The Ableton Q&A Thread

[symmetricalsounds]

something i just posted up for someone on another forum so i thought i'd post here just in case people didn't know.

the text on a scene launch button can be edited so it changes either the bpm or the time signature or both. for example if the first scene launcher which usually just has "1" is edited to "intro-120bpm-5/4" and then the next one down is changed to "sectionA-130bpm-4/4" you would switch from 5/4 at 120bpm to 130bpm at 4/4 on the next scene.

it will only work if you launch the whole scene though and not individual clips on that particular row.

[ResetTheAtari]

Didn't know you could switch up the tempo in such a way, very cool to know!

[DZA]

Is there anyway to have 2 projects open at once?

[contakt321]

I don't think so, but I think I know why you are asking.

Did you know you can navigate to your other projects through the file browser on the left hand side and pull midi data, vst settings, and effects chains from other projects? I do this all the time.

It really helps when using CPU-hungry VSTs, I get my riff going, Save the project, then save as a new version, and render the CPU-hungry VST track to audio to ease the strain. If I ever need to tweak something, I just pull the midi + vst + chain from the older version of the project.

[legend4ry]

I don't think so, but I think I know why you are asking.

Did you know you can navigate to your other projects through the file browser on the left hand side and pull midi data, vst settings, and effects chains from other projects? I do this all the time.

It really helps when using CPU-hungry VSTs, I get my riff going, Save the project, then save as a new version, and render the CPU-hungry VST track to audio to ease the strain. If I ever need to tweak something, I just pull the midi + vst + chain from the older version of the project.

Hearing shit like this makes me wanna switch the ableton but I REALLLLLLLLLLY dislike its gui...

[DZA]

Noob

Nice one contakt

[contakt321]

Hearing shit like this makes me wanna switch the ableton but I REALLLLLLLLLLY dislike its gui...

HAHA. Always like that right? I tried to use Logic at a friends figuring it couldn't be too different and gave up very quickly. May as well have been using AutoCad.

It's what you get used to, right?

That said - took me like a month to get used to Ableton. Now I prefer the very stripped down minimal GUI.

[DZA]

think ledge uses reason and cubase

[krispy]

Is there a way to get different skins for Ableton?

EDIT: My bad, a simple search and I found this bunch http://sonictransfer.com/ableton-live-skins/

[drdeft]

yeah you can open multiples instances of live by allowing it in the preference tab !

Don't remember exactly but it's easy to find

[moki]

I don't think so, but I think I know why you are asking.

Did you know you can navigate to your other projects through the file browser on the left hand side and pull midi data, vst settings, and effects chains from other projects? I do this all the time.

It really helps when using CPU-hungry VSTs, I get my riff going, Save the project, then save as a new version, and render the CPU-hungry VST track to audio to ease the strain. If I ever need to tweak something, I just pull the midi + vst + chain from the older version of the project.

Why wouldn't you just freeze the vst intensive track? seems allot faster than pulling from a track in another file. right click freeze and it's bounced to audio and then if you want to edit you can just right click unfreeze.

[DZA]

yeah you can open multiples instances of live by allowing it in the preference tab !

Don't remember exactly but it's easy to find

YAY!!!
Nice one

[contakt321]

Why wouldn't you just freeze the vst intensive track? seems allot faster than pulling from a track in another file. right click freeze and it's bounced to audio and then if you want to edit you can just right click unfreeze.

Freezing doesn't bounce to audio (freezing and then flattening does), freezing stores the track as an audio file in memory

1. You can't freeze sidechained tracks which I use a lot of, and they use a TON of cpu
2. Using audio has a better cpu savings than freezing in my experience

[wayoftheworld]

yeah you can open multiples instances of live by allowing it in the preference tab !

Don't remember exactly but it's easy to find

YAY!!!
Nice one

that's serious! i never knew you could do that

[charlemagne]

for some reason I can't at all get a good mpc style swing going with a loop. I've tried the mpc 8 and 16 swing but to no avail. What are the numbers next to the swing - for example "MPC 16 Swing-74" - is that just a bpm? If so, I notice it only goes to 75 max, so how would I apply an mpc groove to a song at 90 bpm?

any advice?

[contakt321]

I have never compared the Groove Pool settings to the real thing, but to me the MPC swing and SP1200 swing settings are nothing like the real thing. I was really excited about this feature before they added it, but tbh I never use it.

To answer your question though:

The 74 refers to a swing setting of 74 on the MPC which is WAY too high in my opinion. On the MPC series, you really only want to go to the low 60's at the highest.

When I used my MPC, I rarely would swing on it, if I did. it was 51-54 (1/16ths). I would very rarely do that, instead, altering the velocity on shakers and hihats, programming the Kicks (other than the 1 of the bar) by ear/feel w/ quantize off instead of having it hit on beat, etc will get you a lot more mileage.

All that said, do some groove pool tutorials or youtubing though - it will explain the settings better.

[Grime Syndicate]

I don't think so, but I think I know why you are asking.

Did you know you can navigate to your other projects through the file browser on the left hand side and pull midi data, vst settings, and effects chains from other projects? I do this all the time.

It really helps when using CPU-hungry VSTs, I get my riff going, Save the project, then save as a new version, and render the CPU-hungry VST track to audio to ease the strain. If I ever need to tweak something, I just pull the midi + vst + chain from the older version of the project.

WOW... pure gold right here. In practice though, when I move midi data from my browser to the arrange window, the midi clip appears good, and the instrument loads fine, settings/routing all look fine, but i hear nothing. Any idea as to why?

[Grime Syndicate]

Oh, and, noob question, all my tracks are in one project, which I've heard can be dangerous if that project file becomes corrupted. So, how to save in a new project?

[contakt321]

Oh, and, noob question, all my tracks are in one project, which I've heard can be dangerous if that project file becomes corrupted. So, how to save in a new project?

File > Save Live Set As

Create a new project folder (outside the current one)

As for your previous question, not sure - have you tried clicking the "back to arrangement" button? Does that fix it?
Is the midi track enabled? If you copy the VST to another track and arm it do you hear anything when you hit the keys?

[drdeft]

When you use freezing it's better to convert clips in audio by draging them on an audio track by holding ctrl ( or by duplicate )

instant convert

I like doing that on few midi tracks then save the project on another name to keep the midis if I need them later :p