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Ableton Reference Manual Version 9
for Windows and Mac OS
Reference Manual by Dennis DeSantis, Ian Gallagher, Kevin Haywood, Rose Knudsen, Gerhard
Behles, Jakob Rang, Robert Henke, Torsten Slama.
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Schönhauser Allee 6-7 | 10119 Berlin, Germany
Contact Support: www.ableton.com/support/contact
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Copyright 2016 Ableton AG. All rights reserved. Made in Germany.
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. Every effort has been made to ensure that the
information in this manual is accurate. 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, 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, GarageBand, Mac, Macintosh, Mac OS
and QuickTime are trademarks of Apple Inc, registered in the U.S. and other countries. Finder is a trademark of Apple Inc.
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
Physical Modeling technology provided by:
Applied Acoustics Systems — www.applied-acoustics.com
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Contents
Welcome to Live 19
1.1 The Ableton Team Says: Thank You ……………………………………………………………………19
1.2 What’s New in Live 9? ……………………………………………………………………………………19
1.2.1 Dual Monitor Support ................................................................................................19
1.2.2 Session View Automation ......................................................................................... 20
1.2.3 Envelope Editing Improvements ............................................................................... 20
1.2.4 Envelope Curves ....................................................................................................... 20
1.2.5 MIDI Editing Improvements ...................................................................................... 20
1.2.6 Improved Keyboard Workflow .................................................................................21
1.2.7 Redesigned Browser ..................................................................................................21
1.2.8 Convert Harmony, Melody, or Drums to MIDI ........................................................21
1.2.9 Consolidate Time to New Scene ............................................................................. 22
1.2.10 Default Presets for MIDI and Audio Tracks .............................................................. 22
1.2.11 Default Presets for Plug-in Parameter Configurations ............................................. 22
1.2.12 Improved Waveforms ............................................................................................... 22
1.2.13 Improved Meters ....................................................................................................... 22
1.2.14 Improved Coloring .................................................................................................... 22
1.2.15 Device Improvements ................................................................................................ 23
1.2.16 Rendering Improvements .......................................................................................... 23
1.2.17 Ableton Push and Push 2 .......................................................................................... 24
1.2.18 Ableton Link ............................................................................................................... 24
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First Steps 25
2.1 Learn About Live ………………………………………………………………………………………… 25
2.1.1 Using the Info View and Index ................................................................................. 25
2.2 Setting up Preferences ………………………………………………………………………………… 26
2.3 The Main Live Screen …………………………………………………………………………………… 27
Authorizing Live 31
3.1 Copy Protection FAQs ……………………………………………………………………………………31
3.1.1 Can I Use Live or Other Ableton Products Without a Serial Number? ..................31
3.1.2 What if I Change My Computer’s Components? ................................................... 32
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3.1.3 Can I Authorize Live More than Once?................................................................... 32
3.1.4 Can I Play my Set from a Computer That Is Not Authorized?................................ 32
3.1.5 What Do I Do About Problems or Questions Regarding Copy Protection? ......... 33
Live Concepts 35
4.1 The Browser ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 35
4.2 Live Sets …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 36
4.3 Arrangement and Session …………………………………………………………………………… 36
4.4 Tracks ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 37
4.5 Audio and MIDI ………………………………………………………………………………………… 40
4.6 Audio Clips and Samples ……………………………………………………………………………… 40
4.7 MIDI Clips and MIDI Files …………………………………………………………………………… 42
4.8 Devices and the Mixer ………………………………………………………………………………… 43
4.9 Presets and Racks ………………………………………………………………………………………… 46
4.10 Routing ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 46
4.11 Recording New Clips …………………………………………………………………………………… 47
4.12 Automation Envelopes ………………………………………………………………………………… 48
4.13 Clip Envelopes …………………………………………………………………………………………… 49
4.14 MIDI and Key Remote ………………………………………………………………………………… 50
4.15 Saving and Exporting ……………………………………………………………………………………51
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Managing Files and Sets 53
5.1 Working with the Browser …………………………………………………………………………… 53
5.1.1 Understanding the Browser’s Hierarchy .................................................................. 54
5.1.2 User Folders ............................................................................................................... 56
5.1.3 Searching for Files ..................................................................................................... 57
5.2 Sample Files …………………………………………………………………………………………………61
5.2.1 The Decoding Cache .................................................................................................61
5.2.2 Analysis Files (.asd) ................................................................................................... 62
5.2.3 Exporting Audio and Video ...................................................................................... 63
5.3 MIDI Files ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 69
5.3.1 Exporting MIDI Files ................................................................................................. 69
5.4 Live Clips …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 69
5.5 Live Sets ………………………………………………………………………………………………………71
5.5.1 Creating, Opening and Saving Sets ........................................................................71
5.5.2 Merging Sets ..............................................................................................................71
5.5.3 Exporting Session Clips as New Sets .......................................................................73
5.5.4 Template Sets ..............................................................................................................73
5.5.5 Viewing and Changing a Live Set’s File References ................................................74
5.6 Live Projects ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 76
5.6.1 Projects and Live Sets .................................................................................................76
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5.6.2 Projects and Presets ................................................................................................... 79
5.6.3 Managing Files in a Project ...................................................................................... 79
5.7 Locating Missing Files ………………………………………………………………………………… 80
5.7.1 Manual Repair .......................................................................................................... 80
5.7.2 Automatic Repair ........................................................................................................81
5.8 Collecting External Files ……………………………………………………………………………… 82
5.8.1 Collect Files on Export .............................................................................................. 83
5.9 Aggregated Locating and Collecting ……………………………………………………………… 84
5.10 Finding Unused Files …………………………………………………………………………………… 84
5.11 Packing Projects into Packs …………………………………………………………………………… 85
5.12 File Management FAQs ……………………………………………………………………………… 85
5.12.1 How Do I Create a Project? ..................................................................................... 85
5.12.2 How Can I Save Presets Into My Current Project? ................................................. 86
5.12.3 Can I Work On Multiple Versions of a Set? ............................................................ 86
5.12.4 Where Should I Save My Live Sets? ........................................................................ 86
5.12.5 Can I Use My Own Folder Structure Within a Project Folder? .............................. 86
Arrangement View 89
6.1 Navigation ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 89
6.2 Transport ………………………………………………………………………………………………………91
6.3 Launching the Arrangement with Locators ……………………………………………………… 93
6.4 Time Signature Changes ……………………………………………………………………………… 94
6.5 The Arrangement Loop ………………………………………………………………………………… 96
6.6 Moving and Resizing Clips …………………………………………………………………………… 97
6.7 Audio Clip Fades and Crossfades ………………………………………………………………… 98
6.8 Selecting Clips and Time ……………………………………………………………………………… 100
6.9 Using the Editing Grid ………………………………………………………………………………… 102
6.10 Using the ...Time Commands ………………………………………………………………………… 103
6.11 Splitting Clips ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 104
6.12 Consolidating Clips ……………………………………………………………………………………… 104
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Session View 107
7.1 Session View Clips ……………………………………………………………………………………… 107
7.2 Tracks and Scenes ……………………………………………………………………………………… 109
7.3 The Track Status Fields ………………………………………………………………………………… 111
7.4 Setting Up the Session View Grid …………………………………………………………………… 112
7.4.1 Select on Launch ...................................................................................................... 113
7.4.2 Removing Clip Stop Buttons .................................................................................... 113
7.4.3 Editing Scenes .......................................................................................................... 113
7.5 Recording Sessions into the Arrangement ………………………………………………………… 114
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Clip View 117
8.1 The Clip Box ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 12 0
8.1.1 Clip Activator Switch ............................................................................................... 120
8.1.2 Clip Name and Color .............................................................................................. 121
8.1.3 Clip Signature ........................................................................................................... 121
8.1.4 Clip Groove Chooser ..............................................................................................121
8.1.5 Clip Offset and Nudging .........................................................................................12 2
8.2 The Sample Box ………………………………………………………………………………………… 12 3
8.2.1 Warp Controls ..........................................................................................................123
8.2.2 Sample Loop/Region and Display .........................................................................124
8.2.3 Clip Pitch and Gain ................................................................................................. 130
8.2.4 Destructive Sample Editing ..................................................................................... 13 0
8.2.5 Saving Default Clip Settings with the Sample ........................................................ 131
8.2.6 High Quality Interpolation ......................................................................................131
8.2.7 Clip Start and End Fades .........................................................................................132
8.2.8 Clip RAM Mode .......................................................................................................133
8.2.9 Reversing Samples ...................................................................................................133
8.2.10 Cropping Audio Clips ..............................................................................................134
8.2.11 Replacing and Editing the Sample ..........................................................................134
8.3 The Notes Box …………………………………………………………………………………………… 13 5
8.3.1 Transform Tools ........................................................................................................ 13 5
8.3.2 Bank and Program Change .................................................................................... 13 6
8.3.3 MIDI Loop/Region ................................................................................................. 136
8.4 Clip Defaults and Update Rate ……………………………………………………………………… 13 6
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Audio Clips, Tempo, and Warping 137
9.1 Tempo ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 13 7
9.1.1 Setting the Tempo .....................................................................................................137
9.1.2 Tapping the Tempo .................................................................................................. 13 8
9.1.3 Nudging the Tempo ................................................................................................ 13 8
9.2 Time-Warping Samples ……………………………………………………………………………… 139
9.2.1 Tempo Master/Slave .............................................................................................. 140
9.2.2 Warp Markers ......................................................................................................... 14 0
9.2.3 Using Warp Markers .............................................................................................. 143
9.2.4 Quantizing Audio .................................................................................................... 149
9.3 Adjusting for Good Stretching Quality …………………………………………………………… 14 9
9.3.1 Beats Mode ............................................................................................................. 15 0
9.3.2 Tones Mode ..............................................................................................................151
9.3.3 Texture Mode............................................................................................................151
9.3.4 Re-Pitch Mode .......................................................................................................... 151
9.3.5 Complex Mode ........................................................................................................ 151
9.3.6 Complex Pro Mode ................................................................................................ 152
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9.3.7 REX Mode ................................................................................................................ 152
Editing MIDI Notes and Velocities 155
10.1 Creating an Empty MIDI Clip ………………………………………………………………………… 15 5
10.2 The MIDI Editor …………………………………………………………………………………………… 15 6
10.3 MIDI Editor Navigation and Transport …………………………………………………………… 158
10.4 Editing MIDI ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 160
10.4.1 Non-Destructive Editing .......................................................................................... 160
10.4.2 Folding and Looping ............................................................................................... 16 0
10.4.3 Grid Snapping..........................................................................................................161
10.4.4 Editing Notes ........................................................................................................... 162
10.4.5 Changing Note Length ........................................................................................... 16 3
10.4.6 The ...Time Commands in the MIDI Editor .............................................................164
10.4.7 Quantizing Notes .................................................................................................... 164
10.4.8 Editing Velocities ..................................................................................................... 165
10.4.9 MIDI Note Stretch ................................................................................................... 167
10.4.10 Cropping MIDI Clips ..............................................................................................168
10.4.11 Deactivating Notes ................................................................................................. 168
10.4.12 The Transform Tools ................................................................................................. 169
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Converting Audio to MIDI 171
11.1 Slice to New MIDI Track ……………………………………………………………………………… 171
11.1.1 Resequencing Slices .................................................................................................173
11.1.2 Using Effects on Slices .............................................................................................173
11.2 Convert Harmony to New MIDI Track …………………………………………………………… 174
11.3 Convert Melody to New MIDI Track ……………………………………………………………… 174
11.4 Convert Drums to New MIDI Track ………………………………………………………………… 175
11.5 Optimizing for Better Conversion Quality………………………………………………………… 175
Using Grooves 177
12.1 Groove Pool ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 178
12.1.1 Adjusting Groove Parameters ................................................................................ 179
12.1.2 Committing Grooves ............................................................................................... 18 0
12.2 Editing Grooves ………………………………………………………………………………………… 181
12.2.1 Extracting Grooves ...................................................................................................181
12.3 Groove Tips ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 181
12.3.1 Grooving a Single Voice ........................................................................................ 182
12.3.2 Non-Destructive Quantization ............................................................................... 18 2
12.3.3 Creating Texture With Randomization ................................................................... 182
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Launching Clips 183
13.1 The Launch Box …………………………………………………………………………………………… 183
13.2 Launch Modes …………………………………………………………………………………………… 184
13.3 Clip Launch Quantization……………………………………………………………………………… 185
13.4 Velocity ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 18 5
13.5 Legato Mode ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 186
13.6 Follow Actions …………………………………………………………………………………………… 186
13.6.1 Looping Parts of a Clip ........................................................................................... 188
13.6.2 Creating Cycles ....................................................................................................... 189
13.6.3 Temporarily Looping Clips ...................................................................................... 189
13.6.4 Adding Variations in Sync ...................................................................................... 190
13.6.5 Mixing up Melodies and Beats .............................................................................. 19 0
13.6.6 Creating Nonrepetitive Structures ...........................................................................191
Routing and I/O 193
14.1 Monitoring ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 194
14.2 External Audio In/Out ………………………………………………………………………………… 195
14.2.1 Mono/Stereo Conversions .................................................................................... 195
14.3 External MIDI In/Out ………………………………………………………………………………… 196
14.3.1 The MIDI Ports List in the Preferences ..................................................................... 19 6
14.3.2 Playing MIDI With the Computer Keyboard ......................................................... 196
14.3.3 Connecting External Synthesizers .......................................................................... 197
14.3.4 MIDI In/Out Indicators .......................................................................................... 198
14.4 ReWire Slave Routing ………………………………………………………………………………… 198
14.5 Resampling ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 200
14.6 Internal Routings ………………………………………………………………………………………… 201
14.6.1 Internal Routing Points .............................................................................................202
14.6.2 Making Use of Internal Routing .............................................................................204
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Mixing 213
15.1 The Live Mixer …………………………………………………………………………………………… 213
15.1.1 Session Mixer Features ............................................................................................216
15.2 Audio and MIDI Tracks ………………………………………………………………………………… 217
15.3 Group Tracks ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 218
15.4 Return Tracks and the Master Track …………………………………………………………………220
15.5 Using Live’s Crossfader ………………………………………………………………………………… 2 21
15.6 Soloing and Cueing …………………………………………………………………………………… 224
15.7 Track Delays ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 225
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Recording New Clips 227
16.1 Choosing an Input ……………………………………………………………………………………… 227
16.2 Arming (Record-Enabling) Tracks …………………………………………………………………… 228
16.3 Recording ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 229
16.3.1 Recording Into the Arrangement ............................................................................ 229
16.3.2 Recording Into Session Slots ...................................................................................230
16.3.3 Overdub Recording MIDI Patterns .........................................................................231
16.3.4 MIDI Step Recording ..............................................................................................232
16.4 Recording in Sync ………………………………………………………………………………………233
16.5 Recording Quantized MIDI Notes …………………………………………………………………234
16.6 Recording with Count-in ………………………………………………………………………………235
16.7 Setting up File Types ……………………………………………………………………………………236
16.8 Where are the Recorded Samples? ………………………………………………………………… 236
16.9 Using Remote Control for Recording ……………………………………………………………… 236
Working with Instruments and Effects 239
17.1 Using the Live Devices ………………………………………………………………………………… 241
17.1.1 Live Device Presets ..................................................................................................244
17.2 Using Plug-Ins …………………………………………………………………………………………… 249
17.2.1 Plug-Ins in the Device View ....................................................................................250
17.3 VST Plug-Ins ………………………………………………………………………………………………254
17.3.1 The VST Plug-In Folder ............................................................................................ 254
17.3.2 VST Programs and Banks ........................................................................................256
17.4 Audio Units Plug-Ins …………………………………………………………………………………… 257
17.5 Device Delay Compensation …………………………………………………………………………258
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Instrument, Drum and Effect Racks 261
18.1 An Overview of Racks ………………………………………………………………………………… 262
18.1.1 Signal Flow and Parallel Device Chains ...............................................................262
18.1.2 Macro Controls .......................................................................................................263
18.2 Creating Racks ……………………………………………………………………………………………263
18.3 Looking at Racks …………………………………………………………………………………………264
18.4 Chain List ……………………………………………………………………………………………………266
18.4.1 Auto Select ...............................................................................................................267
18.5 Zones ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 268
18.5.1 Signal Flow through Zones .....................................................................................268
18.5.2 Key Zones ................................................................................................................269
18.5.3 Velocity Zones ......................................................................................................... 270
18.5.4 Chain Select Zones ................................................................................................. 270
18.6 Drum Racks ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 272
18.6.1 Pad View ...................................................................................................................274
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18.7 Using the Macro Controls …………………………………………………………………………… 276
18.8 Mixing With Racks ……………………………………………………………………………………… 277
18.8.1 Extracting Chains .................................................................................................... 278
Automation and Editing Envelopes 281
19.1 Recording Automation in Arrangement View …………………………………………………… 2 81
19.2 Recording Automation in Session View ……………………………………………………………282
19.2.1 Session Automation Recording Modes .................................................................284
19.3 Deleting Automation …………………………………………………………………………………… 284
19.4 Overriding Automation ………………………………………………………………………………… 284
19.5 Drawing and Editing Automation …………………………………………………………………… 285
19.5.1 Drawing Envelopes ................................................................................................. 287
19.5.2 Editing Breakpoints ..................................................................................................287
19.5.3 Locking Envelopes ...................................................................................................289
19.5.4 Edit Menu Commands ............................................................................................289
19.5.5 Editing the Tempo Automation................................................................................290
Clip Envelopes 291
20.1 The Clip Envelope Editor ……………………………………………………………………………… 291
20.2 Audio Clip Envelopes …………………………………………………………………………………… 293
20.2.1 Clip Envelopes are Non-Destructive ..................................................................... 293
20.2.2 Changing Pitch and Tuning per Note .................................................................... 293
20.2.3 Muting or Attenuating Notes in a Sample ............................................................ 295
20.2.4 Scrambling Beats .................................................................................................... 295
20.2.5 Using Clips as Templates ........................................................................................ 296
20.3 Mixer and Device Clip Envelopes ………………………………………………………………… 296
20.3.1 Modulating Mixer Volumes and Sends ................................................................. 297
20.3.2 Modulating Pan ....................................................................................................... 298
20.3.3 Modulating Device Controls .................................................................................. 298
20.4 MIDI Controller Clip Envelopes ……………………………………………………………………… 298
20.5 Unlinking Clip Envelopes From Clips ……………………………………………………………… 299
20.5.1 Programming a Fade-Out for a Live Set ................................................................299
20.5.2 Creating Long Loops from Short Loops .................................................................300
20.5.3 Imposing Rhythm Patterns onto Samples ............................................................... 3 01
20.5.4 Clip Envelopes as LFOs .......................................................................................... 302
20.5.5 Warping Linked Envelopes .....................................................................................302
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Working with Video 303
21.1 Importing Video …………………………………………………………………………………………303
21.2 The Appearance of Video in Live ……………………………………………………………………304
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21.2.1 Video Clips in the Arrangement View ....................................................................304
21.2.2 The Video Window .................................................................................................305
21.2.3 Clip View .................................................................................................................305
21.3 Matching Sound to Video ……………………………………………………………………………306
21.4 Video Trimming Tricks …………………………………………………………………………………… 307
Live Audio Effect Reference 311
22.1 Amp ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 311
22.1.1 Amp Tips ................................................................................................................... 313
22.2 Auto Filter ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 314
22.3 Auto Pan …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 317
22.4 Beat Repeat ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 318
22.5 Cabinet ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 320
22.5.1 Cabinet Tips .............................................................................................................. 321
22.6 Chorus ………………………………………………………………………………………………………322
22.7 Compressor ………………………………………………………………………………………………324
22.7.1 Sidechain Parameters .............................................................................................328
22.7.2 Compression Tips .................................................................................................... 329
22.7.3 Upgrading from Legacy Mode ..............................................................................330
22.8 Corpus ………………………………………………………………………………………………………330
22.9 Dynamic Tube …………………………………………………………………………………………… 334
22.10 EQ Eight …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 335
22.11 EQ Three ……………………………………………………………………………………………………338
22.12 Erosion ………………………………………………………………………………………………………340
22.13 External Audio Effect …………………………………………………………………………………… 341
22.14 Filter Delay ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 342
22.15 Flanger ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 344
22.16 Frequency Shifter ………………………………………………………………………………………… 345
22.16.1 Frequency Shifter Tips ............................................................................................. 347
22.17 Gate ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 348
22.18 Glue Compressor ………………………………………………………………………………………… 350
22.18.1 Sidechain Parameters ............................................................................................. 352
22.19 Grain Delay ………………………………………………………………………………………………353
22.20 Limiter ………………………………………………………………………………………………………355
22.21 Looper ………………………………………………………………………………………………………356
22.21.1 Feedback Routing ....................................................................................................360
22.22 Multiband Dynamics …………………………………………………………………………………… 3 61
22.22.1 Dynamics Processing Theory .................................................................................. 362
22.22.2 Interface and Controls ............................................................................................363
22.22.3 Sidechain Parameters .............................................................................................365
22.22.4 Multiband Dynamics Tips .......................................................................................366
22.23 Overdrive …………………………………………………………………………………………………367
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22.24 Phaser ………………………………………………………………………………………………………368
22.25 Ping Pong Delay …………………………………………………………………………………………370
22.26 Redux ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 371
22.27 Resonators ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 372
22.28 Reverb ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 374
22.28.1 Input Processing ........................................................................................................374
22.28.2 Early Reflections .......................................................................................................374
22.28.3 Global Settings ........................................................................................................ 375
22.28.4 Diffusion Network ................................................................................................... 375
22.28.5 Output ...................................................................................................................... 376
22.29 Saturator …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 376
22.30 Simple Delay ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 378
22.31 Spectrum …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 379
22.32 Tuner ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 3 81
22.33 Utility …………………………………………………………………………………………………………383
22.34 Vinyl Distortion ……………………………………………………………………………………………385
22.35 Vocoder ……………………………………………………………………………………………………386
22.35.1 Vocoder Tips ............................................................................................................388
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Live MIDI Effect Reference 391
23.1 Arpeggiator ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 391
23.1.1 Style and Rate Sections .......................................................................................... 392
23.1.2 Transposition and Velocity Sections .......................................................................394
23.2 Chord ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 395
23.3 Note Length ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 396
23.4 Pitch …………………………………………………………………………………………………………397
23.5 Random ……………………………………………………………………………………………………398
23.6 Scale …………………………………………………………………………………………………………399
23.7 Velocity ………………………………………………………………………………………………………400
Live Instrument Reference 403
24.1 Analog ………………………………………………………………………………………………………403
24.1.1 Architecture and Interface ......................................................................................404
24.1.2 Oscillators ................................................................................................................ 405
24.1.3 Noise Generator .....................................................................................................406
24.1.4 Filters ........................................................................................................................ 407
24.1.5 Amplifiers ................................................................................................................. 408
24.1.6 Envelopes .................................................................................................................409
24.1.7 LFOs .......................................................................................................................... 411
24.1.8 Global Parameters ...................................................................................................412
24.2 Collision …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 414
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24.2.1 Architecture and Interface .......................................................................................414
24.2.2 Excitator Tab .............................................................................................................415
24.2.3 Resonator Tabs .........................................................................................................417
24.2.4 LFO Tab .....................................................................................................................421
24.2.5 MIDI Tab .................................................................................................................. 422
24.2.6 Sound Design Tips ................................................................................................... 424
24.3 Electric ………………………………………………………………………………………………………425
24.3.1 Architecture and Interface ...................................................................................... 426
24.3.2 Mallet Section ......................................................................................................... 426
24.3.3 Fork Section ............................................................................................................. 427
24.3.4 Damper Section ....................................................................................................... 427
24.3.5 Pickup Section ......................................................................................................... 428
24.3.6 Global Section ........................................................................................................ 428
24.4 External Instrument ……………………………………………………………………………………… 429
24.5 Impulse ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 4 31
24.5.1 Sample Slots ............................................................................................................ 4 31
24.5.2 Start, Transpose and Stretch ...................................................................................432
24.5.3 Filter ..........................................................................................................................433
24.5.4 Saturator and Envelope .......................................................................................... 433
24.5.5 Pan and Volume ...................................................................................................... 433
24.5.6 Global Controls .......................................................................................................433
24.5.7 Individual Outputs ................................................................................................... 434
24.6 Operator …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 434
24.6.1 General Overview .................................................................................................. 434
24.6.2 Oscillator Section .................................................................................................... 436
24.6.3 LFO Section .............................................................................................................439
24.6.4 Envelopes .................................................................................................................440
24.6.5 Filter Section ............................................................................................................ 442
24.6.6 Global Controls ....................................................................................................... 444
24.6.7 Glide and Spread ................................................................................................... 445
24.6.8 Strategies for Saving CPU Power ..........................................................................445
24.6.9 Finally... .................................................................................................................... 446
24.6.10 The Complete Parameter List...................................................................................446
24.7 Sampler ……………………………………………………………………………………………………456
24.7.1 Getting Started with Sampler ................................................................................. 456
24.7.2 Multisampling ..........................................................................................................456
24.7.3 Title Bar Options ...................................................................................................... 457
24.7.4 Sampler’s Tabs.........................................................................................................458
24.7.5 The Zone Tab ...........................................................................................................459
24.7.6 The Sample Tab ....................................................................................................... 465
24.7.7 The Pitch/Osc Tab ................................................................................................... 472
24.7.8 The Filter/Global Tab ............................................................................................. 4 74
24.7.9 The Modulation Tab ................................................................................................ 478
13
Page 14
24.7.10 The MIDI Tab ........................................................................................................... 481
24.7.11 Importing Third-Party Multisamples ....................................................................... 4 81
24.8 Simpler ………………………………………………………………………………………………………482
24.8.1 Playback Modes ..................................................................................................... 483
24.8.2 Warp Controls .........................................................................................................488
24.8.3 Filter ..........................................................................................................................489
24.8.4 Envelopes .................................................................................................................4 91
24.8.5 LFO ...........................................................................................................................492
24.8.6 Global Parameters .................................................................................................. 493
24.8.7 Context Menu Options ........................................................................................... 494
24.8.8 Strategies for Saving CPU Power .......................................................................... 495
24.9 Tension ……………………………………………………………………………………………………… 496
24.9.1 Architecture and Interface ...................................................................................... 496
24.9.2 String Tab ................................................................................................................. 497
24.9.3 Filter/Global Tab ....................................................................................................504
24.9.4 Sound Design Tips ................................................................................................... 507
Max for Live 509
25.1 Installing and Authorizing Max for Live …………………………………………………………… 509
25.2 Using Max for Live Devices …………………………………………………………………………… 510
25.3 Editing Max for Live Devices ………………………………………………………………………… 5 11
25.4 Max Dependencies …………………………………………………………………………………… 512
25.5 Learning Max Programming ………………………………………………………………………… 513
14
MIDI and Key Remote Control 515
26.1 MIDI Remote Control …………………………………………………………………………………… 515
26.1.1 Natively Supported Control Surfaces ....................................................................516
26.1.2 Manual Control Surface Setup ...............................................................................518
26.1.3 Takeover Mode ........................................................................................................519
26.2 The Mapping Browser …………………………………………………………………………………520
26.2.1 Assigning MIDI Remote Control ............................................................................. 520
26.2.2 Mapping to MIDI Notes .......................................................................................... 5 21
26.2.3 Mapping to Absolute MIDI Controllers ................................................................. 522
26.2.4 Mapping to Relative MIDI Controllers .................................................................. 522
26.2.5 Computer Keyboard Remote Control .................................................................... 525
Using Push 527
27.1 Setup ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 528
27.2 Browsing and Loading Sounds ……………………………………………………………………… 528
27.3 Playing and Programming Beats ……………………………………………………………………530
Page 15
27.3.1 64-Pad Mode ......................................................................................................... 531
27.3.2 Loading Individual Drums .......................................................................................532
27.3.3 Step Sequencing Beats ........................................................................................... 533
27.3.4 Real-time Recording ................................................................................................536
27.3.5 Fixed Length Recording ..........................................................................................538
27.4 Additional Recording Options ………………………………………………………………………540
27.4.1 Recording with Repeat ............................................................................................540
27.4.2 Quantizing ............................................................................................................... 541
27.5 Playing Melodies and Harmonies ………………………………………………………………… 542
27.5.1 Playing in Other Keys ..............................................................................................544
27.6 Step Sequencing Melodies and Harmonies ……………………………………………………546
27.6.1 Adjusting the Loop Length.......................................................................................548
27.7 Navigating in Note Mode …………………………………………………………………………… 549
27.8 Controlling Live’s Instruments and Effects …………………………………………………………550
27.9 Mixing with Push ………………………………………………………………………………………… 5 51
27.10 Recording Automation …………………………………………………………………………………553
27.11 Step Sequencing Automation ………………………………………………………………………… 554
27.11.1 Note-Specific Parameters ......................................................................................554
27.11.2 Per-Step Automation ............................................................................................... 555
27.12 Controlling Live’s Session View ………………………………………………………………………556
27.12.1 Session Overview ...................................................................................................557
27.13 Setting User Preferences ………………………………………………………………………………558
27.14 Push Control Reference …………………………………………………………………………………560
15
Using Push 2 575
28.1 Setup ………………………………………………………………………………………………………… 576
28.2 Browsing and Loading Sounds ……………………………………………………………………… 576
28.3 Playing and Programming Beats …………………………………………………………………… 579
28.3.1 64-Pad Mode ......................................................................................................... 5 81
28.3.2 Loading Individual Drums ....................................................................................... 582
28.3.3 Step Sequencing Beats ........................................................................................... 584
28.3.4 Real-time Recording ................................................................................................ 587
28.3.5 Fixed Length Recording ..........................................................................................589
28.4 Additional Recording Options ………………………………………………………………………590
28.4.1 Recording with Repeat ............................................................................................590
28.4.2 Quantizing ............................................................................................................... 5 91
28.4.3 Arrangement Recording ..........................................................................................592
28.5 Playing Melodies and Harmonies ………………………………………………………………… 592
28.5.1 Playing in Other Keys ..............................................................................................594
28.6 Step Sequencing Melodies and Harmonies …………………………………………………… 596
28.6.1 Adjusting the Loop Length.......................................................................................597
28.7 Working with Samples …………………………………………………………………………………599
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28.7.1 Classic Mode .......................................................................................................... 601
28.7.2 One-Shot Mode ...................................................................................................... 603
28.7.3 Slicing Mode ...........................................................................................................604
28.8 Navigating in Note Mode …………………………………………………………………………… 606
28.9 Working With Instruments and Effects …………………………………………………………… 607
28.9.1 Adding, Deleting, and Reordering Devices ..........................................................609
28.9.2 Working with Racks ................................................................................................. 611
28.10 Track Control And Mixing …………………………………………………………………………… 613
28.10.1 Rack and Group Track Mixing ................................................................................616
28.11 Recording Automation ………………………………………………………………………………… 617
28.12 Step Sequencing Automation ………………………………………………………………………… 618
28.12.1 Note-Specific Parameters .......................................................................................618
28.12.2 Per-Step Automation ................................................................................................619
28.13 Clip Mode ………………………………………………………………………………………………… 619
28.14 Controlling Live’s Session View ……………………………………………………………………… 621
28.14.1 Session Overview ...................................................................................................622
28.15 Setup Menu ……………………………………………………………………………………………… 623
28.16 Push 2 Control Reference ……………………………………………………………………………… 625
16
Link, Synchronization, and ReWire 633
29.1 Using Ableton Link ……………………………………………………………………………………… 633
29.1.1 Setting up Link..........................................................................................................633
29.2 Synchronizing via MIDI………………………………………………………………………………… 635
29.2.1 Synchronizing External MIDI Devices to Live .......................................................636
29.2.2 Synchronizing Live to External MIDI Devices .......................................................636
29.2.3 Sync Delay............................................................................................................... 637
29.3 Connecting via ReWire ………………………………………………………………………………… 638
29.3.1 Running Live in ReWire Master Mode ...................................................................639
29.3.2 Running Live in ReWire Slave Mode .....................................................................639
29.3.3 More on ReWire .....................................................................................................640
Computer Audio Resources and Strategies 641
30.1 Managing the CPU Load ……………………………………………………………………………… 6 41
30.1.1 CPU Load from Multichannel Audio ...................................................................... 642
30.1.2 CPU Load from Tracks and Devices .......................................................................642
30.1.3 Track Freeze .............................................................................................................643
30.2 Managing the Disk Load ………………………………………………………………………………645
Audio Fact Sheet 647
31.1 Testing and Methodology ……………………………………………………………………………647
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31.2 Neutral Operations ……………………………………………………………………………………… 647
31.2.1 Undithered Rendering .............................................................................................648
31.2.2 Matching sample rate/no transposition................................................................649
31.2.3 Unstretched Beats/Tones/Texture/Re-Pitch Warping .........................................649
31.2.4 Summing at Single Mix Points ................................................................................649
31.2.5 Recording external signals (bit depth >/= A/D converter) .................................650
31.2.6 Recording internal sources at 32 bit ......................................................................650
31.2.7 Freeze, Flatten .........................................................................................................650
31.2.8 Bypassed Effects ...................................................................................................... 6 51
31.2.9 Routing ..................................................................................................................... 651
31.2.10 Splitting Clips ........................................................................................................... 652
31.3 Non-Neutral Operations ………………………………………………………………………………652
31.3.1 Playback in Complex and Complex Pro Mode ....................................................652
31.3.2 Sample rate conversion/transposition ..................................................................653
31.3.3 Volume Automation .................................................................................................653
31.3.4 Dithering ...................................................................................................................653
31.3.5 Recording external signals (bit depth < A/D converter)......................................654
31.3.6 Recording internal sources below 32 bit ...............................................................654
31.3.7 Consolidate .............................................................................................................654
31.3.8 Clip fades .................................................................................................................654
31.3.9 Panning ....................................................................................................................655
31.3.10 Grooves ...................................................................................................................655
31.4 Tips for Achieving Optimal Sound Quality in Live ………………………………………………655
31.5 Summary and Conclusions ……………………………………………………………………………656
17
MIDI Fact Sheet 657
32.1 Ideal MIDI Behavior …………………………………………………………………………………… 657
32.2 MIDI Timing Problems …………………………………………………………………………………658
32.3 Live’s MIDI Solutions ……………………………………………………………………………………658
32.4 Variables Outside of Live’s Control …………………………………………………………………659
32.5 Tips for Achieving Optimal MIDI Performance …………………………………………………662
32.6 Summary and Conclusions ……………………………………………………………………………663
Live Keyboard Shortcuts 665
33.1 Showing and Hiding Views …………………………………………………………………………… 665
33.2 Accessing Menus ………………………………………………………………………………………… 666
33.3 Adjusting Values …………………………………………………………………………………………666
33.4 Browsing ……………………………………………………………………………………………………666
33.5 Transport …………………………………………………………………………………………………… 667
33.6 Editing ………………………………………………………………………………………………………667
33.7 Loop Brace and Start/End Markers ………………………………………………………………668
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33.8 Session View Commands ……………………………………………………………………………… 669
33.9 Arrangement View Commands ………………………………………………………………………669
33.10 Commands for Tracks …………………………………………………………………………………… 670
33.11 Commands for Breakpoint Envelopes ……………………………………………………………… 670
33.12 Key/MIDI Map Mode and the Computer MIDI Keyboard ………………………………… 671
33.13 Zooming, Display and Selections …………………………………………………………………… 6 71
33.14 Clip View Sample Display …………………………………………………………………………… 6 71
33.15 Clip View MIDI Editor ………………………………………………………………………………… 672
33.16 Grid Snapping and Drawing ………………………………………………………………………… 672
33.17 Global Quantization …………………………………………………………………………………… 673
33.18 Working with Sets and the Program ……………………………………………………………… 673
33.19 Working with Plug-Ins and Devices ………………………………………………………………… 6 74
33.20 Using the Context Menu ……………………………………………………………………………… 6 74
Index 675
18
Page 19
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.
19 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 9?
1.2.1 Dual Monitor Support
Live can now be viewed on two monitors at the same time. This allows you to, for example, work
with the Session/Arrangement and Clip/Device Views simultaneously, or dedicate a single
monitor to detailed MIDI clip editing.
1 http://www.ableton.com/downloads
Page 20
1.2.2 Session View Automation
•Automation can now be recorded, drawn, and edited in Session View clips (page 282).
Automation envelopes appear in a clip’s Device and Control Choosers, alongside modulation envelopes. Automation in Session clips becomes timeline automation when recording
from the Session to the Arrangement, and vice versa when bringing Arrangement clips
back to the Session.
1.2.3 Envelope Editing Improvements
•Envelope breakpoints are now created by single-clicking on the envelope. When hovering over the envelope, a pseudo-breakpoint appears to show where the breakpoint will
be placed after clicking. Hovering near the envelope or holding the [Shift] modifier while
clicking on an envelope segment (a portion of the envelope between breakpoints) now
selects the entire segment.
•Clip Envelopes in Linked mode will now respond to changes in the clip’s Warp Markers
(page 302).
20 Welcome to Live
1.2.4 Envelope Curves
It is now possible to create convex and concave curves in all breakpoint envelopes in both the
Arrangement timeline and in clips. Curves are created and adjusted by holding the [ALT](PC) /
[ALT](Mac) modifier while dragging an envelope segment. Double-clicking while holding [ALT]
(PC) / [ALT](Mac) returns the segment to a straight line.
1.2.5 MIDI Editing Improvements
•A new set of transform tools (page 135) allows for fast manipulation of a MIDI clip’s
contents. Transpose, reverse, invert, or apply legato in a single click.
•MIDI notes can now be moved and resized freely without a modifier, even while off the
grid is active. It is also possible to adjust note lengths while in Draw Mode (page 287).
•MIDI Note Stretch (page 167) markers are now available whenever notes are selected
in a MIDI clip.
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1.2.6 Improved Keyboard Workflow
• [B] toggles Draw Mode. Holding [B] while editing with the mouse toggles Draw Mode
temporarily. Additionally, MIDI notes can now be resized while in Draw Mode.
•The currently selected tracks, devices, notes or clips can be activated or deactivated with
the [0] key.
•The [Enter] key now toggles between time and note selection in MIDI clips. If the loop
brace is selected, pressing [Enter] will switch the selection to the time within the loop brace.
•[Q] toggles Hot-Swap mode (page 60).
•[D] toggles the Hot-Swap selection between a Drum Rack and its last selected pad.
1.2.7 Redesigned Browser
•Live’s new browser (page 53) features a two-pane view that shows all of Live’s devices
and Packs clearly separated.
21 Welcome to Live
•A search field in the browser filters results as you type. You can navigate between the
search field and the filtered entries using your computer keyboard’s arrow keys.
•The browser’s Preview Tab now previews Live’s instrument presets, by playing a short example sound when presets are selected.
1.2.8 Convert Harmony, Melody, or Drums to MIDI
Three new commands (page 174) allow you to extract the musical information from audio
clips and place it into MIDI clips on new tracks:
•Convert Harmony to MIDI extracts the notes from polyphonic audio and is designed for
reimagining samples or loops.
•Convert Melody to MIDI extracts the notes from monophonic audio.
•Convert Drums to MIDI extracts the rhythms from unpitched, percussive audio. The new
MIDI track will contain a Drum Rack with the kick, snare, and hihat notes from the original
audio playing the appropriate instruments.
Page 22
1.2.9 Consolidate Time to New Scene
The Consolidate Time to New Scene command consolidates the material within the selected time
range in the Arrangement View to one new clip per track. The new clips are placed into a new
Session View scene below the previously selected scene.
1.2.10 Default Presets for MIDI and Audio Tracks
Newly-created MIDI and Audio tracks can now come with devices already loaded (page
246).
1.2.11 Default Presets for Plug-in Parameter Configurations
VST and Audio Units plug-ins can be loaded with a specific collection of parameters already
configured in Live’s panel (page 246).
22 Welcome to Live
1.2.12 Improved Waveforms
Live now has redesigned waveforms, meant to show more detail at all zoom levels and track
heights. Additionally, the waveforms look smooth during zoom operations and during recording,
so you can always see exactly what’s happening in your audio.
1.2.13 Improved Meters
The track volume meters in both the Session and Arrangement mixers now show both peak and
RMS levels. Peak meters show sudden changes in level, while RMS meters give a better impression of perceived loudness.
1.2.14 Improved Coloring
Tracks are now automatically colored by default, and new clips take their track’s color. Autocoloring can be toggled on or off via the Auto-Assign Track Colors option in the Look/Feel Preferences.
Page 23
1.2.15 Device Improvements
•Simpler (page 482) has been completely overhauled with a new interface, warping, slicing, and new analog-modeled filters built in conjunction with Cytomic.
•New analog-modeled filters are available in Simpler, Sampler, Operator, and Auto Filter.
These are based on classic vintage hardware models and will self-resonate, feedback,
and distort beautifully. The filters were built in collaboration with Cytomic.
•The Glue Compressor (page 350) is a new analog-modeled compressor based on the
classic bus compressor from a famous ‘80s mixing console.
•Tuner (page 381) analyzes and displays the incoming monophonic pitch as well as its
distance from the nearest semitone.
•EQ Eight (page 335) now has improved filters, a detachable display that shows the
frequency spectrum of the output signal and allows multiple filter dots to be adjusted simultaneously, optional “Adaptive Q” and Audition modes, and a number of other improvements.
23 Welcome to Live
•Compressor (page 324) now has an Auto Release mode, which automatically adjusts
the release time based on the incoming audio. A Dry/Wet control allows for easy parallel compression. The Ratio can be set below 1:1, for upward expansion. The shape of the
envelope follower can be switched between linear and logarithmic. Finally, a new display
shows input and output levels, making it easier to adjust parameters.
•Live’s Gate effect (page 348) now responds more accurately. There is also a new Return control (also known as “hysteresis”) to help reduce “chatter” when the level changes
quickly near the threshold, as well as a sidechain EQ. Finally, a new display shows input
and output levels, making it easier to adjust parameters.
•The Multiband Dynamics device (page 361) now has a sidechain circuit, allowing it to
be triggered based on the level of another signal.
1.2.16 Rendering Improvements
During export, sample-rate conversion is now done using the high-quality SoX Resampler Library, resulting in higher quality exports when rendering to a lower sample rate.
Page 24
Additionally, an improved export dialog groups related controls together, making it easier to see
and adjust your export settings.
1.2.17 Ableton Push and Push 2
•Support for Ableton Push (page 527) and Push 2 (page 575): instruments for song
creation that provide hands-on control of melody and harmony, beats, sounds, samples,
and song structure.
1.2.18 Ableton Link
Live now supports Ableton Link (page 633), a technology that keeps devices in time over a
wired or wireless network. Link is built into Live as well as a growing number of iOS applications,
and any Link-enabled software can play in time with any other Link-enabled software simply by
joining the same network.
24 Welcome to Live
Page 25
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.
25 First Steps
We also recommend that you read the Live Concepts chapter (page 35), 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.
Page 26
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.
26 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 “skin,“ 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
Page 27
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 196).
―Controlling parts of the interface remotely. This subject is covered in detail in the
MIDI and Key Remote Control chapter (page 515).
―Syncing the program with external devices, either via Ableton Link or via MIDI.
Please see the Link, Synchronization, and ReWire chapter (page 633) for details.
•The File/Folder Preferences pertain to Live’s file management (page 53) and the location of plug-in devices (page 249).
27 First Steps
•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 83).
•The Record/Warp/Launch Preferences allow customizing the default state for new Live
Sets (page 71) and their components (page 117), as well as selecting options for
new recordings (page 227).
•The CPU Preferences include options for managing the processing load (page 641),
including multicore/multiprocessor support.
•The Licenses/Maintenance Preferences are used to manage licensing and installation of
the Live platform (page 31).
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
Page 28
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.
28 First Steps
Turn Full Screen Off (Windows and OS X (pre-10.9)).
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 post 10.9).
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.
Page 29
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.
29 First Steps
Page 30
30 First Steps
Page 31
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 31).
31 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.
Page 32
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.
32 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 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).
2 http://www.ableton.com/shop
3 http://www.ableton.com/support
Page 33
3.1.5 What Do I Do About Problems or Questions Regarding Copy Protection?
Please visit Ableton’s technical support page.
33 Authorizing Live
Page 34
34 Authorizing Live
Page 35
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 53) 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.
35 Live Concepts
Live’s Browser.
Page 36
4.2 Live Sets
The type of document that you create and work on in Live is called a Live Set (page 71). 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.
36 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
183).
Clips in the Session View (Left) and in the Arrangement View (Right).
The Arrangement is accessed via the Arrangement View (page 89) and the Session via the
Session View (page 107). If you’re using Live in a single window, you can toggle between the
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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 114) into the Arrange-
ment for further refinement. This works because Arrangement and Session are connected via
tracks.
37 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:
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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 109).
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.
38 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.
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The Back to Arrangement Button in the Session View.
The Back to Arrangement Button in the Arrangement View.
39 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.
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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 239) to convert MIDI signals into audio signals that can actually
be heard. Some instruments, such as Live’s Simpler (page 482), are for chromatic playing of
one sound via the keyboard. Other instruments, such as Live’s Impulse (page 431), 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
.
40 Live Concepts
Information about inserting, reordering and deleting audio and MIDI tracks is found here (page
217).
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.
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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 117), which appears on screen when a clip is double-clicked.
41 Live Concepts
An Audio Clip’s Properties as Displayed in the Clip View.
Many powerful manipulations arise from Live’s warping capabilities (page 139). 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
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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 69), 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.
42 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 155) 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.
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4.8 Devices and the Mixer
A track can have not only clips but also a chain of devices (page 239) 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.
43 Live Concepts
Live’s built-in audio effects (page 311), MIDI effects (page 391) and instruments (page
403) 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 249) in Live. VST and Audio Units (Mac OS X only)
Plug-ins are available from the browser’s Plug-Ins label.
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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 641). 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.
44 Live Concepts
When the signal has passed through the device chain, it ends up in Live’s mixer (page 213). 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).
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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 221), 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.
45 Live Concepts
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.
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.
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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
244). As presets are stored independently from Live Sets, new presets become part of your
user library that any project can draw from.
46 Live Concepts
Live’s Instrument, Drum and Effect Racks (page 261) 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 193) enable valuable creative and tech-
nical methods such as resampling, submixing, layering of synths, complex effects setups and
more.
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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 638) or to other tracks
or devices within Live. Tracks can also be combined into a Group Track (page 218) 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.
47 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 341) and External Instrument (page 429)
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
227). 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.
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Track Arm Buttons, as They Appear in the Session View.
It is also possible to record into Session View slots on the fly (page 230). 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.
48 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 431).
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 281); a control whose value changes over time is automated.
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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.
49 Live Concepts
4.13 Clip Envelopes
Envelopes can be found in both tracks and clips. Clip envelopes (page 291) 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.
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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
520), which is engaged by pressing the MIDI switch in the Control Bar.
50 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 525), which works just like MIDI Map Mode.
Live offers, in addition to this general purpose mapping technique, dedicated support for Ableton Push (page 527) and Push 2.
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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 82), 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 131) 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 63).
Live can also export individual MIDI clips as MIDI files (page 69).
51 Live Concepts
Exporting and saving material for later use in Live can be done very conveniently with the Live
Clip format (page 69). 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:
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•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 124) referencing the same source file;
•Variations of a sample loop created by applying Warp Markers (page 139), clip enve-
lopes (page 291) and effects (page 239);
•Ideas that may not fit your current project but could be useful in the future.
52 Live Concepts
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Chapter 5
Managing Files and Sets
Various types of files are used in making music with Live, from those containing MIDI (page
69) and audio (page 61), to more program-specific files such as Live Clips (page 69)
and Live Sets (page 71). 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
53 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.
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54 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 Categories or Places sections in the sidebar, and then selecting from the items that appear in the content pane.
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 261) 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.
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•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 509) devices and presets, as well as any
Racks that are built with those devices, organized into Audio Effect, Instrument and MIDI
Effect folders.
•Plug-Ins — your third-party VST and/or Audio Units plug-ins (page 249).
•Clips — all of your Live Clips.
•Samples — all of your raw audio samples.
55 Managing Files and Sets
•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.
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.
•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
76). If you’re working on a Live Set that you haven’t yet saved, the current Project refers
to a temporary location.
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•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.
•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 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.
56 Managing Files and Sets
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.
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5.1.3 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).
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:
57 Managing Files and Sets
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.
58 Managing Files and Sets
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, but they will not play
automatically. You can click on the tab or press the right arrow key to preview them.
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.
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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 224) of the Mixing
chapter.
Adding Clips from the Browser
There are several ways to add clips to a Live Set:
59 Managing Files and Sets
•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).
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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 244). 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.
The Hot-Swap Button in an Impulse Slot.
60 Managing Files and Sets
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 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
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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.
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 645) for more information.
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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 62) for an explana-
tion.
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
5 http://www.apple.com/quicktime/download
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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.
Preferences for the Decoding Cache.
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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 145).
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 139) has been deactivated.
An analysis file can also store default clip settings for the sample:
Clicking the Clip View’s Save button (page 131) 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
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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.
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
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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.
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The Export dialog’s Rendered Track chooser offers several options for which audio signal to
render:
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.
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•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.
•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.
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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.
Audio Rendering Options
65 Managing Files and Sets
Audio Rendering Options.
The Export dialog offers several audio rendering options:
•File Type, Sample Rate, Bit Depth — These options specify the type of sample to be created. 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.
•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 “saf-
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est“ 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.)
•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.
•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).
•Convert to Mono — If this is activated, Live will create a mono file instead of a stereo file.
66 Managing Files and Sets
•Upload Audio to SoundCloud — If activated, a helper application will launch that will allow you to upload your exported audio file to SoundCloud.
Video Rendering Options
Video Rendering Options.
(Note: video rendering is not available in the Intro and Lite Editions.)
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In addition to settings for audio rendering, the Export dialog provides additional options for
rendering video:
•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.
67 Managing Files and Sets
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 303).
Real-Time Rendering
Normally, rendering happens as an offline process. But if your set contains an External Audio
Effect (page 341) or External Instrument (page 429) 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:
68 Managing Files and Sets
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
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applications to allow more processing power for rendering. Please see the chapter on computer
audio resources (page 641) 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.
69 Managing Files and Sets
A MIDI File in the Browser.
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.
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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 83). You can then type in a new name for the clip or confirm the one
suggested by Live with [Enter].
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.
70 Managing Files and Sets
Clips belonging to any Live Sets already on disk are also Live Clips. Please see the section on
merging Sets (page 71) 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.
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5.5 Live Sets
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.
71 Managing Files and Sets
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.
72 Managing Files and Sets
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 177) that were saved with your Set are also available as a folder
within the unfolded Set.
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:
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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.
73 Managing Files and Sets
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:
•Your multichannel input/output setup.
•Preset devices, like EQs and Compressors, in every track.
•Computer key mappings (page 525).
•MIDI mappings (page 515).
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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
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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.
75 Managing Files and Sets
•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 509).
The File Reference List’s Edit Switch.
•View a file’s location — The Location column states if a file is missing (page 80), 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.
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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 79).
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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.
77 Managing Files and Sets
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
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it outside the Tango Project folder, say on the Desktop. Live creates a new project folder named
Samba Project next to Tango Project.
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.
78 Managing Files and Sets
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 82). Even after the fact,
Live’s tools for searching missing files (page 80) 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 86).
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.
79 Managing Files and Sets
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 245), 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 82);
•listing unused files in the Project (page 84);
•packing a Project in Pack format (page 85);
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.
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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.
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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.
•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
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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.
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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!
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!
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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.
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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.
•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.
84 Managing Files and Sets
•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.
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
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makes the browser list the unused files; there, you can preview samples (page 57) 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.
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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.
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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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88 Managing Files and Sets
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Chapter 6
Arrangement View
The Arrangement View displays the Arrangement, which contains music laid out along a song
timeline, like a multitrack tape.
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A Piece of Music in the Arrangement View.
The Arrangement View is a powerful editing tool that easily lets you combine and arrange MIDI,
loops, sound effects, video and complete pieces of music.
6.1 Navigation
Live offers several fast methods for zooming and scrolling the Arrangement display:
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1
26
3
4 5
Navigating the Arrangement View.
1. To smoothly change the zoom level, click and drag vertically in the beat-time ruler at the
top of the Arrangement View (you can also drag horizontally to scroll the display).
2. To zoom in and out around the current selection, use the computer keyboard’s + and keys. To “pan“ the display, click and drag while holding the [CTRL][ALT](PC) / [CMD][ALT]
(Mac) modifier. Double-clicking in the beat-time ruler also zooms to the current selection.
If nothing is selected, double-clicking the beat-time ruler zooms out to show the entire Arrangement.
3. The Arrangement Overview is like a “bird’s-eye view“ of your music. It always shows the
complete piece, from start to end. The black rectangular outline represents the part of the
Arrangement that is currently displayed in the Arrangement display below. To scroll the
display, click within the outline and drag left or right; to zoom out and in, drag up and
down.
4. To change the displayed part of the Arrangement, drag the outline’s left and right edges.
5. To see a specific part of the Arrangement in more detail, click on it in the Overview and
drag downwards to zoom in around that part. Note that you can also drag horizontally to
scroll the display. Using this method, you can zoom and scroll to focus around any part of
the Arrangement with just one mouse motion.
6. To have the Arrangement display follow the song position and scroll automatically, turn on
the Follow switch, or use the Follow command from the Options menu.
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6.2 Transport
There are a number of ways to control Live’s transport with the computer keyboard and mouse:
1. You can start Arrangement playback by clicking the Control Bar’s Play button, and stop
playback by clicking the Stop button. Arrangement playback can also be toggled on and
off by pressing the keyboard’s space bar.
The Play and Stop Buttons in the Control Bar.
2. You can set the Arrangement playback position by clicking anywhere along the Arrangement to place the flashing insert marker. You can return the Arrangement play position to
1.1.1 by double-clicking the Stop button or by pressing the Home key (PC) / Function + left
arrow key (Mac).
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Arrangement Playback Begins from the Insert Marker.
To continue playback from the position where it last stopped, rather than from the insert
marker, hold down the [Shift] modifier while pressing the space bar.
3. When Permanent Scrub Areas is enabled in Live’s Look/Feel Preferences, clicking in the
scrub area above the tracks will make playback jump to that point. The size of these jumps
is quantized according to the Control Bar’s Quantization menu setting. While the mouse is
held down over the scrub area, a portion of the Arrangement the size of the chosen quantization setting will be repeatedly played. With small quantization settings, or a setting of
“None,“ this allows you to scrub through the music.
When the Permanent Scrub Areas preference is off, you can still scrub by [Shift]-clicking
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anywhere in the scrub area or in the beat time ruler.
Scrubbing Arrangement Playback.
4. The song position can be adjusted numerically using the Control Bar’s Arrangement Position fields.
Setting the Play Position in the Arrangement Position Fields.
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The Arrangement Position fields show the song position in bars-beats-sixteenths. To change
the values:
•Click and drag up or down in any of these fields.
•Click and type a number, then hit [Enter].
•Click and decrement or increment the value with the up and down arrow keys .
5. Arrangement playback can be started at a particular point in one of your clips using the
scrub area in the Clip View (page 117).
6. Several Arrangement playback positions can be set using launchable locators (page
93).
Note that any computer keyboard key or MIDI message can be mapped to the transport controls, as described in the respective chapter (page 515).
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6.3 Launching the Arrangement with Locators
Using Locators to Launch Play in the Arrangement.
Locators can be set at any point in the Arrangement. This can be done in real time during playback or recording with the Set Locator button, and will be quantized according to the global
quantization value set in the Control Bar. Clicking the Set Locator button when the Arrangement
is not playing will create a locator at the insert marker or selection start. You can also create a
locator using the context menu in the scrub area above the tracks or via the Create menu. Note
that the position of a new locator is quantized according to the Control Bar’s Quantization menu
setting.
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The Locator Controls.
You can recall (jump to) locators by clicking on them, or with the Previous and Next Locator
buttons on either side of the Set button. Locators can also be recalled using MIDI/key mapping
(page 515). Note that locator recall is subject to quantization. Double-clicking a locator will
select it and start Arrangement playback from that point.
After jumping to the first or last locator in the Arrangement, the Previous and Next Locator buttons will jump to the Arrangement start or end, respectively.
Locators can be moved by clicking and dragging, or with the arrow keys on your computer keyboard.
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To name a locator, select it by clicking its triangular marker, and choose the Rename Edit menu
command (or use the [CTRL][R](PC) / [CMD][R](Mac) shortcut). You can also enter your own info
text (page 25) for a locator via the Edit Info Text command in the Edit menu or in the locator’s
[right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) context menu. Locators can be removed with your computer’s [Backspace] or [Delete] key , the Create menu, or the Delete Locator button.
Note that the locator [right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) context menu offers a quick way of
looping playback (page 96) between two locators with its Loop To Next Locator command.
The locator [right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) context menu’s Set Song Start Time Here command can be used to overrule the default “play starts at selection“ rule: when this command is
checked, play starts at the locator.
6.4 Time Signature Changes
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Time Signature Changes.
Live’s time signature can be changed at any point in the Arrangement by using time signature
markers. These can be added at the insert marker position via the Create menu, or anywhere
below the beat-time ruler using the [right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) context menu. Time
signature markers appear just below the beat time ruler, but this marker area is hidden if a Set
contains no meter changes, freeing up additional space at the top of the Arrangement.
In many ways, time signature markers look and function like locators; they can be moved with
the mouse or with your computer keyboard’s arrow keys, and their value can be changed using
the Edit menu’s Edit Value command (or with the [CTRL][R](PC) / [CMD][R](Mac) shortcut). They
can be also be deleted using the [Backspace] or [Delete] key, or via delete commands in the Edit
and Create menus.
The time signature marker [right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) context menu offers a number of
features, including a Delete All Time Signature Changes command and options to loop or select
the area up to the next time signature marker.
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Any time signature with a one- or two-digit numerator and a denominator of 1, 2, 4, 8 or 16
can be used as a time signature marker value. The numbers must be separated by a delimiter
such as a slash, comma, period, or any number of spaces. These marker values can also be set
by adjusting the time signature fields in the Control Bar, either by typing in values or dragging
the numerator and denominator sliders. This will change the time signature marker value at the
current play location, and works either with the transport stopped or during playback. When the
Arrangement contains time signature changes, the time signature editor displays an automation
LED in the upper left corner.
The Time Signature Editor Can Change Time Signature Marker Values, and Shows an Automation
LED.
Time signature markers are not quantized; they may be placed anywhere in the timeline, and
their positioning is only constrained by the editing grid (page 102). This means that it is pos-
sible to place meter changes in “impossible“ places — such as before the end of the previous
measure. This creates a fragmentary bar, which is represented in the scrub area by a crosshatched region. Live is happy to leave these incomplete measures as they are, but if you’d like
your Set to conform to the rules of music theory, you can use the two [right-click](PC) / [CTRLclick](Mac) context menu options to “correct“ incomplete bars.
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A Fragmentary Bar and its Resolution Options.
Delete Fragmentary Bar Time deletes the duration of the fragmentary bar from the Arrangement,
thereby moving any audio or MIDI on either side of the deleted area closer together in the timeline. The next time signature marker will now fall on a “legal“ barline.
Complete Fragmentary Bar inserts time at the beginning of the fragmentary bar, so that it becomes complete. The next time signature marker will now fall on a “legal“ barline.
Please note that these resolution options affect all tracks — deleting and inserting time changes
the length of the entire Arrangement.
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If you import a MIDI file (page 69) into the Arrangement, you’ll be given an option to import
any time signature information that was saved with the file. If you choose to do this, Live will automatically create time signature markers in the correct places. This makes it very easy to work
with complex music created in other sequencer or notation software.
6.5 The Arrangement Loop
The Control Bar’s Loop Switch.
For Live to repeatedly play a section of the Arrangement, activate the Arrangement loop by
clicking on the Control Bar’s Loop switch.
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The Loop Start Fields (Left) and the Loop Length Fields (Right).
You can set loop length numerically using the Control Bar fields: The left-hand set of fields determines the loop start position, while the right-hand set determines loop length.
The Edit menu’s Loop Selection command accomplishes all of the above at once: It turns the Arrangement loop on and sets the Arrangement loop brace to whatever timespan is selected in the
Arrangement.
The Arrangement’s Loop Brace.
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The loop brace can be selected with the mouse and manipulated with commands from the computer keyboard:
• the right and left arrow keys nudge the loop brace to the left/right by the current grid setting (page 102).
• the up and down arrow keys shift the loop brace left/right in steps the size of its length.
•The [CTRL](PC) / [CMD](Mac) modifier used with the arrow left and right keys shortens or
lengthens the loop by the current grid setting.
•The [CTRL](PC) / [CMD](Mac) modifier with the arrow up and down keys doubles or
halves the loop length.
You can also drag the Arrangement’s loop brace: Dragging the left and right ends sets the loop
start and end points; dragging between the ends moves the loop without changing its length.
The loop’s [right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) context menu’s Set Song Start Time Here command can be used to overrule the default “play starts at selection“ rule: when this command is
checked, play starts at the loop start.
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6.6 Moving and Resizing Clips
A piece of audio or MIDI is represented in the Arrangement View by a clip sitting at some song
position in one of Live’s tracks.
Moving a Clip.
Dragging a clip moves it to another song position or track.
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Changing a Clip’s Length.
Dragging a clip’s left or right edge changes the clip’s length.
Clips snap to the editing grid, as well as various objects in the Arrangement including the edges
of other clips, locators and time signature changes.
6.7 Audio Clip Fades and Crossfades
The beginning and end of audio clips in the Arrangement View have adjustable volume fades.
Additionally, adjacent clips on the same audio track can be crossfaded.
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To access the fades for an audio track’s clips:
1. “Unfold“ the track by clicking the button next to the track name.
2. Select “Fades“ in the Fades/Device chooser.
3. Click and drag the fade handle to change the length of the fade.
4. Click and drag the slope handle to change the shape of the fade’s curve.
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4
1
2
Fades in the Arrangement View.
You can also set the length of a fade by selecting a range of time within the clip (page 100)
that includes the clip’s beginning or end and executing the Create Fade command in the clip’s
[right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) context menu.
Adjacent audio clips can be crossfaded. Creating and editing crossfades is similar to creating
and editing start and end fades:
•click and drag a fade handle over the opposite clip’s edge to create a crossfade
•click and drag the slope handle to adjust the shape of the crossfade’s curve
•select a range of time that includes the boundary between the adjacent clips and execute
the Create Crossfade command from the [right-click](PC) / [CTRL-click](Mac) context
menu.
Crossfaded Clips.
Selecting a fade handle and pressing the [Delete] key deletes the fade, unless the Create Fades
on Clip Edges option is enabled in the Record/Warp/Launch Preferences. In this case, pressing
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[Delete] returns the fade handle to a default length of 4 ms. With this option enabled, new clips
in the Arrangement View will have these short “declicking“ fades by default.
Automatically Create Short Fades At Clip Edges.
Another result of enabling the Create Fades on Clip Edges option is that adjacent audio clips will
get automatic 4 ms crossfades. These can then be edited just like manually-created crossfades.
There are some limits to the length of fades and crossfades:
•Fades cannot cross a clip’s loop boundaries.
100 Arrangement View
•A clip’s start and end fades cannot overlap each other.
When a fade handle is selected, a dotted red line will appear on the relevant clip to indicate the
limit for that fade handle. This is especially helpful when editing crossfades, because one clip’s
loop boundary may be “hidden“ under the other clip.
Note that fades are a property of clips rather than the tracks that contain them, and are independent of automation envelopes (page 281).
6.8 Selecting Clips and Time
With the exception of moving and resizing clips, Arrangement editing in Live is selection-based:
You select something using the mouse, then execute a menu command (e.g., Cut, Copy, Paste,
Duplicate) on the selection. This editing method lends itself to an efficient division of labor between the two hands: One hand operates the mouse or trackpad, while the other hand issues the
keyboard shortcuts for the menu commands. The menu eventually is only used as a reference for
looking up the keyboard shortcuts.
Here is how selection works:
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