Ableton Live Bootcamp
The Basics: Ableton Live Foundations
March 27, 2023
CORE | MODULE 1: THE BASICS (click here to see lesson info & downloads)
Keyboard shortcuts used (in order of appearance):
Download a printable Shortcut PDF
Topics covered in this video:
| Mac | PC | |
| Toggle Session/Arrangement View | TAB | TAB |
| Insert Audio Track | CMD-T | CTRL-T |
| Insert MIDI Track | CMD-Shift-T | CTRL-Shift-T |
| Insert Return Track | CMD-ALT-T | CTRL-ALT-T |
| Toggle Device/Clip View | Shift-Tab or CTRL-F12 | Shift-Tab or F12 |
| Narrow Grid | CMD-1 | CTRL-1 |
| Widen Grid | CMD-2 | CTRL-2 |
| Triplet Grid | CMD-3 | CTRL-3 |
| Snap to Grid | CMD-4 | CTRL-4 |
| Zoom in and out | + and - | + and - |
| Toggle Loop Selection | CMD-L | CTRL-L |
| Transpose selected notes by octave | Shift + up or down arrow keys | Shift + up or down arrow keys |
| Extends or retract the duration of selected notes | Shift + left or right arrow keys | Shift + left or right arrow keys |
| Selecting multiple midi notes & time | Shift + click | Shift + click |
| Duplicate command | CMD-D | CTRL-D |
| On/off pencil tool | B | B |
| Velocity ruler | With Draw Mode activated - ALT | With Draw Mode activated - CTRL |
- Ableton Live browser
- Session view/Arrangement view navigation
- What is session/arrangement view best for
- Clip slots
- What is the difference between an audio clip and a MIDI clip
- How to program MIDI (drums)
- Adding tracks
- Deleting tracks
- Selecting multiple tracks range & nonadjacent
- Tracks are connected between session & arrangement view
- I/O section
- Sends section
- Return tracks
- Adding an audio clip to the session view from the browser
- Clip launch button
- Loop indicator
- Show/hide sends & returns
- Add return track
- Mixer section
- Resizing views
- What is Pan?
- Track activator switch
- Solo button
- Record arm button
- Volume meter
- Midi velocity meter
- Types of midi messages
- Velocity Editor
- Converting MIdI to audio
- Midi editor
- Drum instruments
- Single device icon vs device group
- Audio preview icon
- Sorting the browser list
- How to add devices to a track
- Back to arrangement view button
- Add new midi clip to session view
- Deleting clips
- Detail view midi vs detail view audio
- Piano roll
- Stopping clips in session view
- Toggling detail view with overview tabs
- Fold/unfold views
- Info area
- Drum rack overview
- Pad launch/mute/solo buttons
- Duplicate and vary technique
- Beat time ruler - clip view
- Adding MIDI notes to MIDI editor
- Pausing clip playback
- Beat subdivision
- Beat names
- Changing the beat grid using the context menu
- Fixed vs adaptive grid
- Focus based shortcuts
- Zooming using the beat time ruler
- Moving left & right with the beat time ruler
- Navigate and zoom with overview area session and arrangement view
- Turn on loop in clip view
- Activate loop in arrangement view
- Adjusting the length of the loop
- Moving midi notes around in the midi editor
- Adjusting the start and end markers
- Adjusting position and length of loop brace in clip box
- Time signature in clip box
- Notes box - half/double selection length
- Reversing midi selection
- Invert midi selection
- Legato button
- Duplicate button
- Overlapping midi notes
- On/off midi messages
- Selecting multiple midi notes
- Scrub area playback
- Elastic band select tool
- Duplicating midi notes
- Pencil tool for adding midi notes
- Velocity editor adjusting velocities
- Velocity editor with the pencil tool
- Velocity ramping