Working in a large session with many tracks can be overwhelming. Have you ever wondered how to solve this problem? Here are some ways you can organize your Ableton session to enhance your workflow and creativity.
When you open up Ableton Live you will be give a blank canvas to start off with. The first thing you should do is create returns for the individual instruments you will be using. Like I said in my last tip, doing this will help keep your CPU down and will help with experimenting with different effects. The return you use for the drums you could. VST plug-ins are instruments and effects from third party manufacturers which can be installed and used in Live. VST2 plug-ins use the.dll file extension. VST3 plug-ins use the.vst3 file extension. How to install and activate VST plug-ins on Windows. Download the latest installer file from the plug-in manufacturer's website and run it. Organize your plugins. The same sorting logic that applies to samples also applies to plugins and utilities; while it’s certainly wonderful to have hundreds of plugins available to you, do you really need twenty or more compression plugins available at arms length at all times? Organize your external folders. Create a dedicated folder where all of the samples that you’ve sourced will live. This is a great place to put unzipped folders of drum sounds or tracks you plan on sampling. You can use Add Folder in the Places menu to Live to give you direct access to that folder right in the Ableton Live ecosystem. Ableton Live makes it possible to utilize plugins stored in different folders on the computer. To do this, create a Mac OS or Windows alias of the folder where additional VST Plug-ins are stored, and then place the alias in the VST Plug-In Custom folder (or in the VST Plug-In System folder on Mac OS X) selected in Live's File/ Folder Preferences.
1. Label Tracks
If all of your tracks are labeled to correspond with the instruments they represent, navigating you session becomes much easier. For example, if your track is named “BASS” instead of “2 Basic Sinelike”, then you will be able to easily find your bass track among all of your other tracks. Right-click on the track header and select the “Rename” option. It will then allow you to type in a new name for the track.
2. Color-Code Tracks
Assigning colors to tracks based on the instruments you’re using can be very helpful. Having a color to associate with different sounds makes it easier to quickly find tracks in your session. For example, if you color-code all of your synth tracks to be yellow, any time you look up and see that color you will automatically know you’re looking at the synth tracks. If you right-click on the track header it will open up a menu that has a grid of colors at the bottom. Just select the color square that you want and it will change the track header to that color.3. Create Groups
Let’s say your working with a session that has a hefty vocal arrangement in it. This means you are going to have many vocal tracks to deal with. A way to declutter your session, if you have multiple tracks that fall under the same category, is to create a group. Hold down the “Shift” key and click on each track that you want to be included in the group. Once you have selected all of the tracks that you want, right-click on one of the selected tracks and choose “Group Tracks” from the drop down menu. This will put all of the tracks you selected under one group tab. You can hide the tracks in the group while you aren’t working with them to free up visual space in your session. The black triangle beside the group name will allow you to open and close the group when you need to access the individual tracks.
4. Add Locators
Locators can be added in the arrangement view of Ableton. Right-click in the grey space below the measure numbers and select “Add Locator” from the drop down menu. This will give you a grey triangle in the location that you originally clicked. Right-click on the triangle and select “Rename” from the drop down menu to label the locator. These locators can be helpful in identifying sections of your song, like a verse, chorus, or bridge.
After using these tips, your session should be much easier to navigate!
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Posted by: Tori Leche
Ableton Live 10 is here, and with it, an array of new features. This brand new rendition of the software packs a major upgrade, and is the first major upgrade since 2013.
Some of the most notable updates include the introduction of four new plugins: Wavetable, a synth with “deep, flexible modulation,” Echo, a multi-purpose delay unit for adding texture, Drum Buss, an all encompassing drum making tool, and Pedal, which contains overdrive and warm distortion. Similarly, some of the older plugins have been given a new paint job: Utility has an improved gain range and the ability to mono bass separately, and EQ Eight and Split Stereo Pan have extended low frequency slopes. There’s also an incredible selection of new sounds.
One feature in particular deserves to be highlighted: Collections. Ableton’s Collections allows users to organize their favorite or most-used plugins and sounds. Essentially, it’s a system of tags. Users can create a title and designate a color, and the tagged items will appear in Collections. If you look at the photo below, the Glue Compressor is framed by green, purple, and gray squares since it’s been tagged for “Favourite Effects,” “mixing,” and “Mastering Collections.”
How To Organize Plugins In Ableton Plugins
Though you can’t mix tags, for instance if you wanted to search for a sound tagged “Hi-Hat” and “Electric,” you would have to create two separate Collections for each. However, the Collections should prove useful in categorizing and accessing your most used sounds.
Some of the other changes that come with Live 10 include the arrival of groups within groups, the ability to rename Live’s inputs and outputs, multiple MIDI clip editing, new keyboard shortcuts and clip interactions, and the ability to export audio as a .MP3 file. In addition, Live 10 will also support note chasing, which is already found in competing DAWs like Logic and Pro Tools.
Another new feature is Capture, a tool that runs in the background that listens for and temporarily caches MIDI input. Capture can remember MIDI notes from previous sessions, even if they weren’t recorded. Basically, if you discover the next great melody, like Dre and Snoop’s, “The Next Episode”, Ableton will remember the sequence you played, even if you don’t. All you have to do is click Capture, and the sequence will reappear.
One key aspect of the update is that Max for Live is now built into Live 10. Thus, Max for Live will take up less processing power since it used to be an add-on product. Now that it comes built into the software itself, any issues with the program should be eliminated. It’ll also free up your CPU power so you can manage multiple tasks without slowing down.
Free Plugins For Ableton Live 9
As far as the eye can see, the Live 10 interface has been remodeled. It’s much sharper and has a thinner font. There are also some color changes and an array of new skins, which Ableton says will make it easier to read across different displays. (For those of us producing in our mom’s basement or at the library.)
Push, Ableton’s hardware element for Live 10, has also received a makeover. Notes in a clip are now viewed directly on Push. The interfaces for multiple devices, like Wavetable and EQ Eight, can now be displayed on Push’s screen. Further, a new step sequencing layout makes note sequencing and real time playing occur simultaneously.
Download Ableton Plugins
You can purchase Ableton Live 10 near the beginning of 2018. The download version of Ableton Live 10 will cost $99 for Live Intro, $449 for Live Standard, and $749 for Live Suite. The box version of Ableton Live 10 will cost $99 for Live Intro, $499 for Live Standard, and $799 for Live Suite. Check out the full spectrum of new features in Live 10 on Ableton.