Sometimes a feature is a liability. For example, on the APC40 you might find it handy to have the Stop button located conveniently at the front of the controller, right above the crossfader. On the gig? Not so much – it’s just plain dangerous. On the VCM-600, the scene navigation knob can be pushed down […]
COPY TIME
Sometimes when I’m working in the Arrangement view, I wish there was a Copy Time command. I want to be able to click on a clip, then copy everything in that range of time to the clipboard, along the lines of the Duplicate Time and Cut Time commands. Here’s the workaround. First, highlight a clip […]
A FEW GOOD TRACKS
Once I’ve got my basic production done and I’m ready to try out a new beat in a performance situation, I’ll first lay out a basic arrangement. This helps me figure out what I might want to do with the piece. Then I’ll print a few stems from the arrangement. In the following example, I’ve […]
MO TRACKS MO PROBLEMS
It seems that almost everyone’s first instinct when faced with idea of creating a live electronic set (as opposed to a DJ set), is to use a large number of tracks. After all, performing with 8 tracks obviously offers much greater opportunity for improvisation than a two track set. In practice however, working with too […]
UTILITY TEMPLATES
When I’m not using templates to put together a performance, I’m generally using them to import a premade set of tracks into a production Set. For example, when I want to record the output of my Machinedrum, I first locate my Drums set in the Templates folder: …and then drag it into whatever Set I’m […]
TEMPLATE!
Templates can be a really great tool for speeding your workflow. Personally, I don’t get much mileage out of the production oriented templates that ship with Live: …but I do get great benefit out of working with templates for live performance. As I’m getting ready for the Hobo’s Ball, its really nice to be able […]
THE SOUNDS SET
I’ve recently made a new addition to my Sounds Project, and its so simple I can’t believe it took me so long to think of it. The project folder now contains a Sounds Set: Every time I sit down to do some sampling or sound design, I do it in this set. The format of […]
SKIN IT YERSELF
To make your own skin for Live, you’ll first want to head over and download the skin editor by SonicTransfer. Once you’ve got that fired up on your computer, you’re ready to start skinning. The editor consists of two sections: a preview on the left that shows you changes to your skin as you make […]
THE SKINNY
Each skin that appears in Live’s skins menu is just a file on your hard drive. in Windows, you’ll find the skins located here: Program Files\Ableton\Live\Resources\Skins. Under OS X, the files are contained within the Live application bundle.To access them, go to your Applications folder, right-click on the Live icon, and select Show Package Contents […]
CONTRAST CRAZY
Before I get into talking about custom skins, there are two other OS X video tricks that every mac performer should know. 1) Control-Option-Command-8 This one inverts all of the colors on your display. Some people like the way this makes everything pop out. Others like it just because it’s SO SPOOKY. With a nice […]
