Ableton LIVE 5 User Manual
1
Live Version 5.2 for Windows and Mac OS
Created by Bernd Roggendorf, Gerhard Behles, Robert Henke, awi, Reiner Rudolph, Stefan
Haller, Torsten Slama, Eduard Mueller, Stefan Franke, Frank Hoffmann, Andreas Zapf, HansThomas Mueller, Henrik Hahn, Ralf Suckow, Gregor Klinke, Matthias Mayrock, Friedemann
Schautz, Ingo Koehne.
Reference Manual by Rose Knudsen, Gerhard Behles, Jakob Rang, Robert Henke, Torsten
Slama.
Loops and samples provided by Big Fish Audio.
Web: www.bigshaudio.com
E-mail: info@bigshaudio.com
Address: 11003 Penrose Street, Suite C, Los Angeles, CA 91352
Copyright 2006 Ableton AG. All rights reserved.
This manual, as well as the software described in it, is furnished under license and may be used or copied only in accordance with
the terms of such license. The content of this manual is furnished for informational use only, is subject to change without notice and
should not be construed as a commitment by Ableton. Ableton assumes no responsibility or liability for any errors or inaccuracies
that may appear in this book.
Except as permitted by such license, no part of this publication may be reproduced, 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.
Macintosh, Audio Units and QuickTime are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. Windows is a registered trademark
of Microsoft Corporation. VST is a trademark of Steinberg Media Technologies GmbH. ReWire is a trademark of Propellerhead
Software AB. Mackie Control is a trademark of LOUD Technologies Inc. Ogg Vorbis and FLAC are trademarks of Xiph.Org. Ableton
is a trademark of Ableton AG. All other product and company names are trademarks or registered trademarks of their respective
holders.
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 Check for Updates from the Help menu.
We hope you enjoy using Live and that it enhances your creative process. Should you have
suggestions about how we can improve Live, please let us know2.
1
http://www.ableton.com/downloads
2
contact@ableton.com
1
1.2. WHAT'S NEW IN LIVE 5? 2
Your Ableton Team.
1.2 What's New in Live 5?
1.2.1 Remix Features
Support for MP3, Ogg Vorbis, Ogg FLAC and FLAC compressed audio les
Auto-Warp
Complex Warp Mode for warping music containing beats, tones and textures
Clip scrub, nudge and improved transport controls
1.2.2 Organizational Tools for Files and Sets
File search function
Better browsing for les and folders
Live Clip format for easy storage and retrieval of clip and device settings
Import and export of Live Sets and their components directly from the Browser
Open Recent Set command
1.2.3 Clip and Track Enhancements
Track Freeze for conserving CPU resources and simplifying project sharing
1.2. WHAT'S NEW IN LIVE 5? 3
Track Delay controls to control for human, acoustic and hardware delays
Multi-selection clip editing
Clip deactivation option
1.2.4 Working with Arrangements
Launchable Arrangement Locators
New Arrangement Transport
Track I/O in the Arrangement View
1.2.5 Editing MIDI
Detailed and adaptive MIDI quantization options
Preview in the MIDI Editor
MIDI note deactivation option
1.2.6 MIDI and Key Remote Control
Mackie Control support
Improved mapping for the crossfader
1.2. WHAT'S NEW IN LIVE 5? 4
1.2.7 Resources
Valuable library of clips, device presets and Live Sets
Library expansion and customization with Live Packs
New interactive built-in program lessons
1.2.8 Live Effects and Instruments
Beat Repeat for reorganizing and shredding beats and vocals
Phaser and Flanger
Auto Pan for LFO-driven manipulation of amplitude and panning
Saturator for subtle-to-drastic distortion effects
Arpeggiator
New features for Simpler and Operator
1.2.9 Using Devices
Browser-based device preset management
Device groups for saving multi-effect combinations together with instruments
Device delay compensation for Live and plug-in instruments and effects
Live can receive MIDI messages from plug-ins
VST Plug-ins can be stored in various directories
1.2. WHAT'S NEW IN LIVE 5? 5
Ctrl
1.2.10 Miscellaneous
(PC) /
Zoom-adaptive or xed grid options
Count-in recording
Monitoring status easily visible when the In/Out section is hidden
Files, Sets and presets can be dragged into Live from the Explorer (Windows) / Finder
(Mac)
(Mac) context menus for many commands and settings
Chapter 2
First Steps
When you install Live and run it for the rst time, you will be presented with the Products
Preferences tab.
If you own Live, you can authorize your copy of the software by selecting it from the listed
products and clicking the Unlock button at the bottom of the window. Please see the chapter
on unlocking Live should you have questions or concerns that arise during the unlocking
process.
If you do not (yet) own Live, you can close the Preferences and proceed, as Live will run in
Demo Mode by default. In Demo Mode, you will be able to work with all of Live's features
with the exception of saving and exporting.
6
2.1. LEARN ABOUT LIVE 7
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 get familiar with the program very
quickly.
We also recommend that you read the Live Basics chapter, 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 Basics.
2.1.1 Using the Info View and Index
Live's Info View tells you the name and function of the user interface element currently under
the mouse.
2.2. SETTING UP PREFERENCES 8
If you require more information on a specic 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.
2.2 Setting up Preferences
The Info View.
Live's Preferences dialog is where you can nd various settings that govern how Live looks,
behaves and interfaces with the outside world. This dialog is accessed with the Options
menu's (Windows) / Live menu's (Mac OS X) Preferences entry.
Live's Preferences are distributed over several tabs:
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, choose
2.3. THE MAIN LIVE SCREEN 9
Lessons Table of Contents from the Help menu.
The MIDI/Sync Preferences are used to help Live recognize MIDI 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 chapter on
routing.
Controlling parts of the interface remotely. This subject is covered in detail in the
chapter on remote control.
Syncing the program with an external sequencer or drum machine, either as a
master or a slave. Please see the manual section on sync for details.
The Plug-In Preferences pertain to the use of plug-in virtual instruments and effects,
as described in the chapter on using plug-ins.
The Default Preferences allow customizing the default state for new projects and their
components, as well as selecting options for new recordings.
The Misc(ellaneous) Preferences include various options. Here, you can select Live's
system language and a color scheme, or skin, for the Live user interface.
The Products Preferences are used to manage licensing and installation of the Live
platform, and add-on components like the Operator instrument and Live Pack library
packages.
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. Each view manages a specic aspect of your project. As screen space is limited,
the Live views cannot all be up at the same time.
2.3. THE MAIN LIVE SCREEN 10
Each one of the selector buttons at the screen borders calls up a specic view; click this one,
for instance, to access the Live devices:
To hide one of Live's views and free up screen space, click on the triangle-shaped button
next to it. To restore the view, click the button again.
A View Selector.
A View Show/Hide
Button.
You can run Live in Full Screen Mode by selecting Full Screen from the View menu. To
leave Full Screen Mode, click the button that appears in the lower right corner of the screen.
Full Screen Mode can also be toggled by pressing the F11 key.
You can adjust the main window's horizontal split by dragging.
2.3. THE MAIN LIVE SCREEN 11
Adjusting the Main
Window Split.
Chapter 3
Unlocking 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 the customer. If
you nd 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.
Authorization of Ableton products takes place in the Preferences' Products tab, which will
appear when you start Live for the rst time.
Here you can choose to authorize (unlock) or purchase any Ableton products available to
you, for example the Operator instrument.
Please note that products such as Operator are sold separately from Live but are unlocked
using the same procedure described in the following sections. They can also be individually
set to Demo Mode in the Products tab so that you can try them out.
12
13
Clicking on any product listed in the Products tab will give you the option of unlocking or
buying that product. Please click the Unlock button here to complete the unlocking process
in two steps. If you have not yet purchased the product, you can do so online by clicking the
Buy button. You can always return to the Products Preferences tab later or visit the Ableton
webshop1to make a purchase. Live's Preferences are available via the Options menu (or
the Live menu in Mac OS X).
The Products Tab in the
Preferences.
1
http://www.ableton.com/shop
Selecting the Unlock
Button in the Products
Tab.
3.1. STEP 1: ENTERING YOUR SERIAL NUMBER 14
3.1 Step 1: Entering Your Serial Number
As an owner of Live, you have received a Serial Number from Ableton, either via e-mail (if
you ordered Live directly from Ableton), or on a card as part of the Live package.
After selecting Unlock in the Products tab, you will be presented with six elds for typing
in your Serial Number. Each eld holds four characters. The Serial Number is composed of
numbers 0..9 and letters A..F. If you accidentally type the wrong string into a eld, the eld
will turn red. When you have successfully entered the Serial Number, click the Ok button
to proceed.
The Serial Number identies your ownership of Live. Because your Serial Number is a
valuable good, you should keep it in a safe place and out of reach of unauthorized hands.
Please be aware that sharing your Serial Number will render it unusable. The only way for
Ableton technical support to help you get back your Serial Number if you lose it is via your
registration data. Therefore, please register your product2, as otherwise you might lose
your property!
The Fields for Entering
Your Serial Number.
3.2 Step 2: Unlocking Live
The second step of authorizing Live is called unlocking. Unlocking means associating
your Serial Number with a specic computer. 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, unlock
2
http://www.ableton.com/register
3.2. STEP 2: UNLOCKING LIVE 15
Live with your Serial Number more than once under the legal and technical conditions
described later.
3.2.1 The Unlock Key
For unlocking, you require an Unlock Key that can only be created by the Ableton server.
Unlocking therefore requires access to the Internet. The computer from which you connect
to the Internet does not have to be the same computer for which you wish to unlock Live,
but it does make things easier.
3.2.2 The Challenge Code
The Ableton server creates the Unlock Key from your Serial Number and a so-called Challenge Code. The Challenge Code is a ngerprint that Live takes of your computer's
components. For details, please see the corresponding section.
3.2.3 Unlocking Online
If the computer you want to unlock Live for is connected to the Internet, the only thing you
need to do is press the Unlock Online button. Live will then create a connection to the
Ableton server, send your Serial Number and Challenge Code, and receive the Unlock Key
Unlocking Live Online.
3.2. STEP 2: UNLOCKING LIVE 16
from the server. No information other than this is exchanged between your computer and
the Ableton server.
3.2.4 Unlocking Ofine
If the computer you want to unlock Live for is not connected to the Internet, you can use
any other computer to access the Ableton server's web interface3. This is a website with
elds for entering your Serial Number and the Challenge Code, which you can copy from
Live's Unlock dialog.
Unlocking Live Ofine.
3
http://www.ableton.com/unlock
The Live Unlocking Web
Site.
3.2. STEP 2: UNLOCKING LIVE 17
If you have entered your Serial Number and Challenge Code correctly, another website will
appear to provide you with the Unlock Key. There now are two options for transferring the
Unlock Key to the computer that is to be unlocked:
Follow the weblink to download the Unlock Key as a le. Transfer the le to the target
computer via a diskette or CD-ROM. Then, press the Unlock dialog's Load Unlock Key
button to load the Unlock Key le.
The Unlock Key Can Be
Downloaded as a Text
File.
OR it might be more convenient to print the webpage with the Unlock Key on it. On the
target computer, press the Enter Unlock Key button to open a dialog with elds for typing
in the Unlock Key. Typing it in is easier than it rst appears, because the elds will turn red
if you type the wrong string.
3.2. STEP 2: UNLOCKING LIVE 18
Manually Enter Your
Unlock Key.
3.3. COPY PROTECTION FAQS 19
3.3 Copy Protection FAQs
3.3.1 Can I Use Live or Other Ableton Products Without a Serial Number?
If you do not (yet) own Live, you can work with Live in Demo Mode. Demo Mode offers
Live's complete functionality, but saving and exporting are disabled.
Live will run in Demo Mode by default if it has not been authorized. You can try out other
Ableton products, such as the Operator instrument, by individually switching them to Demo
Mode in the Products tab of the Preferences.
Demo Mode can also be deactivated on a product-by-product basis in the Product Preferences.
If running Live or another product in Demo Mode raises your interest in purchasing it, please
select it from the Products Preferences tab and then click the Buy button, or visit the Ableton
webshop4. This site contains information about Ableton's distributor and dealer network.
It also offers you the opportunity to buy Ableton products online. Live's Preferences are
available via the Options menu (or the Live menu in Mac OS X).
4
http://www.ableton.com/shop
3.3. COPY PROTECTION FAQS 20
3.3.2 What if I Change My Computer's Components?
If the Challenge Code of your computer changes for some reason, Live will indeed ask
you to unlock the software another time. The Challenge Code does not change, however,
when computer peripherals are replaced (audio or MIDI hardware, printers, modems). The
Challenge Code may change if the motherboard, processor or network card is replaced. On
some computers, reformatting a hard drive also changes the Challenge Code.
Click Here if You Are
Interested in Buying
Live.
3.3.3 Can I Unlock Live More than Once?
The standard Live license allows you to use Live on only one computer at a time. However,
if you have registered your product5, the Ableton server will provide you with two Unlock
5
http://www.ableton.com/register
3.3. COPY PROTECTION FAQS 21
Keys in good faith that you will use Live on only one machine at a time. Just proceed as
described in the corresponding section.
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 Unlock Key, please contact
Ableton's technical support.
They can be reached by:
E-mail6;
Telephone: +49 (0)30 - 288 763 151 (available Monday to Friday 11 to 15hrs CET);
Fax: +49 (0)30 - 288 763 11.
To speed up the process, please:
Register your copy of Live7;
Include a brief explanation of the circumstances.
To use Live on more than one computer at a time, you require a secondary license or a site
license. Ableton offers these licenses at special rates. Please contact the sales team8for
details.
3.3.4 Can I Play my Set from a Computer That Is Not Unlocked?
In Demo Mode, you can 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
6
support@ableton.com
7
http://www.ableton.com/register
8
orders@ableton.com
3.3. COPY PROTECTION FAQS 22
program CD and a CD with 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).
3.3.5 How Can I Turn Demo Mode Off?
If Live is unlocked but other products are set to Demo Mode, Live will also run in Demo
Mode, and you will not be allowed to save or export your work. To turn Demo Mode off
in this case, activate the Hide option for each additional product in its respective Product
Preference page.
You can always choose to show a product again later, and then try out its features by using
them in Demo Mode.
Click Here to Hide a
Product's Features.
3.3. COPY PROTECTION FAQS 23
3.3.6 What Do I Do About Problems or Questions Regarding Copy Protection?
Please contact technical support9. They are happy to help!
9
support@ableton.com
Chapter 4
Live Basics
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 Live Sets
The type of document that you create and work on in Live is called a Live Set. Live Sets can
be opened either through the File menu's Open command or via the built-in File Browsers.
24
4.2. ARRANGEMENT AND SESSION 25
Pressing the Library button in Live's Browser will take you to Live's library of creative tools.
There are a number of starter Sets here; double-clicking a Live Set's name in the Browser
will open that Live Set.
4.2 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 bass line or a complete song. Live allows you to record and
alter clips, and to create larger musical structures from them: songs, 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 specied through a number of
settings.
A Live Set in the
Browser, Accessed via
the Library Button.
The Arrangement is accessed via the Arrangement View and the Session via the Session
Clips in the Session View
(Left) and in the
Arrangement View
(Right).
4.3. TRACKS 26
View; you can toggle between the two views using the computer's Tab key or their respective
selectors. Because the two views have distinct applications, they each hold individual
collections of clips. However, it is important to understand that ipping the views simply
changes the appearance of the Live Set and does not switch modes, alter what you hear or
change what is stored.
Arrangement and Session interact in useful (though potentially confusing) ways. One can,
for instance, improvise with Session clips and record a log of the improvisation into the
Arrangement for further renement. This works because Arrangement and Session are
connected via tracks.
The Arrangement and
Session View Selectors.
4.3 Tracks
Tracks host clips and also manage the ow of signals, the creation of new clips through
recording, sound synthesis, effects processing and mixing.
4.3. TRACKS 27
Session and Arrangement share the same set of tracks. The tracks are vertically laid out from
left to right in the Session View, and horizontally from top to bottom in the Arrangement
View. 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 so-called
scenes.
A Track in the
Arrangement View.
The exclusivity of clips in a track also implies that, at any on time, a track will either play 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
A Scene in the Session
View.
4.4. AUDIO AND MIDI 28
Arrangement playback until explicitly told to do so.
This is what the Back to Arrangement button, found in the Control Bar at the top of the
Live screen, is for. 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.
We can click this button to make all tracks go back to the Arrangement. Or, if we like what
we hear, we can capture the current state into the Arrangement by activating the Record
button. Disengaging Record Mode or stopping Live using the Stop button leaves us with
an altered Arrangement.
4.4 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 keyboards1.
It takes an instrument to convert MIDI signals into audio signals that can actually be heard.
Some instruments, such as Live's Simpler, are for chromatic playing of one sound via the
keyboard. Other instruments, such as Live's Impulse, have a different percussion sound
assigned to each keyboard key.
The Play, Stop, Record
and Back to
Arrangement Buttons.
Audio signals are recorded and played back using audio tracks, and MIDI signals are
1
For an introduction to digital audio and MIDI, please see http://img.uoregon.edu/emi/emi.php and
http://www.midi.org/
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