing the original sample — all the changes are computed in real time, while the sample is played. The respective settings are made in the Clip View (page 131), which appears on screen when a clip is double-clicked.
47 Live Concepts
An Audio Clip’s Properties as Displayed in the Clip View.
Many powerful manipulations arise from Live’s warping capabilities (page 155). Warping means changing the speed of sample playback independently from the pitch so as to match the song tempo. The tempo can be adjusted on the fly in the Control Bar’s Tempo field.
The Control Bar’s Tempo Field.
The most elementary use of this technique, and one that usually requires no manual setup, is synchronizing sample loops to the chosen tempo. Live’s Auto-Warp algorithm actually makes it easy to line up any sample with the song tempo, such as a recording of a drunken jazz band’s
performance. It is also possible to radically change the sonic signature of a sound using extreme warp settings.

4.7 MIDI Clips and MIDI Files

A MIDI clip contains musical material in the form of MIDI notes and controller envelopes. When MIDI is imported from a MIDI file (page 81), the data gets incorporated into the Live Set, and the original file is not referenced thereafter. In Live’s browser, a MIDI file appears with a special icon, and with the .mid file extension.
48 Live Concepts
MIDI Files Are Dragged in from Live’s Browsers.
As you’d expect, a MIDI clip’s contents can be accessed and edited (page 171) via the Clip View, for instance to change a melody or “paint“ a drum pattern.
A MIDI Clip’s Properties as Displayed in the Clip View.

4.8 Devices and the Mixer

A track can have not only clips but also a chain of devices (page 259) for processing signals. Double-clicking a track’s title bar brings up the Device View, which shows the track’s device chain.
The Device View Displaying a MIDI Track’s Device Chain.
49 Live Concepts
Live’s built-in audio effects (page 333), MIDI effects (page 423) and instruments (page
435) are available from the browser and can be added to tracks by dragging them from there
into the Device View, or into a Session or Arrangement track.
Live’s Built-in Devices Are Available from the Browser.
You can also use plug-in devices (page 270) in Live. VST and Audio Units (Mac OS X only) Plug-ins are available from the browser’s Plug-Ins label.
Plug-In Devices Are Available from the Browser’s Plug-Ins Label.
Consider an audio clip playing in an audio track. The audio signal from the clip reaches the left­most device in the chain. This device processes (changes) the signal and feeds the result into the next device, and so on. The number of devices per track is theoretically unlimited. In practice, the computer’s processor speed imposes a limit on the number of devices you can use at the same time, a topic that deserves separate discussion (page 713). Note that the signal connections between audio devices are always stereo, but the software’s inputs and outputs can be config­ured to be mono in the Audio Preferences.
50 Live Concepts
When the signal has passed through the device chain, it ends up in Live’s mixer (page 231). As the Session and Arrangement share the same set of tracks, they also share the mixer. The mixer can be shown in both views for convenience. To optimize the screen layout, the individual mixer sections can be shown or hidden using the View menu’s entries.
The Live Mixer in the Arrangement View (Left) and Session View (Right).
The mixer has controls for volume, pan position and sends, which adjust the contribution each track makes to the input of any return tracks. Return tracks only host effects, and not clips. Via their sends, all tracks can feed a part of their signal into a return track and share its effects.
The mixer also includes a crossfader (page 239), which can create smooth transitions between clips playing on different tracks. Live’s crossfader works like a typical DJ mixer crossfader, ex­cept that it allows crossfading not only two but any number of tracks — including the returns.
Live’s Crossfader.
Devices that receive and deliver audio signals are called audio effects. Audio effects are the only type of device that fit in an audio track or a return track. However, two more types of de­vices are available for use in MIDI tracks: MIDI effects and instruments.
Consider a MIDI track playing a clip. The MIDI signal from the clip is fed into the track’s device chain. There, it is first processed by any number of MIDI effects. A MIDI effect receives and delivers MIDI signals. One example is the Scale effect, which maps the incoming notes onto a user-defined musical scale. The last MIDI effect in the chain is followed by an instrument. Instru­ments, for instance Live’s Simpler and Impulse, receive MIDI and deliver audio. Following the instrument, there can be any number of audio effects — as in an audio track.
51 Live Concepts
A MIDI Effect, an Instrument and an Audio Effect in a MIDI Track.
If a MIDI track has no instrument (and no audio effects), then the track’s output is a plain MIDI signal, which has to be sent somewhere else to be converted into audio. In this case, the track’s mix and Send controls disappear from the mixer.
The Mixer for a MIDI Track without an Instrument.

4.9 Presets and Racks

Every Live device can store and retrieve particular sets of parameter values as presets (page
264). As presets are stored independently from Live Sets, new presets become part of your
user library that any project can draw from.
52 Live Concepts
Live’s Instrument, Drum and Effect Racks (page 281) allow saving combinations of devices and their settings as a single preset. This feature allows for the creation of powerful multi-device creations and effectively adds all the capabilities of Live’s MIDI and audio effects to the built-in instruments.

4.10 Routing

As we have seen, all tracks deliver signals, either audio or MIDI. Where do these signals go? This is set up in the mixer’s In/Out section, which offers, for every track, choosers to select a signal source and destination. The In/Out section, accessible through the View menu’s In/Out option, is Live’s “patchbay.“ Its routing options (page 211) enable valuable creative and tech- nical methods such as resampling, submixing, layering of synths, complex effects setups and more.
Track Routing Is Set up Using the In/Out Section in the Arrangement (Left) or Session View (Right).
Signals from the tracks can be sent to the outside world via the computer’s audio and MIDI inter­faces, to other programs that are connected to Live via ReWire (page 710) or to other tracks or devices within Live. Tracks can also be combined into a Group Track (page 236) which serves as a submixer for the selected tracks.
Likewise, a track can be set up to receive an input signal to be played through the track’s de­vices. Again, tracks can receive their input from the outside, from a ReWire program or from another track or device in Live. The Monitor controls regulate the conditions under which the input signal is heard through the track.
53 Live Concepts
It is also possible to route signals to external hardware devices from within a track’s device chain, by using the External Audio Effect (page 369) and External Instrument (page 461) devices. (Note: these devices are not available in the Lite or Intro Editions.)

4.11 Recording New Clips

Audio tracks and MIDI tracks can record their input signal and thereby create new clips (page
245). Recording is enabled on a track by pressing its Arm button. With multiple tracks se-
lected, pressing any of their Arm buttons will arm all of them. You can also hold down the [CTRL] (PC) / [CMD](Mac) modifier when clicking the Arm buttons to arm several tracks at once. If the Exclusive Arm option is enabled in the Record Preferences, inserting an instrument into a new or empty MIDI track will automatically arm the track. When the Control Bar’s Arrangement Record button is on, every armed track records its input signal into the Arrangement. Every take yields a new clip per track.
Track Arm Buttons, as They Appear in the Session View.
It is also possible to record into Session View slots on the fly (page 248). This technique is very useful for the jamming musician, as Session recording does not require stopping the music. Clicking the Session Record button records a new clip in the selected Session scene in all armed tracks.
The Control Bar’s Session Record Button.
54 Live Concepts
Clicking the Session Record button again defines the end of the recording and launches the new clips. As these actions are subject to real-time launch quantization, the resulting clips can be automatically cut to the beat.
The Control Bar’s Quantization Chooser.
Session recording in conjunction with overdubbing and Record Quantization is the method of choice for creating drum patterns, which are built up by successively adding notes to the pattern while it plays in a loop. It only takes a MIDI keyboard (or the computer keyboard) and a MIDI track with Live’s Impulse percussion instrument to do this (page 463).

4.12 Automation Envelopes

Often, when working with Live’s mixer and effects, you will want the controls’ movements to become part of the Set. The movement of a control across the Arrangement timeline or Session
clip is called automation (page 301); a control whose value changes over time is automated. Automation is represented by breakpoint envelopes, which can be drawn, edited and recorded in real-time.
The Automated Pan Control and its Envelope.
Practically all mixer and effect controls in Live can be automated, even the song tempo. Record­ing automation is straightforward: all changes of a control that occur while the Control Bar’s Automation Arm and Arrangement Record buttons are on become automation in the Arrange­ment View. Automation is recorded to Session View clips if controls are adjusted while recording with the Automation Arm button enabled.
Changing an automated control’s value while not recording is similar to launching a Session clip while the Arrangement is playing: It deactivates the control’s automation (in favor of the new control setting). The control will stop tracking its automation and rest with the new value until the Re-Enable Automation button is pressed or a Session clip that contains automation is launched.
55 Live Concepts

4.13 Clip Envelopes

Envelopes can be found in both tracks and clips. Clip envelopes (page 313) are used to au- tomate or modulate device and mixer controls. Audio clips have, in addition, clip envelopes to influence the clip’s pitch, volume and more; these can be used to change the melody and rhythm of recorded audio. MIDI clips have additional clip envelopes to represent MIDI controller data. Clip envelopes can be unlinked from the clip to give them independent loop settings, so that larger movements (like fade-outs) or smaller gestures (like an arpeggio) can be superimposed onto the clip’s material.
An Envelope for Clip Transposition.

4.14 MIDI and Key Remote

To liberate the musician from the mouse, most of Live’s controls can be “remote-controlled“ via an external MIDI controller. Remote mappings are established in MIDI Map Mode (page
578), which is engaged by pressing the MIDI switch in the Control Bar.
56 Live Concepts
In this mode, you can click on any mixer or effect control, and then assign it to a controller sim­ply by sending the desired MIDI message (for example, by turning a knob on your MIDI control box). Your assignments take effect immediately after you leave MIDI Map Mode. Session clips can be mapped to a MIDI key or even a keyboard range for chromatic playing.
MIDI keys and controllers that have been mapped to Live’s controls are not available for record­ing via MIDI tracks. These messages are filtered out before the incoming MIDI is passed on to the MIDI tracks.
The Key/MIDI Map Controls.
Session clips, switches, buttons and radio buttons can be mapped to computer keyboard keys as well. This happens in Key Map Mode (page 583), which works just like MIDI Map Mode.
Live offers, in addition to this general purpose mapping technique, dedicated support for Able­ton Push (page 585) and Push 2.

4.15 Saving and Exporting

Saving a Live Set saves everything it contains, including all clips, their positions and settings, and settings for devices and controls. An audio clip can, however, lose the reference to its cor­responding sample if it is moved or deleted from disk. The links between samples and their clips can be preserved with a special command, Collect and Save (page 95), which makes a copy of each sample and stores it in a project folder along with the Live Set.
A separate Save button in the Clip View saves a set of default clip settings (page 145) along with the sample, so that each time the sample is dragged into the program, it will automatically appear with these settings. This is especially useful if you have made warp settings for a clip and want to use it in multiple Live Sets.
Exporting audio from Live can be done from both the Session and Arrangement Views. By de­fault, Live will export the audio coming through on the Master output as an audio file of your specifications via Export Audio/Video (page 74).
Live can also export individual MIDI clips as MIDI files (page 82).
57 Live Concepts
Exporting and saving material for later use in Live can be done very conveniently with the Live Clip format (page 82). Session View clips can be dragged back out of a Live Set to the browser, and thereby exported to the disk as Live Clips.
A Live Clip in the Browser.
Live Clips are a very powerful way of storing ideas, as they save not only the clip’s Clip View settings, but also the corresponding track’s instruments and effects chain. Live Clips in the brows­er can be previewed and added to any open Live Set just like sample files. In the Live Set, they restore the original clip’s creative options.
Using Live Clips, you can build your own personalized library of:
•MIDI sequences with matching instruments and effects, e.g., a MIDI drum pattern with the associated Impulse and effects settings;
•Different regions or loops (page 138) referencing the same source file;
•Variations of a sample loop created by applying Warp Markers (page 155), clip enve- lopes (page 313) and effects (page 259);
•Ideas that may not fit your current project but could be useful in the future.
58 Live Concepts
Chapter 5

Managing Files and Sets

Various types of files are used in making music with Live, from those containing MIDI (page
81) and audio (page 72), to more program-specific files such as Live Clips (page 82)
and Live Sets (page 83). This chapter will explain everything you need to know about work- ing with each of these file types in Live. However, we should first take a look at Live’s browser, through which most files arrive in the program.

5.1 Working with the Browser

59 Managing Files and Sets
Live’s browser is the place where you interact with your library of musical assets: the core library of sounds that are installed with the program, any additional sounds you’ve installed via Ableton Packs, presets and samples you’ve saved, your Ableton and third-party devices, and any folder on your hard drive that contains samples, tracks, etc.
60 Managing Files and Sets
The Browser.
The browser display is divided into left and right sections, called the sidebar and the content pane respectively. To resize the sections, drag the divider line horizontally.

5.1.1 Understanding the Browser’s Hierarchy

Working in the browser involves choosing one of the labels from the Collections, Categories or Places sections in the sidebar, and then selecting from the items that appear in the content pane.
Collections
The Collections labels each have their own assignable color, which you can use to tag items (including folders) that appear in the browser’s content pane. These labels (or “tags”) enable you to quickly organize and access particular browser items (for example, your favorite or most­used items).
You can assign Collections labels via a selected item’s [right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) con­text menu, or by using the number key shortcuts [1] through to [7]. Use [0] to reset color assign­ments.
Note that Collections labels can also be assigned to multiple browser items within a selection. Additionally, it is possible to assign a color label to different item “types”. For example, you can assign the same color label to a drum sound, a MIDI effect, and a plug-in.
Clicking on a Collections label in the sidebar shows all items tagged with that color. Folders that appear in the Collections labels can be unfolded to show their contents.
61 Managing Files and Sets
The Edit Button in the Browser.
Each label can be renamed via their [right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) context menu, or by pressing [CTRL][R](PC) / [CMD][R](Mac). You can choose which labels are visible in the brows­er, by clicking the Edit button next to the Collections header, and checking the Show/Hide Label option next to each label.
Editing Shown and Hidden Collections in the Browser.
To exit Edit Mode, press the “Done” button.
The Done Button in the Browser.
Note that when a hidden unassigned color becomes assigned to a browser item, the Collections label for that color will be shown in the sidebar automatically. However, visible color labels are not automatically hidden if all their assignments are removed.
62 Managing Files and Sets
Browser Items and Their Assigned Colors in the Content Pane.
In the content pane, square icons indicate the respective color(s) assigned to each item. Note that although multiple colors can be assigned to an item, no more than three of those colors will be shown in the content pane.
Categories
The Categories labels show all items of a given type, regardless of where they are in your library. Use this section to explore and discover all of the instruments and sounds you have in­stalled. The Categories section is organized as follows:
•Sounds — all of your Instrument Racks (page 281) and instrument presets, organized by the type of sound they make (rather than by their devices.)
•Drums — all of your drum presets. This includes full drum kits, which are available as Drum Racks, as well as single drum hits, which are delivered as Instrument Racks.
•Instruments — all of your Instrument Racks, as well as “raw” Live instruments and their pre­sets, organized by device (rather than by the type of sound.)
•Audio Effects — all of your Audio Effect Racks, as well as “raw” Live audio effects devices and presets.
•MIDI Effects — all of your MIDI Effect Racks, as well as “raw” Live MIDI effects devices and presets.
•Max for Live — all of your Max for Live (page 553) devices and presets, as well as any Racks that are built with those devices, organized into Audio Effect, Instrument and MIDI Effect folders.
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•Plug-Ins — your third-party VST and/or Audio Units plug-ins (page 270).
•Clips — all of your Live Clips.
•Samples — all of your raw audio samples.
•All results — this section appears after you’ve typed something into the search field. It shows search results for every section of the browser in a single list.
Places
The Places labels show the contents of folders on your hard drives. Use this section when you want to access a particular place, such as a folder you’ve added or an add-on Pack. The actual contents of the Places section will vary depending on how you’ve configured your library, but will contain at least the following:
•Packs — all Packs that come pre-installed with Live, as well as any that you’ve installed yourself. Each Pack appears as a folder in the content pane, which can be unfolded to reveal that Pack’s contents. Presets, samples, and Live Clips installed by Packs will also ap­pear in the appropriate Categories labels. The Packs label also shows updates for installed Packs, as well as additional Packs that you can install. Please refer to Downloading and
Installing Packs in the Browser (page 64) for more information.
•User Library — the User Library is the default location for items you save yourself, including default presets, grooves, your personalized Racks and device presets, your own samples, Live Clips, etc. Files that you save to your User Library will also be available in the appro­priate Categories labels.
•Current Project — all of the files that are contained in the currently active Project (page
88). If you’re working on a Live Set that you haven’t yet saved, the current Project refers
to a temporary location.
•any folders from any of your hard drives that you’ve added to Live’s Browser.
Moving through the files in Live’s browser can be done with either the mouse or the computer keyboard:
•Scroll up and down in the Browser with the up and down arrow keys, the mousewheel, or by clicking and dragging while holding the [CTRL][ALT](PC) / [CMD][ALT](Mac) modifier.
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•Close and open folders, or move between the sidebar and content pane with the left and right arrow keys.
By default, any previously open folders will close when you open a new one, but you can over­ride this behavior by holding [CTRL](PC) / [CMD](Mac) while opening new folders.

5.1.2 Downloading and Installing Packs in the Browser

The Packs label in the browser shows you all Packs that come pre-installed with Live, as well as any that you’ve installed yourself.
To check for existing updates for your installed Packs, navigate to the Packs label and expand the Updates section.
Available Updates for Installed Packs Appear in the Browser.
You can also view Packs that you own, but have not installed. These uninstalled Packs appear in the Available Packs section within the Packs label.
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Downloadable Packs Appear in the Browser.
You can download any of these Updates or Available Packs by pressing the download icon next to it.
Press the Download Icon to Download a Pack.
While the Pack is downloading, the download icon changes to a pause icon that indicates the progress of the Pack’s download.
Press the Pause Icon to Pause a Pack Download. The Download Progress Is Indicated in Yellow.
Should you need to, you can pause downloads and resume them at a later point. To pause a download, press the pause icon. When a download is paused, the paused icon changes back to a download icon.
To resume a paused download, press the download icon again.
(Note: you can download multiple selected Packs at the same time. You can also pause and resume downloading multiple selected Packs.)
When the download is complete, you can install the Pack by pressing the Install button.
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Press the Install Button to Install a Pack.
Upon pressing the Install button, Live will display a progress bar that indicates the status of the process.
Note that you can download a Pack, pause, resume or cancel a download, or install a Pack by choosing the appropriate command in that Pack’s [right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) context menu.
Sometimes you might need to know the size of a Pack before you download and install it. For ex­ample, you may have limited space on your hard drive. You can configure the browser to show the size of all Packs that appear in the Updates and Available Packs sections. To do this, [right­click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) on the Name header in the browser’s content pane and choose the Size option in the context menu.
Show or Hide the Size of Packs in the Browser.
You can delete an installed Pack via its [right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) context menu. Note that deleted Packs will appear in your list of Available Packs.
It is possible to configure Live’s Preferences to show or hide Updates and Available Packs in the browser. To do this, press the Show Downloadable Packs toggle in the Library Preferences.
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Show or Hide Downloadable Packs in the Browser.

5.1.3 User Folders

Live’s browser allows you to work with your creative tools regardless of where they are installed on your computer. This allows you to, for example, store large sample collections on one or more external drives, and still use the browser to access their contents - there is no need to keep them in a single centralized location.
In order to work with your own folders in Live, you must first add them to the browser, either by dropping them directly into Live from the Explorer (Windows)/Finder (Mac) or by pressing the Add Folder button in the browser’s sidebar.
After adding a user folder, Live will scan it, which “teaches” the browser about its contents. Fol­lowing this, it will appear in the Places section of the sidebar.
Note: adding a user folder does not actually move the folder to a new location, but simply makes it available in Live’s browser. If you reorganize your drives using Explorer (Windows)/ Finder (Mac), Live may not be able to find user folders if they’ve been moved. For example, if a user folder is contained on an external hard drive, and Live is opened without the drive at­tached, the user folder will still appear in the browser but will be grayed out. You can attempt to find it by using the [right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) context menu’s Locate Folder command, or tell Live to “forget” this folder via the Remove from Sidebar command. You can also use this command to remove folders that aren’t missing, but which you simply don’t want to work with anymore.

5.1.4 Searching for Files

Live’s browser is equipped with a search field that filters the contents of the selected sidebar la­bel as you type. To search across all locations, press [CTRL][F](PC) / [CMD][F](Mac).
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The Browser’s Search Field.
The results will include files that match all search terms, as opposed to any. For example, if you search for “acoustic bass,“ the search will yield all acoustic bass sounds — not all acoustic sounds and all bass sounds.
For mouse-free searching, we suggest the following sequence of shortcuts:
1. [CTRL][F](PC) / [CMD][F](Mac) to place a cursor in the search field;
2. Type your search terms;
3. Down arrow key to jump to the search results;
4. Up and down arrow keys to scroll the search results;
5. [ESC] to clear the search field, showing all of the contents of the selected sidebar label.
Previewing Files
Live allows you to preview samples, clips, and instrument presets in the browser before they are imported into the program. To enable previewing, activate the Preview switch next to the Preview Tab at the bottom of the browser.
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The Preview Switch.
Hint: You can preview files even when the Preview switch is not activated by pressing [Shift][En­ter] or the right arrow key.
Click on a file (or use the up and down arrow keys) to select it. Click in the Tab’s scrub area to make playback jump to that point. (Note that it is not possible to scrub clips that have been saved with Warp turned off.)
You can select Live Clips in the browser to load them into the Preview Tab.
You can also preview Live’s instrument presets in the Preview Tab. When selected, you’ll hear a short audio example of the preset, so you can get an idea of how it sounds before loading it.
With the Raw button enabled, files will preview at their original tempo and will not loop. With Raw disabled, Live will try to preview files in sync with the current Set, so that you can better
judge which samples will work for you. Please note that scrubbing is not possible when Raw is enabled.
The previewing volume can be adjusted using the mixer’s Preview Volume knob.
The Preview Volume Knob.
If your audio hardware offers multiple audio outs, you can privately audition, or cue, files via headphones connected to a separate pair of outs — while the music continues to play. To learn how to set up Live for cueing, please refer to the relevant section (page 242) of the Mixing chapter.
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Adding Clips from the Browser
There are several ways to add clips to a Live Set:
•Files can be dragged and dropped from the browser into tracks in the Session or Arrange­ment View. Dragging and dropping material from the browser into the space to the right of Session View tracks or below Arrangement View tracks will create a new track and place the new clip(s) there.
Dropping a Clip to Create a New Track.
•In the Session View, double-clicking or pressing [Enter] on a file in the browser will auto­matically create a new track to the right of the other tracks and load it with the clip.
•Files can be dropped directly into Live from the Explorer (Windows)/Finder (Mac).
Hot-Swap Mode
In addition to the drag-and-drop method of loading files from the browser, Live offers a Hot­Swap Mode to reduce your mouse travel. Hot-Swap Mode can be toggled on and off with
the [Q] key, and establishes a temporary link between the browser and, for example, a virtual instrument. While in Hot-Swap Mode, you can step through samples or presets to audition them “in place,“ that is, within the instrument. Hot-swapping for presets is covered in the Live Device Presets section (page 264). Let’s go through an example of hot-swapping samples:
Live’s built-in Impulse instrument features eight sample-player slots that can be filled by dropping samples into them. Alternatively, we can click the Hot-Swap button that appears as we move the mouse over a slot.
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The Hot-Swap Button in an Impulse Slot.
Clicking the Hot-Swap button or pressing the [Q] key engages Hot-Swap Mode:
The Browser in Hot-Swap Mode.
While in Hot-Swap Mode, pressing the up or down arrow key moves to the next file in the con­tent pane, and pressing [Enter] or double-clicking the file loads it into the Impulse slot (presum­ably while Impulse is playing incoming MIDI notes). The link between the browser and the in­strument will be broken if a different view is selected, or if the [Q] key or the Hot-Swap button is pressed again. Hot-swapping can also be cancelled with a press of the [ESC] key or by pressing the close button in the Hot-Swap bar at the top of the browser.
When Hot-Swap Mode is re-entered, the browser will show the location of the currently loaded sound and pre-select it.

5.2 Sample Files

A sample is a file that contains audio data. Live can play both uncompressed file formats (WAV, AIF and Sound Designer II for Mac) and compressed file formats (MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, Ogg FLAC and FLAC). (Please note that not all of these file formats can be played in the Lite Edition.)
A note on using Variable Bit Rate (VBR) files: Please install QuickTime for decoding purposes if you do not already have it on your system. It can be downloaded from the Apple website5.
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As Live plays the samples directly from disk, you can work with a large number of (large) samples without running into RAM memory limitations. Please note, however, that you may run into disk throughput problems if your disk is nearly full, and/or (on Windows systems) highly fragmented. Hard drive rotation speed can also affect disk performance. Refer to the section on managing the disk load (page 717) for more information.
Live can combine uncompressed mono or stereo samples of any length, sample rate or bit depth without prior conversion. To play a compressed sample, Live decodes the sample and writes the result to a temporary, uncompressed sample file. This usually happens quickly enough that you will be able to play the sample right away, without waiting for the decoding process to finish.
Note: When adding a long sample to a project, Live might tell you that it cannot play the sample before it has been analyzed. Please see the section on analysis (page 73) for an explana­tion.
5 http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download

5.2.1 The Decoding Cache

To save computational resources, Live keeps the decoded sample files of compressed samples in the cache. Maintenance of the cache is normally not required, as Live automatically deletes older files to make room for those that are new. You can, however, impose limits on the cache size using the File/Folder Preferences’ Decoding Cache section. The cache will not grow larger than the Maximum Cache Size setting, and it will always leave the Minimum Free Space on the hard disk. Pressing the nearby Cleanup button will delete all files not being used by the current Live Set.
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Preferences for the Decoding Cache.

5.2.2 Analysis Files (.asd)

An analysis file is a little file that Live creates when a sample file is brought into the program for the first time. The analysis file contains data gathered by Live to help optimize the stretching quality, speed up the waveform display and automatically detect the tempo of long samples
(page 161).
When adding a long sample to a project, Live might tell you that it cannot play the sample be­fore it has been analyzed. This will not happen if the sample has already been analyzed (i.e., Live finds an analysis file for this sample), or if the Record/Warp/Launch Preferences’ Auto­Warp Long Samples preference (page 155) has been deactivated.
An analysis file can also store default clip settings for the sample:
Clicking the Clip View’s Save button (page 145) will store the current clip’s settings with the sample’s analysis file. The next time the sample is dragged into Live, it will appear with all its clip settings intact. This is particularly useful for retaining Warp Marker settings with the sample. Stor­ing default clip settings with the analysis file is different from saving the clip as a Live Clip.
While analysis files are a handy way to store default information about a particular sample’s settings, keep in mind that you can use different settings for each clip within a Live Set — even if those clips refer to the same sample on disk. But if you drag a new version of the sample into a Live Set, Live will use the settings stored in the analysis file for the newly created clip.
The analysis file’s name is the same as that of the associated sample, with an added “.asd“ ex­tension. Live puts this analysis file in the same folder as the sample.
Samples that have an .asd file are displayed like this in the browser.
Samples without an .asd file look like this.
The analysis files themselves do not appear in Live’s browser.
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Note that you can suppress the creation of .asd files by turning off the Create Analysis Files op­tion in the File/Folder Preferences. All data (except for the default clip settings) can be recreated by Live if the .asd file is missing, however this will take some time for longer samples.

5.2.3 Exporting Audio and Video

The File menu’s Export Audio/Video command allows you to export Live’s audio output as new samples. The resulting files can be used to burn an audio CD for listening purposes or a data CD, which could serve as a backup of your work or be used with other digital audio applica­tions. If your set includes video, you can also use the Export Audio/Video command to export this to a new video file, which will be created in the same directory as the rendered audio files. (Note: video export is not available in the Lite and Intro Editions.) You can also upload your ex­ported audio files directly to your SoundCloud account.
Selection Options
The Render Dialog’s Selection Options.
The Export dialog’s Rendered Track chooser offers several options for which audio signal to render:
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The Rendered Track Chooser.
•Master — the post-fader signal at Live’s Master output. If you are monitoring the Master output, you can be sure that the rendered file will contain exactly what you hear.
•All Individual Tracks — the post-fader signal at the output of each individual track, includ­ing return tracks and MIDI tracks with instruments. Live will create a separate sample for each track. All samples will have the same length, making it easy to align them in other multitrack programs.
•Selected Tracks Only — this is identical to the All Individual Tracks option, but only renders tracks that were selected prior to opening the Export dialog.
•(single tracks) — the post-fader signal at the output of the selected track.
The other Selection fields determine the start time and length of the exported material:
•Render Start — sets the position at which rendering will begin.
•Render Length — determines the length of the rendered sample.
Tip — a fast way to set both the Render Start and Length values is to select a range of time in the Arrangement View prior to invoking the Export Audio/Video command. But remember — a rendered audio file contains only what you heard prior to rendering. So, for example, if you’re playing back some combination of Session View clips and Arrangement material, then that is what will be captured in your rendered file — regardless of which view is active when you ren­der.
Rendering Options
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Audio Rendering Options.
The Export dialog offers several audio rendering options:
•Render as Loop — If this is activated, Live will create a sample that can be used as a loop. For example, suppose your Live Set uses a delay effect. If Render as Loop is on, Live will go through the rendering process twice: The first pass will not actually write samples to disk, but add the specified delay effect. As the second pass starts writing audio to disk, it will include the delay “tail“ resulting from the first pass.
•Convert to Mono — If this is activated, Live will create a mono file instead of a stereo file.
•Normalize — If this is activated, the sample resulting from the render process will be nor­malized (i.e., the file will be amplified so that the highest peak attains the maximum avail­able headroom).
•Create Analysis File — If this is activated, Live will create an .asd file that contains analysis information about the rendered sample. If you intend to use the new sample in Live, check this option.
•Sample Rate — Note that your choice of sample rate works as follows: if you select a sample rate equal to or higher than the rate you’re using in your project (as set in the Audio tab of Live’s Preferences), Live will export in a single step, at the sample rate you’ve chosen in the Export dialog. If you export at a sample rate that is lower than your current project sample rate, Live will first export at the current project sample rate and then downsample the file in a second step using a high-quality process. Note that this may take a few mo­ments.
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•Upload Audio to SoundCloud — If activated, a helper application will launch that will al­low you to upload your exported audio file to SoundCloud.
Encoding Options
Audio Encoding Options.
•Encode PCM — If activated, a lossless audio file is created.
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•File Type — WAV, AIFF, and FLAC formats are available for PCM export.
•Bit Depth, Dither Options — If you are rendering at a bit depth lower than 32-bit, choose one of the dither modes. Dithering adds a small amount of noise to rendered audio, but minimizes artifacts when reducing the bit depth. By default, Triangular is selected, which is the “safest“ mode to use if there is any possibility of doing additional processing on your file. Rectangular mode introduces an even smaller amount of dither noise, but at the expense of additional quantization error. The three Pow-r modes offer successively higher amounts of dithering, but with the noise pushed above the audible range. Note that dither­ing is a procedure that should only be applied once to any given audio file. If you plan to do further processing on your rendered file, it’s best to render to 32-bit to avoid the need for dithering at this stage. In particular, the Pow-r modes should never be used for any material that will be sent on to a further mastering stage — these are for final output only. (Please note that the Pow-r modes are not available in the Intro and Lite Editions.)
•Encode MP3 — If activated, a CBR 320 kbps MP3 file is created. It is possible to export PCM and MP3 simultaneously. If neither toggle is enabled, the Export button will be dis­abled.
Video Rendering Options
Video Rendering Options.
(Note: video rendering is not available in the Intro and Lite Editions.)
In addition to settings for audio rendering, the Export dialog provides additional options for rendering video:
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•Create Video — If this is activated, a video file will be created in the same directory as your rendered audio. Note that this option is only enabled if you have video clips in the Arrangement View. Also, it is not possible to only render a video file — enabling video rendering will always produce a video in addition to rendered audio.
•Video Encoder — This chooser allows you to select the encoder to use for the video ren­dering. The choices you have here depend on the encoders you have installed.
•Video Encoder Settings — This button opens the settings window for the selected encoder. Note that the settings options will vary depending on the encoder you have chosen. Cer­tain encoders have no user-configurable options. In this case, the Edit button will be dis­abled.
Once you’ve made your selections and clicked Export to begin the rendering process, audio rendering will begin. After the audio rendering is complete, the video will be rendered. Note that, depending on the encoder used, video rendering may occur in more than one pass. Live will display a progress bar that will indicate the status of the process.
Unless you’ve specified a special window size or aspect ratio in the encoder settings, the ren­dered video file will play back exactly as it appeared during real time playback in Live. The video file will also contain the rendered audio.
For more information about working with video in Live, see the chapter on video (page 325).
Real-Time Rendering
Normally, rendering happens as an offline process. But if your set contains an External Audio Effect (page 369) or External Instrument (page 461) that routes to a hardware effects device or synthesizer, the rendering process is a bit different. In this case, rendering the master output happens in real time. If you render single tracks, all tracks that don’t route to an external device anywhere in their signal paths will be rendered offline. Then, any tracks that do access these devices will be rendered in real time. Live will automatically trace each track’s signal flow and detect if real-time rendering is necessary. You’ll then be presented with several options when you start to render:
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Waiting for External Devices to Become Silent.
•Skip — By default, Live will wait for ten seconds before starting a real-time render. This should allow any sound from external devices to fade out, but if you need more time (for example, if you’re waiting for a long reverb tail), you can increase the wait time by typing a new number in the number box. On the other hand, if you’re sure that your external de­vices aren’t making any sound, you can speed the process along by pressing “Skip,“ which will start the render immediately.
After the render has begun, the dialog changes to show a recording progress bar:
Real-Time Rendering in Progress.
•Auto-Restart on drop-outs — Rendering in real-time requires somewhat more CPU power than non-real-time rendering, and in some cases drop-outs (small gaps or glitches in the audio) can occur. Live detects when drop-outs happen, and rendering will start again from the beginning if the Auto-Restart option is enabled.
•Restart — manually restarts the rendering process.
•Cancel — stops the rendering process and deletes the partially rendered file.
The number of rendering attempts (if there has been more than one) will also be listed in the dia­log box. If you find that dropouts and restarts keep happening, you should close other running applications to allow more processing power for rendering. Please see the chapter on computer audio resources (page 713) for more tips on improving performance.

5.3 MIDI Files

A MIDI file contains commands that prompt MIDI compatible synthesizers or instruments, such as Live’s Simpler, to create specific musical output. MIDI files are exported by hardware and software MIDI sequencers. Importing MIDI files into Live works differently than with samples: MIDI file data is incorporated into the Live Set, and the resulting MIDI clips lose all reference to the original file. MIDI files appear with a special icon in the browser.
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A MIDI File in the Browser.
You can import MIDI files by using the browser or the Create menu’s Import MIDI File... com­mand. Note that when using the Import MIDI File... command in the Arrangement View, the file will be inserted at the Insert Marker position. When using the command in the Session View, the file will be inserted in the currently selected clip slot.

5.3.1 Exporting MIDI Files

Live MIDI clips can be exported as Standard MIDI files. To export a MIDI clip, use the File menu’s Export MIDI Clip command. This command will open a file-save dialog, allowing you to choose the location for your new MIDI file.
Exporting a MIDI file is different from saving the clip as a Live Clip.

5.4 Live Clips

Individual audio or MIDI clips can be exported to disk in the Live Clip format for easy retrieval and reuse in any project. Audio clips only contain references to samples on disk (rather than the audio data itself), so they are very small, which makes it easy to develop and maintain your own collection.
To save a clip from the open Live Set to disk, simply drag it to the Places section of the browser and drop it into the Current Project or any user folder. For audio clips, Live will manage the copying of the clip’s sample into this new location based on the selection in the Collect Files on Export chooser (page 96). You can then type in a new name for the clip or confirm the one suggested by Live with [Enter].
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A Live Clip in the Browser.
Live Clips are a great way of storing your ideas for later use or development, as they save not only the original clip, including all its clip and envelope settings, but also the original track’s de­vices. In order to recreate a Live Clip’s device chain, either drag it into a track containing no clips or devices, or drag it into the space in the Session or Arrangement View containing no tracks. Note that Live Clips that are imported into tracks already containing devices or clips will appear
with their clip settings but not their devices. You could, for instance, drop a bassline Live Clip on an existing track that drives a bass instrument, rather than creating a new track.
Clips belonging to any Live Sets already on disk are also Live Clips. Please see the section on merging Sets (page 84) for more on this topic.
Note that storing default clip settings with a sample’s analysis file is different from saving a Live Clip. The default clip in the .asd file annotates the sample with sensible default values (warp, gain and pitch settings) so that it will play in a defined way when it is added to a Set. Live Clips, on the other hand, are stored on disk as separate musical ideas. For example, you could create a number of variations from the same audio clip by using different warp, pitch, envelope and effect settings, and store them all as separate Live Clips. In the browser, you could then inde­pendently sort and preview these clips, even though they are all referring to the same source sample.

5.5 Live Sets

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The type of document that you create and work on in Live is called a Live Set. Think of this as a single “song.“ Sets must be saved inside projects, so that Live can keep track of and manage all of the various components of the Live Set: Live Clips, device presets, any samples used, etc.

5.5.1 Creating, Opening and Saving Sets

Use the File menu’s New Live Set command to create new Live Sets, and the Open Live Set or Open Recent Set command to open existing ones. In the browser, you can double-click or press [Enter] on a Live Set to open it.
The File menu’s Save Live Set command saves the current Live Set exactly as it is, including all clips and settings.
You can use the Save Live Set As command to save the current Live Set under a different name and/or in a different directory location, or the Save a Copy command to create a copy of the current Live Set with a new name and/or new directory location.

5.5.2 Merging Sets

Live makes it easy to merge Sets, which can come in handy when combining work from differ­ent versions or pieces. To add all tracks (except the return tracks) from one Live Set into another, drag the Set from the browser into the current Set, and drop it onto any track title bar or into the drop area next to or below the tracks. The tracks from the dropped Set will be completely reconstructed, including their clips in the Session and Arrangement View, their devices, and their automation.
Session View Drop Area for Importing Live Sets.
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Arrangement View Drop Area for Importing Live Sets.
If you prefer to import individual tracks from a Set, you can unfold the Live Set in the browser just as if it were a folder.
Unfolding a Set to Reveal its Contents.
You can now drag the individual tracks and drop them as described at the beginning of this section. Any grooves (page 195) that were saved with your Set are also available as a folder within the unfolded Set.
You can also drag Group Tracks (page 236) and nested Group Tracks from Live’s browser. Group Tracks can be expanded in the browser, allowing you to load an individual track from within.
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In addition to unfolding Sets, you can further unfold the tracks within the Sets to access the indi­vidual Session View clips that were used on the track:
Revealing the Session View Clips Contained in a Set.
You can browse, preview and import Session View clips from the Set as if they had been stored as individual Live Clips. This means that any Live Set can serve as a pool of sounds for any other, suggesting creative reuse and crossover.

5.5.3 Exporting Session Clips as New Sets

You can export a selection of Session View clips as a new Live Set by dragging them to the browser. To export a Set, first click and drag, or use the [Shift] or [CTRL](PC) / [ALT](Mac) modi­fiers, to select more than one Session View clip. Then, simply drag and drop the clips into the Current Project or any user folder, where you can either confirm Live’s suggested name or type in one of your own.

5.5.4 Template Sets

Use the File/Folder Preferences’ Save Current Set as Default button to save the current Live Set as the default template. Live will use these settings as the initialized, default state for new Live Sets. You can use this to pre-configure:
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•Your multichannel input/output setup.
•Preset devices, like EQs and Compressors, in every track.
•Computer key mappings (page 583).
•MIDI mappings (page 573).
To delete your custom template Set, press the Clear button in the File/Folder Preferences. This will restore the built-in factory template. You can also temporarily load the built-in factory tem­plate by holding [Shift] while selecting New Live Set from the File menu.
In addition to this “master” default template, you can create additional template Sets for differ­ent types of projects, each with their own unique configuration of tracks, devices, etc. To do this, create a folder called “Templates” within your User Library. Any Sets saved to this folder will then function as templates: they will load with the configuration you saved, but with the name Untitled.als, ready to be used as a new Set.
Multiple Template Sets in the User Library

5.5.5 Viewing and Changing a Live Set’s File References

To view a list of the files referenced by the current Live Set, choose the Manage Files command from the File menu, click the Manage Set button, and then click the View Files button. Live will display one line for each file used by the Live Set. To list all clips or instruments in the Live Set where the file is actually used, click the triangle to expand the line. Here is what you can do:
•Replace a file — Dragging a file from the browser and dropping it on an entry in the list makes the Live Set reference the new file instead of the old one. For samples used in audio clips, Live retains the clip properties; the Warp Markers are kept if the new sample has the same or a greater length as the old sample and discarded otherwise. Please note that re­placing a sample will change all clips in your set that reference this sample.
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Every Entry in the File Reference List is a Drop Target for Files.
•Hot-swap files — Using the Hot-Swap button at the left-hand side of each entry, you can quickly browse through alternatives for the file that is currently being referenced. This is like dragging files here, only quicker.
The File Reference List’s Hot-Swap Button.
•Edit a referenced sample — using an external application (which can be chosen in the Preferences’ File/Folder tab). Clicking the Edit button will open the referenced sample in the external application. The sample will remain offline as long as the Edit switch is en­gaged. For samples used in audio clips, the current set of Warp Markers is retained only if the sample length remains the same as before. Note that the Edit button is only available for samples, not for other types of files such as Max for Live devices (page 553).
The File Reference List’s Edit Switch.
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•View a file’s location — The Location column states if a file is missing (page 92), or if it resides in your User Library, a Project or somewhere else (“external“). When unfolded, the entry shows the specific places in the Set where the file is used.
The File Reference List’s Location Column.

5.6 Live Projects

A Live Project is a folder containing Live-related files that belong together. Consider, for exam­ple, work on a piece of music: You start out with an empty Live Set; you record audio and there­by create new sample files; you drag in samples from collections; you save different versions of the Live Set along the way so that you can go back and compare. Perhaps you also save Live Clips or device presets that “belong“ to this particular musical piece. The project folder for this
Live Project will maintain all the files related to this piece of music — and Live’s File Manager will provide the tools you need to manage them (page 92).

5.6.1 Projects and Live Sets

When you save a Live Set under a new name or in a new folder location, Live will create a new project folder and store the Live Set there — unless you are saving the Live Set into an existing Live Project. Let’s look at an example to illustrate this process:
We have recorded some audio into a new Live Set. We now save the Live Set under the name “Tango“ on the Desktop. The Desktop is available in the browser because we have previously added it as a user folder. Here is the result as displayed by the Live browser:
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A Live Set and its Recordings in a Live Project Folder.
The project folder (“Tango Project“) contains the Live Set (“Tango.als“) and a Samples folder, which in turn contains a Recorded folder with two samples in it. Note that the current Project is also indicated in the title bar of Live’s application window.
Next, we record another track into our Project. We save the modified version of the Live Set un­der a new name so that we do not lose the previous version. Accepting the Save As command’s default suggestion, we store the new version of the song in the Tango Project folder.
A Second Version of the Live Set Has Been Added to the Project.
The Tango Project now contains two Live Sets, and its Samples/Recorded folder contains the samples used by both of them.
And now for something completely different: We choose the File menu’s New Live Set command and record a samba tune. As this has nothing to do with our tango dabblings, we decide to save it outside the Tango Project folder, say on the Desktop. Live creates a new project folder named Samba Project next to Tango Project.
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A New Project Was Added Next to Tango Project.
So far we have seen how to create Live Projects and save versions of Live Sets into them. How do we open a Project? Simply by opening any of its contained Live Sets. Double-clicking “Tango with Piano.als“ opens that Set and the associated Project — as displayed in Live’s title bar.
Let’s suppose that, in the course of our work on “Tango with Piano.als,“ we get sidetracked: The piece evolves towards something entirely different, and we feel that it should live in a Project of its own. So, we “Save As...“ under a new name and in some location outside the current Project, say the Desktop:
A New Project Was Added by Saving a Live Set Outside its Original Project.
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Note that the new project folder has no Samples folder (yet). “Electro with Piano.als“ is still refer­encing the piano sample from the original Tango Project. There is nothing wrong with this except for when the Tango Project is moved away or deleted; then “Tango with Piano.als“ will be miss­ing samples. You can prevent this by collecting external files (page 95). Even after the fact, Live’s tools for searching missing files (page 92) can help solve this problem.
There is actually no need to keep a Project’s Live Set exactly one level below the Project itself. Within a project folder, you can create any number of sub-folders and move files around to or­ganize them as desired, although you many need to use the File Manager to “teach“ the Project about the changes you’ve made (page 99).
In general, Live will do what it can to prevent situations such as orphaned (Project-less) Live Sets, which have the potential of confusing both the user and Live’s file management tools. It cannot, however, control situations in which Sets or files are moved out of order and become disorga­nized via the Explorer (Windows)/Finder (Mac).
A note for users of older Live versions: Live does not allow overwriting Live Sets that were cre­ated by older major versions to prevent compatibility problems. Instead, you will be requested to “Save As...“. Doing this will insure that the newly saved Live Sets reside in project folders.

5.6.2 Projects and Presets

By default, new instrument and effect presets are stored in your current Project. At times how­ever, it may make more sense to save a preset to another folder or to your User Library, so that you can access them from other Projects. You can drag a preset between folders after saving it
(page 266), or simply drag the title bar of the device over a folder in the sidebar, wait for the
content pane to open, and then drop it into the content pane, adding it to the folder.
When saving presets that contain samples to a new location, Live may copy the samples de­pending on the settings in the Collect Files on Export chooser in the Library Preferences. You can then type in a new name for the device or confirm the one suggested by Live with [Enter].

5.6.3 Managing Files in a Project

Live’s File Manager offers several convenient tools for managing Projects. Once you’ve opened a Live Set that is part of the Project you wish to manage, choose the Manage Files command from the File menu, and then click the Manage Project button. The File Manager will present you with an overview of the Project’s contents and tools for:
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•locating files that the Project is missing;
•collecting external files into the Project (page 95);
•listing unused files in the Project (page 97);
•packing a Project in Pack format (page 98);

5.7 Locating Missing Files

If you load a Live Set, Live Clip or preset that references files which are missing from their ref­erenced locations, Live’s Status Bar (located at the bottom of the main screen) will display a warning message. Clips and instrument sample slots that reference missing samples will appear marked “Offline,“ and Live will play silence instead of the missing samples.
Live’s File Manager offers tools for repairing these missing links. Click on the Status Bar message to access these. (This is actually a shortcut for choosing the Manage Files command from the File menu, clicking the Manage Set button, and then clicking the Locate button found in the Missing
Files section.) The File Manager will present you with a list of the missing files and associated controls.
The File Manager’s List of Missing Files.

5.7.1 Manual Repair

To manually fix a broken file reference, locate the missing file in the browser, drag it over to the File Manager and drop it on the respective line in the list of missing files. Note that Live will not care if the file you offer is really the file that was missing.
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5.7.2 Automatic Repair

Live offers a convenient automatic search function for repairing file references. To send Live on a search, click the Automatic Search section’s Go button. To reveal detailed options for guiding the automatic search function, click the neighboring triangular-shaped button.
Automatic Repair Options in the File Manager.
•Search Folder — includes a user-defined folder, as well as any sub-folders, in the search. To select the folder, click the associated Set Folder button.
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•Search Project — includes this Set’s project folder in the search.
•Search Library — includes the Live Library in the search.
For each missing file, the automatic search function may find any number of candidates. Let’s consider the following cases:
•No candidate found — you can choose another folder and try again, or locate the sample manually.
•One candidate found — Live accepts the candidate and considers the problem solved.
•Several candidates found — Live requires your assistance: Click the Hot-Swap button (i.e., the leftmost item in every line of the list of missing files) to have the browser present the candidates in Hot-Swap Mode. You can now double-click the candidates in the browser to load them, as the music plays if you like.

5.8 Collecting External Files

To prevent a Live Set from containing broken file references, Live provides the option of collect­ing (i.e., copying) them into the Set’s project folder. This is accomplished via the File Manager:
•Choose the Manage Files command from the File menu
•Click the Manage Set button
•Unfold the triangular-shaped fold button in the External Files section.
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Options for Collecting External Files.
Separated by location (other Projects, the User Library, installed by factory Packs, and else­where — sample collections from external drives, for example), the File Manager provides:
•A file count and the associated disk space used;
•A Show button that will list the files in the browser;
•A Yes/No toggle for engaging or disengaging collection.
Note: Make sure to confirm your choices by clicking the File Manager’s Collect and Save but­ton!
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The File Manager’s Collect and Save Button.
The File menu’s Collect All and Save command is a shortcut that collects and saves all external files referenced by the current Set, including those from Live’s Core Library or other installed Packs. Note that this can cause a lot of copying, especially if your Live Set uses large multisam­ple collections!

5.8.1 Collect Files on Export

When you save Live Clips, device presets or tracks by dragging them into the Browser, Live man­ages the copying of associated files based on the selection made in the Collect Files on Export chooser in the Library Preferences. This chooser provides the following options:
•Always, the default setting, will copy files into the same folder as the clip, preset, or track without notification.
•When Ask is selected, Live provides a dialog box with options for copying files.
•Never means that files will not be copied when saving.

5.9 Aggregated Locating and Collecting

Instead of having to deal with problems while you are in a creative mode, you might prefer put­ting aside some dedicated housekeeping time to solve all the problems in one go. Using Live’s File Manager, you can find missing files and collect external files not only for the current Live Set but also for:
•The User Library — choose the Manage Files command from the File menu; then click the Manage User Library button.
•The current Live Project — choose the Manage Files command from the File menu; then click the Manage Project button.
•Any Live Project — [right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) on a Project in the browser’s con­tent pane, and choose the Manage Project option.
•Any selection of Live Sets, Live Clips, Live Presets — [right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) on the respective items in the browser, and choose the Manage Files command.
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Remember to click the Collect and Save button at the bottom of the File Manager when you are finished. Otherwise your changes will be discarded.

5.10 Finding Unused Files

Live’s File Manager can find the unused files in a Project for you. You can then review them and decide to delete them individually or collectively. When searching for “unused“ files, Live will inspect each file in a Project folder, checking if it is referenced by any of the Live Sets, Live Clips or device presets in the Project. If not, the file is regarded as unused — even if other Projects or programs still use it.
To find the unused files for the currently open Project, choose the Manage Files command from the File menu, click the Manage Project button, and then click on the triangular-shaped fold but­ton next to “Unused Files“ to access a summary and the Show button. Clicking the Show button makes the browser list the unused files; there, you can preview samples (page 69) and delete them if you like.
Note you can also find the unused files from the Library: choose the Manage Files command from the File menu, then click the Manage Library button, and then see the Unused Files section.
Last but not least, you can find the unused files for all Projects found in a specific folder (and its sub-folders): [right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) on a folder in the browser and choose the Manage Projects command, then see the Unused Files section. Live inspects each Project indi­vidually and labels a file unused even if another Projects in the same folder does use that file. To
prevent losses, you may want to first collect the files into their respective Projects and then purge the Projects of unused files.

5.11 Packing Projects into Packs

Live’s File Manager provides the option of packing a Live Project in Pack format for convenient archiving and transfer. To do this, choose the Manage Files command from the File menu, click the Manage Project button, and then click on the triangular-shaped fold button next to “Pack­ing.“ Click the Create Pack button to bring up a file-select dialog where you can specify the name and location of a new Pack file. Creating a new Pack from a Project does not affect the Project. If you want the Project deleted, you can delete it using the browser.
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Live employs lossless compression techniques to minimize the file size of Packs. Depending on the audio materials in a Project, this saves up to 50 percent in file size.
To unpack a Pack (i.e., to restore the original Live Project), double-click the Pack file (.alp), drag it into the Live main window, or locate it via the File menu’s Install Pack command. Live will then install the Pack to its default location and it will appear in the Packs label in the browser.

5.12 File Management FAQs

5.12.1 How Do I Create a Project?

A Project is automatically created whenever you save a Live Set, except when you save it into a preexisting Project.

5.12.2 How Can I Save Presets Into My Current Project?

You can save presets directly to the current project by dragging from the device’s title bar and dropping into the Current Project label in the browser. You can then use the File Management tools, collect any referenced samples, etc.

5.12.3 Can I Work On Multiple Versions of a Set?

If you’d like to work on different versions of the same Live Set, save them into the same Project. This will usually be the Project that was created when you saved the first version of the Live Set. If a Project contains multiple Live Sets it will only collect one copy of any samples used by the vari­ous versions, which can save disk space and help with organization.

5.12.4 Where Should I Save My Live Sets?

You can save Live Sets anywhere you want, but saving to pre-existing Project folders can cause problems, and should be reserved for special cases. You should only save a Live Set to an exist­ing Project if it is somehow related to the Project — for example, an alternate version of a song that’s already in the Project.
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5.12.5 Can I Use My Own Folder Structure Within a Project Folder?

You can organize your files any way you want within a Project, but you’ll need to use the File Manager to relink the files that you’ve moved around:
1. In Live’s Browser or via your operating system, reorganize the files and folders within your Project folder.
2. Navigate to the Project folder in the Browser and choose Manage Project via the [right­click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) context menu.
3. If you’ve changed the original location of any samples used in the Project, the Missing Samples section of the File Manager will indicate this. Click the Locate button to search for the samples.
4. Since you know that your samples are all in the Project folder, unfold Automatic Search.
Then enable the Search Project and Fully Rescan Folders options. Finally, click Go to initi­ate the search.
5. When searching is complete, click Collect and Save at the bottom of the File Manager to update the Project.
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