Ableton Forum

Trying to stay organized here; I'm a bit neurotic about this shit….

Where do you keep your homemade instrument racks and effect racks? do you just drag them to the browser and let ableton throw them in the library? or do you have a separate folder in your documents?
How does this affect upgrading Live or moving the library?
I personally used to just let Live do the house keeping, but since I just went through a very long and complicated computer and OS move, I'm trying to keep the shit tidy.

Tips?

I have created a folder in Ableton Library and put my stuff there (I do not produce many things so I have not categorized them).

- Best
- Pasha

Pasha wrote:I have created a folder in Ableton Library and put my stuff there (I do not produce many things so I have not categorized them).

- Best
- Pasha

Does that mean that this folder will now be incorporated for all future live updates as well???

i get confused with this too.. For example - if you create your own rack, by dragging it into the Current project folder, does that mean its only visible in that projects folder or should you make a COPY to the current project folder and leave it in the main library section as well?

i have created folders in the live library

so .. in my browser i will have something like a folder effects racks called USERS/buzby/sub folder or whoever/whatever - and i drag and drop effects racks into the live browser and it will be stored in the live library

instrument racks - i do the same but export any samples within say simpler etc., to the live library so that they are always there

I don't trust any library but my own.
Studio/Projects/Racks & Tracks

ze2be wrote:I don't trust any library but my own.
Studio/Projects/Racks & Tracks

yeah - not a bad idea really - i always keep things backed up on time machine and i also have another separate hard drive with stuff that i have manually transferred stuff to

buzby wrote:

ze2be wrote:I don't trust any library but my own.
Studio/Projects/Racks & Tracks

yeah - not a bad idea really - i always keep things backed up on time machine and i also have another separate hard drive with stuff that i have manually transferred stuff to

Always good to back stuff up. When you installed Ableton it asked you where you wanted to place the library, so Live's library is just a folder on your hard drive. Mine is at users/library/application support/Ableton/library. There (as in Live's browser) is a folder called presets which contains Instruments, Midi Effects, and Audio Effects. Inside each of those should be another folder for Instrument Racks, Audio Effect Racks & Midi Effect racks (if not create one). Inside each of those I create folders called "Mine". Finally, inside that folder called "Mine", I categorize them even further. For instance, I create folders called "Reverbs", "Delays", "Returns" etc. Command G/group to Rack, map macros, midi map to controller, name, save. I like to drag it over to it's folder but you can always do that after you save, just make sure it gets there.

The more organized the better. It helps to name things in a descriptive way, so you can easily grab them to use as starting points later on. I make folders with sub categories for all my main 3rd Party plugins also. It's always good to name and save a couple versions of that drum reverb you just dialed in. It's even more handy to have it in tucked away neatly in a folder labeled Reverb/My Verbs/Snare Verbs.

sdmiddleton wrote:

Pasha wrote:I have created a folder in Ableton Library and put my stuff there (I do not produce many things so I have not categorized them).

- Best
- Pasha

Does that mean that this folder will now be incorporated for all future live updates as well???

i get confused with this too.. For example - if you create your own rack, by dragging it into the Current project folder, does that mean its only visible in that projects folder or should you make a COPY to the current project folder and leave it in the main library section as well?

Since Live 6 I'm carrying the same structure.

Your Live Library is on your hard drive just like anything else, and it will be in that same location for all future updates unless you decide to move it, you would tell Live that in the Library Preferences. Not sure if saving to Current Project gets saved to HD or if you need to copy them also. I'll try it out.

I tend to setup the Browser like this: I use Live Device Browser for Audio & Midi effects so I keep those folders open there. If I need an empty Drum Rack or something I'll open the Instruments folder there but then close it. File Browser 1 is open to Instruments, for saving Instrument Racks mostly unless I need to save a Default or Clip etc. then I'll open up those folders and then close them. File Browser 2 is where I always keep the Samples folder open, for dragging drum samples to Drum Rack mostly. File Browser 3 is kinda whatever, usually opened to All Volumes so that I can search my hard drive in case I need to sample something or import a movie, sometimes it's open to Current Project.

I never use the Live library, I always use my own custom folders and set one of Live's browser buttons to default to this location.

Tarekith wrote:I never use the Live library, I always use my own custom folders and set one of Live's browser buttons to default to this location.

You probably know about the bookmarks..
I use them all the time!
Like this:

/Studio
/Studio/Projects
/Studio/Projects/Racks & Tracks
/Studio/Samples
/Studio/Presets

Then
1st folder: Ableton Library
2nd folder: Projects
3rd folder: Projects/Racks & Tracks

2nd folder -This one I usually keep, but the other folders might flick back and fourth w/the bookmarks. Whenever I start on a new project, I use the above settings.

BTW the Presets folder is only for the fxps.(vst presets)