fbpx
Ableton Live Tips

Ableton Live Tips and Tricks

Here’s a collection of very helpful Ableton Live tips.

Related: 200 Free Ableton Packs


1. Show/Hide Mixer Components

Screen shot from Ableton Live showing Mixer view options.
Ableton Live Master Channel

By selecting the tabs next to the master bus you can show / hide the following from the channel strips:

  • Input/Output
  • Sends (Session)
  • Returns
  • Mixer Section
  • Track Delay
  • Crossfader (Session)

Related: How to Install an Ableton Pack

Back to Free Ableton Live Packs

2. Edit Info Text

Right-click and select ‘Edit Info Text” to edit the info box for each track / group / FX or Clip that you want.

Screen shot from Ableton Live showing Edit Info text menu option.

Useful for noting ideas and reference notes down during your sound design, mixing and collaboratorations.

Screen shot from Ableton Live showing Notes written using Edit Info text option.
Ableton Live Instrument Rack Containing Notes

3. Adjust Cue Mix Output

Adjusting the light blue level on the Master track changes the volume of the cue mix. 

Screen shot from Ableton Live showing cue level adjustments

This is great for balancing your monitoring level at a live gig or reducing the preview volume of samples.


Related: Free Ableton Templates

4. Test Tone

The test tone can help you test monitors and signal paths as well as optimize your audio buffer. Use to find problem frequencies in the signal chain too. You will find it in the Audio tab of the Preferences menu.

Screen shot from Ableton Live showing test tone menu
Ableton Live Test Tone Menu


Related: The Best Ableton Courses Online

5. Getting notes in time

Quantize allows you to fix timing errors on MIDI notes that you’ve played or drawn in. This will tighten up your performances and make them sound in time. You can select which division of time your notes are quantised to e.g 16ths, 8ths and the amount of quantisation which will be applied. (How much they will lock to the grid). 

Cmd + U on Mac or Ctrl + U on Windows applies quantize immediately. 

Shift + Cmd + U or Shift + Ctrl + U If you want to open up the quantize setting and edit the parameters.

The Adjust Note parameter sets whether the start or end of a note is quantised. 

Screen shot from Ableton Live showing Quantize Settings.
Ableton Live’s Quantize Menu


Related: The Best Keyboards For Ableton

6. Resampling

You can resample the master bus by creating a new Audio Track and setting the input to ‘Resampling’. 

Once you arm the track and record the output will be recorded. This is great for quickly bouncing down processor intensive channels, recording DJ sets or recording live modulation of FX over the master bus.

Screen shot from Ableton Live showing resampling input.
RESAMPLE track recording the master bus in Ableton Live.


Related: Best Midi Controller for Ableton

7. Playback Types

Hitting spacebar will stop and play Ableton. This happens from the same point in a project, try these more specific commands to start play from elsewhere:

Shift + Spacebar to continue playback from the last stopped point. 

Hit Option + Spacebar (Mac)  Alt + Spacebar (Windows) including part of the arrangement selected and it will play just your selection.


8. Quick Tidy Up

Press Alt + U to quickly minimize/ maximise all your tracks.


Related: Best Laptops for Ableton

9. Computer MIDI Keyboard

You don’t have to use a MIDI keyboard controller to trigger Ableton’s instruments. 

Press M to activate the computer keyboard.

Keys A to L follow a piano layout with row A-L being white keys and the row above black keys.

Z and X are for shifting an octave up or down.

Ableton Live Keyboard Map
Ableton Live Keyboard Map

Image Credit: flypaper.soundfly.com


10. Fades

You can create Fade INs & OUTs by dragging the boxes on the left and right of a clip in arrangement view. 

Make sure you are not in Automation Mode before you do this. You can toggle automation mode on/off by pressing A. 

If you drop the clip into session view it will maintain its fades.

Screen shot from Ableton Live showing box selector to draw Fades from.
Before Fades applied to Audio Clip
Screen shot from Ableton Live showing Fades being drawn.
After a Fade In & Fade Out applied to Audio Clip

More Ableton Tips to come! Meanwhile why not check out my blog post on 200+ Free Packs for Ableton.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *