Surface Level Clip Editing in Arrangement View
Do more with less! Speeding up your workflow in a DAW like Ableton Live requires, on some level, a knowledge of shortcuts and a reduction of clicks. Here you’ll find a collection of somewhat lesser-known methods for increasing your efficiency while in the Arrangement View using “Surface Level Clip Editing” - that is, ways of editing clips in the Arrangement View without menu diving or opening up their detail view.
Surface Level Clip Editing in Arrangement View
Do more with less! Speeding up your workflow in a DAW like Ableton Live requires, on some level, a knowledge of shortcuts and a reduction of clicks. Here you’ll find a collection of somewhat lesser-known methods for increasing your efficiency while in the Arrangement View using “Surface Level Clip Editing” - that is, ways of editing clips in the Arrangement View without menu diving or opening up their detail view.
Surface Level Clip Editing in Arrangement View
Do more with less! Speeding up your workflow in a DAW like Ableton Live requires, on some level, a knowledge of shortcuts and a reduction of clicks. Here you’ll find a collection of somewhat lesser-known methods for increasing your efficiency while in the Arrangement View using “Surface Level Clip Editing” - that is, ways of editing clips in the Arrangement View without menu diving or opening up their detail view.
Scrub Clip Content
If your clip’s audio extends past its Start and End Markers, you can scrub through its position by holding down Option + Shift (Alt + Shift for Windows) and dragging horizontally on the clip in Arrangement View.
Notice how the Start and End Markers are adjusted in the Detail View (bottom right) as the Clip is scrubbed in Arrangement View (top).
Interestingly, the scrubbing will snap to intervals according to the grid setting in Arrangement View, not what’s set in the clip’s grid. If you wish to nudge the position in fine detail, hold Command (Ctrl, Windows) and the grid will be ignored.
Scrub Clip Content
If your clip’s audio extends past its Start and End Markers, you can scrub through its position by holding down Option + Shift (Alt + Shift for Windows) and dragging horizontally on the clip in Arrangement View.
Notice how the Start and End Markers are adjusted in the Detail View (bottom right) as the Clip is scrubbed in Arrangement View (top).
Interestingly, the scrubbing will snap to intervals according to the grid setting in Arrangement View, not what’s set in the clip’s grid. If you wish to nudge the position in fine detail, hold Command (Ctrl, Windows) and the grid will be ignored.
Scrub Clip Content
If your clip’s audio extends past its Start and End Markers, you can scrub through its position by holding down Option + Shift (Alt + Shift for Windows) and dragging horizontally on the clip in Arrangement View.
Notice how the Start and End Markers are adjusted in the Detail View (bottom right) as the Clip is scrubbed in Arrangement View (top).
Interestingly, the scrubbing will snap to intervals according to the grid setting in Arrangement View, not what’s set in the clip’s grid. If you wish to nudge the position in fine detail, hold Command (Ctrl, Windows) and the grid will be ignored.
If your clip is looped (and, again, has audio extending beyond the Loop Brace), scrubbing this way will reposition the Loop within the audio clip.
If your clip is looped (and, again, has audio extending beyond the Loop Brace), scrubbing this way will reposition the Loop within the audio clip.
If your clip is looped (and, again, has audio extending beyond the Loop Brace), scrubbing this way will reposition the Loop within the audio clip.
Warp/stretch Audio
One of my favorite features introduced in Live 10, just hold down Shift as you drag a clip from its Title Bar (the top bit) and you’ll stretch the clip instead of extending it!
Note that you can stretch the clip by pulling it backwards as well. In any case, just as with the scrubbing shortcut above, you can hold Command (Ctrl) to disable the grid and fine-tune the exact warp amount you’re looking for. This one is really a dream if you lay out your drum arrangements in audio rather than in MIDI.
Warp/stretch Audio
One of my favorite features introduced in Live 10, just hold down Shift as you drag a clip from its Title Bar (the top bit) and you’ll stretch the clip instead of extending it!
Note that you can stretch the clip by pulling it backwards as well. In any case, just as with the scrubbing shortcut above, you can hold Command (Ctrl) to disable the grid and fine-tune the exact warp amount you’re looking for. This one is really a dream if you lay out your drum arrangements in audio rather than in MIDI.
Warp/stretch Audio
One of my favorite features introduced in Live 10, just hold down Shift as you drag a clip from its Title Bar (the top bit) and you’ll stretch the clip instead of extending it!
Note that you can stretch the clip by pulling it backwards as well. In any case, just as with the scrubbing shortcut above, you can hold Command (Ctrl) to disable the grid and fine-tune the exact warp amount you’re looking for. This one is really a dream if you lay out your drum arrangements in audio rather than in MIDI.
Crossfade Two Clips
If you have two clips beside one another, you probably know you can crossfade between them if at least one of them has audio that extends beyond the clip boundary. If you’re editing a lot of sound (especially dialogue or vocals), you can speed up this process by defining the start and end points of each clip’s fade at the same time.
All you need to do is select the portion of the clips you wish to be crossfaded and press the shortcut Option + Command + F (For Windows users, that’s Alt + Ctrl + F). Et voila! Your clips are crossfaded!
Crossfade Two Clips
If you have two clips beside one another, you probably know you can crossfade between them if at least one of them has audio that extends beyond the clip boundary. If you’re editing a lot of sound (especially dialogue or vocals), you can speed up this process by defining the start and end points of each clip’s fade at the same time.
All you need to do is select the portion of the clips you wish to be crossfaded and press the shortcut Option + Command + F (For Windows users, that’s Alt + Ctrl + F). Et voila! Your clips are crossfaded!
Crossfade Two Clips
If you have two clips beside one another, you probably know you can crossfade between them if at least one of them has audio that extends beyond the clip boundary. If you’re editing a lot of sound (especially dialogue or vocals), you can speed up this process by defining the start and end points of each clip’s fade at the same time.
All you need to do is select the portion of the clips you wish to be crossfaded and press the shortcut Option + Command + F (For Windows users, that’s Alt + Ctrl + F). Et voila! Your clips are crossfaded!
Toggle Fade Controls
And on the subject of crossfades, did you know you can toggle the Fade Controls any time just by holding F? Provided you don’t have the Computer MIDI Keyboard enabled, this will display all the fade breakpoints in all of your Arrangement View clips for easy access.
One of the nice things about this shortcut is that it works even when Automation Mode is active, which otherwise will not let you adjust fades on your clips.
Toggle Fade Controls
And on the subject of crossfades, did you know you can toggle the Fade Controls any time just by holding F? Provided you don’t have the Computer MIDI Keyboard enabled, this will display all the fade breakpoints in all of your Arrangement View clips for easy access.
One of the nice things about this shortcut is that it works even when Automation Mode is active, which otherwise will not let you adjust fades on your clips.
Toggle Fade Controls
And on the subject of crossfades, did you know you can toggle the Fade Controls any time just by holding F? Provided you don’t have the Computer MIDI Keyboard enabled, this will display all the fade breakpoints in all of your Arrangement View clips for easy access.
One of the nice things about this shortcut is that it works even when Automation Mode is active, which otherwise will not let you adjust fades on your clips.
Nudge Clip Position
Select any clip in your arrangement by clicking its title and you can use the left and right arrow keys to nudge it on the timeline. You can even nudge multiple clips at a time with this method!
This normally snaps to the current grid size you have set, but, as usual, hold Command (or Ctrl, Windows users, I see you) and you can make very fine adjustments to where the audio sits in the Arrangement View.
Again, perfect for programming drum samples where a little offset from the grid to give swing and humanized timing can make all the difference.
Nudge Clip Position
Select any clip in your arrangement by clicking its title and you can use the left and right arrow keys to nudge it on the timeline. You can even nudge multiple clips at a time with this method!
This normally snaps to the current grid size you have set, but, as usual, hold Command (or Ctrl, Windows users, I see you) and you can make very fine adjustments to where the audio sits in the Arrangement View.
Again, perfect for programming drum samples where a little offset from the grid to give swing and humanized timing can make all the difference.
Nudge Clip Position
Select any clip in your arrangement by clicking its title and you can use the left and right arrow keys to nudge it on the timeline. You can even nudge multiple clips at a time with this method!
This normally snaps to the current grid size you have set, but, as usual, hold Command (or Ctrl, Windows users, I see you) and you can make very fine adjustments to where the audio sits in the Arrangement View.
Again, perfect for programming drum samples where a little offset from the grid to give swing and humanized timing can make all the difference.
Reverse a Clip (or just a portion)
This one became an instance classic with the release of Live 10, but for those of you who don’t know, you can instantly reverse a clip by selecting it and tapping R on your keyboard.
This becomes even more powerful when you realize you don’t need to reverse a whole clip. If you select just a portion of an audio clip and press R, Live will split the selection you made into its own clip and will reverse that newly split bit.
Basically, this is a go-to when you hit a wall. I always like to duplicate audio into a new track and try reversing, repitching, and warping the new audio as a layer to the original to see if a more dynamic sound can be achieved.
Reverse a Clip (or just a portion)
This one became an instance classic with the release of Live 10, but for those of you who don’t know, you can instantly reverse a clip by selecting it and tapping R on your keyboard.
This becomes even more powerful when you realize you don’t need to reverse a whole clip. If you select just a portion of an audio clip and press R, Live will split the selection you made into its own clip and will reverse that newly split bit.
Basically, this is a go-to when you hit a wall. I always like to duplicate audio into a new track and try reversing, repitching, and warping the new audio as a layer to the original to see if a more dynamic sound can be achieved.
Reverse a Clip (or just a portion)
This one became an instance classic with the release of Live 10, but for those of you who don’t know, you can instantly reverse a clip by selecting it and tapping R on your keyboard.
This becomes even more powerful when you realize you don’t need to reverse a whole clip. If you select just a portion of an audio clip and press R, Live will split the selection you made into its own clip and will reverse that newly split bit.
Basically, this is a go-to when you hit a wall. I always like to duplicate audio into a new track and try reversing, repitching, and warping the new audio as a layer to the original to see if a more dynamic sound can be achieved.
Deactivate and Consolidate
These shortcuts are mainstays and far more common, but certainly deserve a mention while on this topic. Tap 0 (“zero”) to deactivate any portion of a clip you have selected and Command + J (that’s Ctrl + J for Windows) to consolidate selected clips (and any silence you may have selected as well) into its a new clip that commits warping, fades, gain, etc.
Deactivate and Consolidate
These shortcuts are mainstays and far more common, but certainly deserve a mention while on this topic. Tap 0 (“zero”) to deactivate any portion of a clip you have selected and Command + J (that’s Ctrl + J for Windows) to consolidate selected clips (and any silence you may have selected as well) into its a new clip that commits warping, fades, gain, etc.
Deactivate and Consolidate
These shortcuts are mainstays and far more common, but certainly deserve a mention while on this topic. Tap 0 (“zero”) to deactivate any portion of a clip you have selected and Command + J (that’s Ctrl + J for Windows) to consolidate selected clips (and any silence you may have selected as well) into its a new clip that commits warping, fades, gain, etc.
Set Clip Gain (and more!)
If you’re an Arrangement View editor/enthusiast like me, then you’d certainly like to check out the ClipGain Max for Live device from VallumDuPeuple.
This device let’s you adjust a clip’s gain without needing to open up its Detail View. The idea is to key map or midi map the toggle for a floating window with the gain adjustment slider. Select the clip you want to edit, toggle the window, and adjust gain. That’s “surface level editing” if I’ve ever seen it, and pairs very nicely with the other shortcuts we’ve discussed!
ClipGain also has options to adjust the Coarse and finetune pitch and toggle warping on and off for any audio clip. Definitely worth a look!
Set Clip Gain (and more!)
If you’re an Arrangement View editor/enthusiast like me, then you’d certainly like to check out the ClipGain Max for Live device from VallumDuPeuple.
This device let’s you adjust a clip’s gain without needing to open up its Detail View. The idea is to key map or midi map the toggle for a floating window with the gain adjustment slider. Select the clip you want to edit, toggle the window, and adjust gain. That’s “surface level editing” if I’ve ever seen it, and pairs very nicely with the other shortcuts we’ve discussed!
ClipGain also has options to adjust the Coarse and finetune pitch and toggle warping on and off for any audio clip. Definitely worth a look!
Set Clip Gain (and more!)
If you’re an Arrangement View editor/enthusiast like me, then you’d certainly like to check out the ClipGain Max for Live device from VallumDuPeuple.
This device let’s you adjust a clip’s gain without needing to open up its Detail View. The idea is to key map or midi map the toggle for a floating window with the gain adjustment slider. Select the clip you want to edit, toggle the window, and adjust gain. That’s “surface level editing” if I’ve ever seen it, and pairs very nicely with the other shortcuts we’ve discussed!
ClipGain also has options to adjust the Coarse and finetune pitch and toggle warping on and off for any audio clip. Definitely worth a look!
Toggle the Loop Brace
And while we’re on the subject of adding features to Live’s Arrangement View with Max for Live devices, allow me to direct you to one of my own!
While shortcuts like Command + L (Loop On, Off) and Shift + Command + L (Select Loop) are useful while making edits in the Arrangement View, the problem is you have to pause everything you’re doing to make sure you adjust the position and length of the Loop Brace.
Cartographer aims to remove this step by ensuring the Loop Brace is always wrapped around wherever the playhead happens to be. That means you can just toggle the Loop On with the shortcut, key map, or midi map of your choice and know that what you’re listening to right now will be looped. That’s powerful if your workflow involves a lot of the shortcuts we’ve discussed in this article!
Cartographer works in the background to automatically move the Loop Brace to follow along with the playhead. When to toggle on and off the loop is up to you.
Toggle the Loop Brace
Cartographer aims to remove this step by ensuring the Loop Brace is always wrapped around wherever the playhead happens to be. That means you can just toggle the Loop On with the shortcut, key map, or midi map of your choice and know that what you’re listening to right now will be looped. That’s powerful if your workflow involves a lot of the shortcuts we’ve discussed in this article!
Cartographer aims to remove this step by ensuring the Loop Brace is always wrapped around wherever the playhead happens to be. That means you can just toggle the Loop On with the shortcut, key map, or midi map of your choice and know that what you’re listening to right now will be looped. That’s powerful if your workflow involves a lot of the shortcuts we’ve discussed in this article!
Cartographer works in the background to automatically move the Loop Brace to follow along with the playhead. When to toggle on and off the loop is up to you.
Toggle the Loop Brace
And while we’re on the subject of adding features to Live’s Arrangement View with Max for Live devices, allow me to direct you to one of my own!
While shortcuts like Command + L (Loop On, Off) and Shift + Command + L (Select Loop) are useful while making edits in the Arrangement View, the problem is you have to pause everything you’re doing to make sure you adjust the position and length of the Loop Brace.
Cartographer aims to remove this step by ensuring the Loop Brace is always wrapped around wherever the playhead happens to be. That means you can just toggle the Loop On with the shortcut, key map, or midi map of your choice and know that what you’re listening to right now will be looped. That’s powerful if your workflow involves a lot of the shortcuts we’ve discussed in this article!
Cartographer works in the background to automatically move the Loop Brace to follow along with the playhead. When to toggle on and off the loop is up to you.
Conclusion
Let me know if you learned about a new Live feature on by @’ing my Twitter! This article is actually a two-parter, the next part focuses on various ways of optimizing your screen real estate while working with clips in Arrangement View. Check out Optimizing the Layout in Arrangement View for more!
Stay tuned for future articles by following pATCHES socials or https://patches.zone/newsletter!
Conclusion
Let me know if you learned about a new Live feature on by @’ing my Twitter! This article is actually a two-parter, the next part focuses on various ways of optimizing your screen real estate while working with clips in Arrangement View. Check out Optimizing the Layout in Arrangement View for more!
Stay tuned for future articles by following pATCHES socials or https://patches.zone/newsletter!
Conclusion
Let me know if you learned about a new Live feature on by @’ing my Twitter! This article is actually a two-parter, the next part focuses on various ways of optimizing your screen real estate while working with clips in Arrangement View. Check out Optimizing the Layout in Arrangement View for more!
Stay tuned for future articles by following pATCHES socials or https://patches.zone/newsletter!
pATCHES © 2024
pATCHES © 2024
