Easy way to make all notes the same length!

Share your favorite Ableton Live tips, tricks, and techniques.
Post Reply
jasper
Posts: 402
Joined: Fri Feb 09, 2007 10:57 am

Easy way to make all notes the same length!

Post by jasper » Mon Sep 16, 2019 9:35 pm

Here's how to grab a series of notes in a midi clip and quickly make them all the same length:

1. Export the midi clip out of Ableton Live.

2. Put the midi clip into Logic Pro, or Cubase, or FL Studio, or Sibelius, or Prosonus Studio One, and
use modifier keys or function to "make all selected notes the same length"

3. Export the midi clip from that DAW, and put it back int Ableton Live.

Done!

jestermgee
Posts: 4500
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 6:38 am

Re: Easy way to make all notes the same length!

Post by jestermgee » Tue Sep 17, 2019 12:21 am

Or if you don't have any of the mentioned DAWs and just want to do it in Live...

1. Highlight all notes to make the same length.
2. Grab the resize handle of the LONGEST note
3. Resize down to absolute minimum then release mouse button (the longest note will now be slightly longer than the others which are now zero length)
4. Grab the resize handle again and now stretch the notes back out again

The only caveat with this is the note you are using to resize will always be a touch longer but can be adjusted quickly after they have all been resized if required.

dannymunoz
Posts: 3
Joined: Thu Nov 23, 2017 11:25 pm

Re: Easy way to make all notes the same length!

Post by dannymunoz » Sat Mar 28, 2020 7:56 pm

Depending on what you are working on, SOMETIMES you can use Quantization to make the notes the same length.
It will aligned them to the grid, but be careful.

1) Select all notes
2) Right click and select Quantize Setting. Or use command: Mac(shift+cmd+U) / Win (shift+ctrl+U)
3) Select Quantize to: Current Grid or choose any, you can resize them later.
4) Make sure "Start" is not activated. Only "End" should be active
4) Amount 100%
5) Click OK.

dlwhite
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Jun 16, 2009 4:12 pm

Re: Easy way to make all notes the same length!

Post by dlwhite » Thu Sep 17, 2020 9:51 pm

Quantitize end will not make the notes the same length, only quantitize the note the nearest beat division as set by the grid or "quantize to" setting.

For example, if you have some notes that a 1/16th short of the 1/8th note division (not length, but beat division) these will be lengthened to the 1/8th note division - regardless of their total length.

ozinga
Posts: 87
Joined: Fri Mar 05, 2010 11:43 am

Re: Easy way to make all notes the same length!

Post by ozinga » Fri Sep 18, 2020 10:27 am

jasper wrote:
Mon Sep 16, 2019 9:35 pm
Here's how to grab a series of notes in a midi clip and quickly make them all the same length:

1. Export the midi clip out of Ableton Live.

2. Put the midi clip into Logic Pro, or Cubase, or FL Studio, or Sibelius, or Prosonus Studio One, and
use modifier keys or function to "make all selected notes the same length"

3. Export the midi clip from that DAW, and put it back int Ableton Live.

Done!
:D Brilliant

jlgrimes
Posts: 1773
Joined: Mon Jan 22, 2007 1:55 am
Location: Atlanta, Ga

Re: Easy way to make all notes the same length!

Post by jlgrimes » Fri Sep 18, 2020 5:38 pm

jasper wrote:
Mon Sep 16, 2019 9:35 pm
Here's how to grab a series of notes in a midi clip and quickly make them all the same length:

1. Export the midi clip out of Ableton Live.

2. Put the midi clip into Logic Pro, or Cubase, or FL Studio, or Sibelius, or Prosonus Studio One, and
use modifier keys or function to "make all selected notes the same length"

3. Export the midi clip from that DAW, and put it back int Ableton Live.

Done!
Note length midi plug-in.

The drawback is that you can't "see" the actual note length, but you can create an empty midi track, set it's input to the original midi track and record that, then drag it back to original track. Still a little convoluted but better than exporting to different program I'd think.

jestermgee
Posts: 4500
Joined: Mon Apr 26, 2010 6:38 am

Re: Easy way to make all notes the same length!

Post by jestermgee » Fri Sep 18, 2020 9:25 pm

jestermgee wrote:
Tue Sep 17, 2019 12:21 am
Or if you don't have any of the mentioned DAWs and just want to do it in Live...

1. Highlight all notes to make the same length.
2. Grab the resize handle of the LONGEST note
3. Resize down to absolute minimum then release mouse button (the longest note will now be slightly longer than the others which are now zero length)
4. Grab the resize handle again and now stretch the notes back out again

The only caveat with this is the note you are using to resize will always be a touch longer but can be adjusted quickly after they have all been resized if required.
This does it in live easily.

Moixa
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Nov 02, 2015 11:03 am

Re: Easy way to make all notes the same length!

Post by Moixa » Thu Nov 10, 2022 7:13 am

Is OP joking?

Post Reply