Tips For Playing Live with Ableton Live
It's called live for a reason. ableton opens the digital world of sampled loops, midi soft synths, consolidated analog routing, & real-time processing to on-the-fly manipulation, making it the perfect tool to bring your music to life on stage. in this article I'll detail some of my favorite well-used & lesser-known tricks that I consider essential for using ableton in a live scenario.
Tips For Playing Live with Ableton Live
It's called live for a reason. ableton opens the digital world of sampled loops, midi soft synths, consolidated analog routing, & real-time processing to on-the-fly manipulation, making it the perfect tool to bring your music to life on stage. in this article I'll detail some of my favorite well-used & lesser-known tricks that I consider essential for using ableton in a live scenario.
Tips For Playing Live with Ableton Live
It's called live for a reason. ableton opens the digital world of sampled loops, midi soft synths, consolidated analog routing, & real-time processing to on-the-fly manipulation, making it the perfect tool to bring your music to life on stage. in this article I'll detail some of my favorite well-used & lesser-known tricks that I consider essential for using ableton in a live scenario.
A Novel Use for the Crossfader
even veteran live users have ignored the crossfader - "useful for dj's sure, but we have to manage tens of tracks & no a/b in this world will help with that." beyond a few niche uses, the common mindset is that the crossfade can largely stay hidden in session view without missing out on much. I felt very much the same way until I found the excellent xfademap maxforlive device. mapping the crossfade assign will normally only allow your controller to cycle through the assignments (requiring multiple clicks to move between a, b, and off - far too much a hassle to keep track of in a busy live performance). xfademap works around this, giving you direct access to a track's a/b assignment. here's how I like to take use it as a transformative tool for the sounds I perform with:
duplicate your track & group the original & newly created one
make alterations to every clip in the duplicated track to create "associated" clips; this could be a sparser arrangement, a transposed version, a double time loop or some other variation.
put the xfademap on each track in the group
map a button on a midi controller to "A" on the first track & map the same button to "B" on the associated clip track
mute the B track & also map the mute control to the same button as the above step
finally, collapse the group & treat it like a single track - put effect chains on the group & launch your clips together from the group.
A Novel Use for the Crossfader
even veteran live users have ignored the crossfader - "useful for dj's sure, but we have to manage tens of tracks & no a/b in this world will help with that." beyond a few niche uses, the common mindset is that the crossfade can largely stay hidden in session view without missing out on much. I felt very much the same way until I found the excellent xfademap maxforlive device. mapping the crossfade assign will normally only allow your controller to cycle through the assignments (requiring multiple clicks to move between a, b, and off - far too much a hassle to keep track of in a busy live performance). xfademap works around this, giving you direct access to a track's a/b assignment. here's how I like to take use it as a transformative tool for the sounds I perform with:
duplicate your track & group the original & newly created one
make alterations to every clip in the duplicated track to create "associated" clips; this could be a sparser arrangement, a transposed version, a double time loop or some other variation.
put the xfademap on each track in the group
map a button on a midi controller to "A" on the first track & map the same button to "B" on the associated clip track
mute the B track & also map the mute control to the same button as the above step
finally, collapse the group & treat it like a single track - put effect chains on the group & launch your clips together from the group.
A Novel Use for the Crossfader
even veteran live users have ignored the crossfader - "useful for dj's sure, but we have to manage tens of tracks & no a/b in this world will help with that." beyond a few niche uses, the common mindset is that the crossfade can largely stay hidden in session view without missing out on much. I felt very much the same way until I found the excellent xfademap maxforlive device. mapping the crossfade assign will normally only allow your controller to cycle through the assignments (requiring multiple clicks to move between a, b, and off - far too much a hassle to keep track of in a busy live performance). xfademap works around this, giving you direct access to a track's a/b assignment. here's how I like to take use it as a transformative tool for the sounds I perform with:
duplicate your track & group the original & newly created one
make alterations to every clip in the duplicated track to create "associated" clips; this could be a sparser arrangement, a transposed version, a double time loop or some other variation.
put the xfademap on each track in the group
map a button on a midi controller to "A" on the first track & map the same button to "B" on the associated clip track
mute the B track & also map the mute control to the same button as the above step
finally, collapse the group & treat it like a single track - put effect chains on the group & launch your clips together from the group.
everything functions as it normally would except with a press of a button your clips become "transformable." for any track you engage this option, the crossfader now lets you move between the original clip & a custom, pre-planned variation. the beauty is you can turn this on & off for any number of tracks & crossfader movements won't affect those that are turned off.
loop based music usually has very limited improvisational opportunities, but using this technique every performance can be unique & fresh yet still locked into the grid and your original vision. play around with what your associated clips in B do until it feels like a worthy option. you'll earn bonus points for incorporating post-fader sends & returns into your B tracks. this will allow you to play around with delays and reverb tails that persist even after the variation sound leaves the mix.
everything functions as it normally would except with a press of a button your clips become "transformable." for any track you engage this option, the crossfader now lets you move between the original clip & a custom, pre-planned variation. the beauty is you can turn this on & off for any number of tracks & crossfader movements won't affect those that are turned off.
loop based music usually has very limited improvisational opportunities, but using this technique every performance can be unique & fresh yet still locked into the grid and your original vision. play around with what your associated clips in B do until it feels like a worthy option. you'll earn bonus points for incorporating post-fader sends & returns into your B tracks. this will allow you to play around with delays and reverb tails that persist even after the variation sound leaves the mix.
everything functions as it normally would except with a press of a button your clips become "transformable." for any track you engage this option, the crossfader now lets you move between the original clip & a custom, pre-planned variation. the beauty is you can turn this on & off for any number of tracks & crossfader movements won't affect those that are turned off.
loop based music usually has very limited improvisational opportunities, but using this technique every performance can be unique & fresh yet still locked into the grid and your original vision. play around with what your associated clips in B do until it feels like a worthy option. you'll earn bonus points for incorporating post-fader sends & returns into your B tracks. this will allow you to play around with delays and reverb tails that persist even after the variation sound leaves the mix.
Non-Destructive Clip Transposition
in my article on midi mappable clip controls, I mentioned the usefulness of controlling clip transposition. in a live scenario, I love to map it to my keyboard's pitchbend so that whatever pitch changes I make to a clip, it will always reliably snap back to zero when I'm done. this makes quick improvisational transitions a breeze - you can build tension by raising the pitch or drop your loop right into a drop without having to worry about paying it much attention to get it back to normal afterward.
mapping the transposition knob will give you control over whatever clip is currently selected so you'll want to be aware of what that is whenever you use it.
Non-Destructive Clip Transposition
in my article on midi mappable clip controls, I mentioned the usefulness of controlling clip transposition. in a live scenario, I love to map it to my keyboard's pitchbend so that whatever pitch changes I make to a clip, it will always reliably snap back to zero when I'm done. this makes quick improvisational transitions a breeze - you can build tension by raising the pitch or drop your loop right into a drop without having to worry about paying it much attention to get it back to normal afterward.
mapping the transposition knob will give you control over whatever clip is currently selected so you'll want to be aware of what that is whenever you use it.
Non-Destructive Clip Transposition
in my article on midi mappable clip controls, I mentioned the usefulness of controlling clip transposition. in a live scenario, I love to map it to my keyboard's pitchbend so that whatever pitch changes I make to a clip, it will always reliably snap back to zero when I'm done. this makes quick improvisational transitions a breeze - you can build tension by raising the pitch or drop your loop right into a drop without having to worry about paying it much attention to get it back to normal afterward.
mapping the transposition knob will give you control over whatever clip is currently selected so you'll want to be aware of what that is whenever you use it.
Turning Off Unused Devices
when playing live, low latency is critical so CPU usage comes at a premium. if your set contains a lot of devices that you switch to during and between songs, it's important to remember they will draw processing power even if they are set to 0% wet. if you need to conserve memory, try mapping the on/off of CPU-sucking devices to their dry/wet knob via a macro:
this will bypass the signal into the device as before, but it will not need to be "on" & drawing power. ableton's native audio devices are generally very processor-friendly, but this trick can be indispensable when handling multiple instruments, especially the external vst variety.
Turning Off Unused Devices
when playing live, low latency is critical so CPU usage comes at a premium. if your set contains a lot of devices that you switch to during and between songs, it's important to remember they will draw processing power even if they are set to 0% wet. if you need to conserve memory, try mapping the on/off of CPU-sucking devices to their dry/wet knob via a macro:
this will bypass the signal into the device as before, but it will not need to be "on" & drawing power. ableton's native audio devices are generally very processor-friendly, but this trick can be indispensable when handling multiple instruments, especially the external vst variety.
Snap to Device
this is another classic technique. using this in combination with a good midi controller & a matching control surface will expand its usage, effectively giving you infinite banks/pages for your knobs. it's simple enough - just click the device or group title when in midi map mode to assign a control to it.
when I press the button I midi mapped to the device selection, that device immediately becomes the focus of my control surface, regardless of where I was in my set. in this way, I can label a button on my controller as "drum rack" or "vocal effects" & reliably call up the controls for those things with a single press. I especially like using this with the apc40's endless encoders because they will update their position to the new selection, making swaps between devices completely seamless.
Snap to Device
this is another classic technique. using this in combination with a good midi controller & a matching control surface will expand its usage, effectively giving you infinite banks/pages for your knobs. it's simple enough - just click the device or group title when in midi map mode to assign a control to it.
when I press the button I midi mapped to the device selection, that device immediately becomes the focus of my control surface, regardless of where I was in my set. in this way, I can label a button on my controller as "drum rack" or "vocal effects" & reliably call up the controls for those things with a single press. I especially like using this with the apc40's endless encoders because they will update their position to the new selection, making swaps between devices completely seamless.
Snap to Device
this is another classic technique. using this in combination with a good midi controller & a matching control surface will expand its usage, effectively giving you infinite banks/pages for your knobs. it's simple enough - just click the device or group title when in midi map mode to assign a control to it.
when I press the button I midi mapped to the device selection, that device immediately becomes the focus of my control surface, regardless of where I was in my set. in this way, I can label a button on my controller as "drum rack" or "vocal effects" & reliably call up the controls for those things with a single press. I especially like using this with the apc40's endless encoders because they will update their position to the new selection, making swaps between devices completely seamless.
Partial scene launch
scenes are a fantastic tool - it would otherwise be impossible to launch all the clips we want to at one time, whether because our hands don't stretch far enough or we are otherwise preoccupied in the middle of our set. when launching multiple clips, however, we don't always want the currently playing loops to change or stop. this is where removing the stop button becomes handy.
it's a simple option in the context menu that can have powerful effects - you can still start up tons of clips with a single button press but you selectively allow already playing clips to continue without stopping. notice my bass loop in scene 1 doesn't stop when I launch scene 5 because the stop button wasn't included in that scene.
Partial scene launch
scenes are a fantastic tool - it would otherwise be impossible to launch all the clips we want to at one time, whether because our hands don't stretch far enough or we are otherwise preoccupied in the middle of our set. when launching multiple clips, however, we don't always want the currently playing loops to change or stop. this is where removing the stop button becomes handy.
it's a simple option in the context menu that can have powerful effects - you can still start up tons of clips with a single button press but you selectively allow already playing clips to continue without stopping. notice my bass loop in scene 1 doesn't stop when I launch scene 5 because the stop button wasn't included in that scene.
Partial scene launch
scenes are a fantastic tool - it would otherwise be impossible to launch all the clips we want to at one time, whether because our hands don't stretch far enough or we are otherwise preoccupied in the middle of our set. when launching multiple clips, however, we don't always want the currently playing loops to change or stop. this is where removing the stop button becomes handy.
it's a simple option in the context menu that can have powerful effects - you can still start up tons of clips with a single button press but you selectively allow already playing clips to continue without stopping. notice my bass loop in scene 1 doesn't stop when I launch scene 5 because the stop button wasn't included in that scene.
Fills With Follow Actions
in loop music in particular, a fill will break up the monotony & perk your audience's ears, cueing them to an upcoming change of some sort. it's very possible that at the end of the fill you'll need to be doing something important - playing an instrument, for example - & you can't be bothered with launching the original loop. in these cases, follow actions are your friend.
set the follow action to last as long as you want the fill to be & point it in the direction of the loop you want to return to. that's basically all there is to it - you don't need to worry about anything after that because its all taken care of by the automatic process set in the launch section (but mind your global quantization).
Fills With Follow Actions
in loop music in particular, a fill will break up the monotony & perk your audience's ears, cueing them to an upcoming change of some sort. it's very possible that at the end of the fill you'll need to be doing something important - playing an instrument, for example - & you can't be bothered with launching the original loop. in these cases, follow actions are your friend.
set the follow action to last as long as you want the fill to be & point it in the direction of the loop you want to return to. that's basically all there is to it - you don't need to worry about anything after that because its all taken care of by the automatic process set in the launch section (but mind your global quantization).
Fills With Follow Actions
in loop music in particular, a fill will break up the monotony & perk your audience's ears, cueing them to an upcoming change of some sort. it's very possible that at the end of the fill you'll need to be doing something important - playing an instrument, for example - & you can't be bothered with launching the original loop. in these cases, follow actions are your friend.
set the follow action to last as long as you want the fill to be & point it in the direction of the loop you want to return to. that's basically all there is to it - you don't need to worry about anything after that because its all taken care of by the automatic process set in the launch section (but mind your global quantization).
there's much more to follow actions & launch modes than I have room to cover here, but it's also worth mentioning using them in combination with removed stops & dummy clips (blank clips) will let you launch fills across multiple tracks with the scene launch buttons. notice how quick this is to set up: select the scene, remove stops (which will remove all of them at once), & edit the follow actions (again, changing all the selections at once). with just a few clicks, you can set up multi-clip fills in your set.
there's much more to follow actions & launch modes than I have room to cover here, but it's also worth mentioning using them in combination with removed stops & dummy clips (blank clips) will let you launch fills across multiple tracks with the scene launch buttons. notice how quick this is to set up: select the scene, remove stops (which will remove all of them at once), & edit the follow actions (again, changing all the selections at once). with just a few clicks, you can set up multi-clip fills in your set.
there's much more to follow actions & launch modes than I have room to cover here, but it's also worth mentioning using them in combination with removed stops & dummy clips (blank clips) will let you launch fills across multiple tracks with the scene launch buttons. notice how quick this is to set up: select the scene, remove stops (which will remove all of them at once), & edit the follow actions (again, changing all the selections at once). with just a few clicks, you can set up multi-clip fills in your set.
pATCHES © 2024
pATCHES © 2024
