Ableton Live is my first DAW and I have been using it for many years. Up until now, all of my works have been produced live. I love watching production tips on YouTube, and I’m constantly updating my production methods by incorporating new material that I think is good. I’m going to explain this while showing templates and project screens from the most recent releases, in the hope that it will be helpful for those who are just starting to use Live, or who would like to learn how others use it. I hope you enjoy it.
Build templates separately for “Rhythm” and “Inst” Master devices that are useful for saving time are consolidated
First, I will introduce the default template that I call “Start from here”. There are two main groups of templates: “Rhythm” and “Inst”.
This is the template that the author launches at the beginning of song creation. The top half is a “Rhythm” group consisting of drum and bass tracks.The bottom half is an “Inst” group that includes devices such as synths and electric pianos.
Rhythm is a group that includes drum and bass tracks. For drums, I often paste audio samples, so most of them are empty audio tracks with just the name of each part. However, since I often use MIDI for the hi-hat and bass, I used MIDI tracks. The bass changes depending on the song, whether it’s a plug-in, an attached device, or audio, but if you include it from the beginning you’ll be tied to it, so I don’t include any specific materials. On the other hand, for the hi-hat, I create a track called HH A for the input type and HH B for the live sound type, and set up a Drum Rack that contains samples for each, so that I don’t have to search for samples at the beginning of song creation.
The hi-hat in the Rhythm group creates two MIDI tracks. Drum racks are set up for “HH A”, which has a built-in sound, and “HH B”, which has a live sound, and a large number of samples are assigned to each. The image shows the Drum Rack inserted into HH A.
Inst includes empty audio tracks, MIDI tracks, and tracks containing attached devices. MIDI 1 with Operator for sketching ideas, MIDI 2 with Wavetable for writing chords, Lead with attached sound “Glidesynth Lead 2” like “The Lead”, used at the beginning of acoustic song creation We have prepared a track called EPiano that contains the electric piano device “E-Piano Basic”.
Operator is a synth device included with Live that is inserted into “MIDI1” in the Inst group for sketching ideas. When sketching chords, I use the synth Wavetable inserted into the MIDI2 track. After the Operator, set the Tuner and Utility, which are also devices included with Live.
The master track also uses Max for Live devices (Max for Live only supports Live Suite).
Max for Live device in the master track in the template. From the left, Auto Track Colors (which allows you to automatically set track colors)https://maxforlive.com/library/device/6739/), ClipGain (https://maxforlive.com/library/device/6720/), BiP for resampling with a single button (https://maxforlive.com/library/device/4782/）
Auto Track Colors is a device that automatically adds a track color to match the track name by setting a keyword and color. For example, if you set the keyword to “Kick” and the color to red, just by entering Kick in the track name will automatically turn red. It’s very convenient, so please give it a try.
ClipGain is a device that allows you to control sample screen gain, pitch, etc. at your fingertips. I have set a shortcut for ClipGain on the Gain “G” key, and just by pressing it, I can adjust the volume and pitch, and immediately change the Warp function settings.
BiP, which allows you to resample multiple tracks with a single button, is also very convenient. You can resample with one click without having to set up audio input or press the REC button, so it’s especially useful for people who want to record their own beats and use them as material for hip-hop, R&B, etc. Recommended.
Automation settings and monauralization with Utility Audio Effect Rack that branches signals within a track
Now let’s take a look at the Live functions used in the production of our latest song “EGO feat. Haruno”.
“EGO feat. Haruno” project screen created based on the template introduced on the previous page
First, the drums were made by pasting audio as mentioned above. For the kick, the main tone and the tone to add texture are layered, so I wrote and adjusted fades so that the attacks of each do not overlap.
The kick is a main layer and a layer of textured material.I write and adjust fades so that each attack does not overlap.
Live makes it very easy to write audio fades, and it also makes it easy to write crossovers between adjacent phrases.
Setting up the sidechain used for bass is also super easy with Live. By simply selecting the track name from the tab on the device screen, you can immediately set which signal will be the trigger.
fabfilter Pro-C 2, a compression plug-in inserted into the base.By selecting a track from the Sidechain tab on the left side of the screen, you can set the track that will trigger the sidechain.
The most important device for my production is the Utility.
Utility essential for my production.The Input on the left side of the screen is used to convert stereo to mono, and the Gain knob on the right side of the screen is used to make automation settings.
You can write automation on each track by default, but if you change the overall volume of the track during mixes, you have to re-set it, so I use Utility on almost every track and write automation using the Gain knob.
Utility also allows you to change from stereo to monaural. I turn on the input phase switch for ΦL and set the signal to be output only from the left side, making it monaural. The Fill track is an application of this. I wrote an automation to turn the Utility itself on and off, and set the Utility to be turned on (monaural) until the middle of the sample, and then turn the Utility off at the end so that it would sound in stereo.
The Glue Compressor, which I use for drum bass and bass, is an excellent compressor that is lightweight, has a pleasant feel, and is easy to use.
Glue Compressor, a compression device applied to the Rhythm group. Glue Compressor is mainly used for drum buses and bass. In the master, apply it thinly and adjust it by applying it in multiple stages.I also find the soft clipper on the top right of the device useful.
It is also convenient that the soft clipper can be used with one click. It is also very useful on the master track, and I use it in two or three stages with settings that do not reduce even 1 dB.
“Audio Effect Rack” is used when you want to apply reverb to vocals or keyboard tones.
“Audio Effect Rack” is used when applying reverb to vocals or keyboards. Signals such as dry signals, reverb, and delay can be separated and handled within a track, and routing such as send and return can be completed within a track. The image is inserted into the main vocal, making full use of Audio Effect Rack within the same track. The two on the left are parallel compressors, and the one on the right is a spatial effects rack.
Routing can be completed within a track without using sends and returns, and you can also make detailed reverb adjustments for each track.
After inserting the Audio Effect Rack, open the chain list and select “Create Chain” to add your favorite devices.
The screen immediately after inserting the Audio Effect Rack. Press the button at the bottom left (red frame) to display the chain list.You can create a chain by right-clicking (control-click on Mac) on the device.
You can add any effects you like after each track, and you can also split the signal within one track and use it like a send track. If you insert reverb normally, the vocal will be pushed back, but with this method you can add reverb while leaving a 100% dry signal. With Live, routing is easy and less troublesome.
For the track “Whistle,” I recorded a whistle that I played at an extremely slow tempo, then brought it back up and replaced. Live also has an excellent Warp function. There are six types of time stretch methods, and the nuance changes depending on the mode.
The audio track Warp function provides six time stretching methods: Beats, Tones, Texture, Re-Pitch, Complex, and Comlex Pro.
The last thing we’ll introduce is the track delay on the right edge of the screen.
Track delay displayed on the right edge of each track.You can set the time for each track and adjust the playback timing.
With the function to shift the playback timing of a track, for example, when recording, you can delay it a little when you want to say, “This track has run a little bit,” or you can purposely shift the unison vocals from the main vocals to create a left-right spread. Masu. For drums, this can be used to vary the groove by slightly delaying the hi-hat, or when the kick and hi-hat are at the same timing and you can’t hear the sound. Everyone, please try out Live’s convenient and excellent features in your production!
AGO
[Profile]Beat maker/producer. He specializes in groovy production that combines live sounds and advanced sounds, and also handles arrangements and mixdowns himself. In addition to all songs by the hip-hop crew CIRRRCLE, he has also worked on works by SIRUP, BE:FIRST, FuruiRiho, Chiaki Sato, Ayumu Imazu, and more. He selects his own songs and updates his Spotify playlist “OMAKASE SATURDAY” every Saturday, which boasts over 1,900 followers.
【Recent work】
“EGO feat. Haruno”
AGO
（Suppage Records）
LINE UP
Live 12 Intro: 11,800 yen | Live 12 Standard: 52,800 yen | Live 12 Suite: 84,800 yen
REQUIREMENTS
▪Mac: macOS 11 or later, Intel Core i5 or Apple Silicon, Core Audio compliant audio interface recommended
▪Windows: Windows 10 (version 22H2)/11 (version 22H2 or later), Intel Core i5 (5th generation) or AMD Ryzen, ASIO compatible audio hardware (required when using Link)
▪Common: 3GB or more free disk space (8GB or more recommended, up to 76GB if installing additional sound content)
