Beginners Guide to Ableton Live
You can download all of the full size images from this tutorial. Download links can be found at the end of the article.
Open Ableton Live and you should see a screen similar to the image below.
Open a new set by going to File >> New Live Set
You should now be looking at an empty set which resembles the image below. You are now ready to begin adding clips and building your set!
Your sound files (or clips) are located in the browse window on the left-hand side of the Ableton arrange window. You can preview any clips by single-clicking it. (Note: All clips will play at the master tempo - top left of the screen.)
You can browse your files and folders like you would in any other windows program, simply by using the arrows to expand / collapse folders to move around your hard disk drive. Once you have located a suitable clip, simply click and drag it into a clip slot. Your arrangement should now resemble something similar to the image below.
It is worth noting that you cannot simultaneously play two consecutive sounds from within the same audio track. To do this, you must make new audio tracks. You can easily generate new audio tracks by hitting Ctrl + T or going to Insert >> Insert Audio Track (See image below).
For this example, lets pretend that I have now imported the two clips that I need and I am now done importing. My arrangement window looks something like this -->
I can trigger these clips individually (by clicking the play button ON the clip) or trigger all the clips on that line by hitting the MASTER play button for that line (see far right). That is the basic operation of Ableton live, how to import and play clips. However, although brilliant, sometimes Ableton WILL get something wrong hence it is neccessary to know a little bit about how to change the settings that Ableton "guesses". Read on -->
Altering Markers
When a clip is imported and the Warp function is selected, Ableton will attempt to "guess" the tempo of the clip. Once it has finished, it places warp markers onto the sample. To view these warp markers, simply double-click the clip in the arrangement window. This will activate the lower portion of the display & you will see something similar to below.
Our sample sounds slightly out of time at a certain point. When we zoom in we find that Ableton has incorrectly guessed the location of the hit point.
To rectify this, simply double click on the warp marker to activate it (it will turn green). Now simply drag it to the correct position with the sample.
Master Tempo
Ableton's master tempo facility can be found on the top right of the screen, by default it reads 120 (i.e. 120BPM). To alter the master tempo in real time, simply click and drag up (increase tempo) or down (decrease tempo). You will immediately hear your samples being altered to stay in to with the master tempo as well as with each other.
You can also type a tempo change into ableton (very useful for immediate and drastic tempo changes). Again, simply single click the tempo and type in a tempo. The tempo will alter as soon as you hit Return / Enter.
Assigning keyboard keys to Ableton Controls
One of the reasons that Ableton is so powerful and useful as a live remixing / djiing program is because everything can be altered & manipulated in real-time. Assigning keyboard keys to tasks within ableton means less time clicking your mouse and more time thinking about what really matter - the music!
It is SO easy to assign keys within ableton. Simply click the Key button, which is found near the top right of the screen. You will notice that all assignable controls turn orange. To assign a key to a particular function, simply single-click the function / button and hit the key on your keyboard.
In the image below, we have assigned the keyboard key Q to the individual clip play function.
When you are finished assigning keys, simply click the Key button again and the display should return to normal (your key assignments will still be valid).
Assigning MIDI controllers
Much like assigning keyboard keys (see above), Ableton can also assign individual MIDI controllers to functions.
To do this, click the MIDI button (near top right). Again you will notice that all assignable controllers switch colours - this time to purple. Single-click the function you wish to control, then move your fader / knob on your control surface.
Again, to deactivate the selection function, simply click the MIDI button again. In the example below, we have assigned controller 1/81 (fader 1 - behringer BCF fader desk) to channel 1 volume control.
I hope you have enjoyed this tutorial and that it has helped you to understand the complex, but amazingly powerful beast the Ableton Live is!
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