Ableton Live

Ableton’s developers are bad-ass. Live allows users to take control of the DAW on a level that other DAWs just don’t. That’s why we sound designers, programmers, and creatives love it so much. From Max for Live to Ableton Themes, there are endless possibilities when it comes to creating your optimal Live environment. Ableton’s developers appreciate the collaboration and innovation of its community and encourage people to find ways to add more functionality to an already extremely functional system. 

Something I uncovered recently while completing my daily ritual of scouring the dark web of music production blogs is that Ableton’s developers have left a little loophole that allows the unlocking of some unofficial features.

No matter what DAW you use, having an efficient workflow is extremely important. Not only does it save you time, but it also allows you to look and feel more professional and advanced when working with others. Not to mention, it lets you put all of your brain’s energy into creativity instead of worrying about the technical stuff. It just feels good to learn tips and tricks to help you become faster and more precise while producing, editing, and mixing.

Whether you are sound designing, mixing, or producing, using time-based effects like a delay is a necessity. There are endlessly creative and practical applications of delay effects, and Ableton Live’s developers do an amazing job of including a diverse and functional collection of delay plugins with their software package.

This article includes a detailed overview of each delay-related plugin in Ableton Live, with parameter explanations and ideas for how to use each plugin in your productions.

With the recent release of Ableton Live 11, everyone is raving about new devices such as Spectral Resonator and Hybrid Reverb. And yeah, these are pretty awesome, but there are so many amazing devices that have been out for so long that remain amazing! 

One of these Ableton devices is called Drum Buss. It is basically a unique drum processing plugin. There are some really, really cool features included in this little device that literally change the game for mixing drums. 

Ableton Live Suite offers three different EQ plugins as part of its native plugin collection. Each of these EQ plugins has its own unique features and strengths. Let’s jump in and explore each one!

This post covers the basics of MIDI mapping in Ableton for TOTAL REMOTE CONTROL of your Ableton Project!

This post covers the basics of writing and accessing automation data in Ableton Live.

Ableton Live provides multiple techniques for converting MIDI tracks to audio. This post will go over these techniques, along with when to use them and their differences!

Want to use an LFO as a plugin effect? Join peer trainer Shirly as she explains how to creatively use the LFO effect from Max for Live, in Ableton Live.

Join Shirly Gurten for a session with the creative plugin Shaper from Ableton Live: Max for Live

Each DAW has its own process for exporting audio, MIDI, and more. In Ableton, there are lots of settings to look out for! So, let’s go over the basics of exporting audio in Ableton Live!

by Shirly Gurten

In this introductory video, we'll provide a rundown on the various views in Ableton, how to select sounds, enter MIDI information and quantize.

 

Sign-up for a Peer Training today if you’d like to learn more about these and other topics at library.berklee.edu/training

One of the most distinctive aspects of Ableton Live is its beautifully crafted “Session View.” Ableton LIVE gets its title from this live-looping-based interface which can be used in a multitude of different ways, all super awesome for workflow, composition, arranging, songwriting, beat making, and performing. 

Many people have the false belief that Ableton’s Session View is reserved for live performance. However, this interface has some awesome features that can be used both on and off stage. Let’s check it out.

Logic calls it Flex Time, ProTools calls it Elastic Audio and Ableton calls it Warping, but they mean similar things. 
 

Compared to many other DAWs, Ableton Live Suite is often said to be intuitive, quick to learn, and easy to use. Though in general creation with Live is fast and fluid, there are many simple ways to improve your workflow, speed, flow. These tips will help you work faster, and spend more time making music and less time clicking things.

All versions of Ableton Live come with the Simpler. In contrast, the Sampler is $99 dollars on its own, or included with Ableton Live Suite. 

So, it’s assumed that the Sampler is bigger and better than Simpler, but what are the actual differences? What can you do with Sampler that’s worth an extra $99? 

You’ve probably heard that Ableton being referred to as the “queen of sampling.” Well… maybe not in that phrasing. But if you know anything about Ableton, you probably get that it's a sampling beast.

A sampler is a multisampling tool. It can be used for many different purposes, but with a quick Google search, you’ll find that the biggest and most common thing Sampler is known for is multisampling.

Ableton Live can do a lot. However, its most reputable aspect may very well be its sampling abilities. Whether you have Live Lite, Standard, or Suite, learning how to use Simpler is something well worth your time.