Make audio files directly instead of Live Clips?

blinkeye · Post by **blinkeye** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 8:18 pm

Hello. I have a question about creating audio files. I'd like to make a bunch of audio loops from midi loops created in ableton.

When I flatten a frozen midi clip and drag to the browser, it creates a Live Clip but I'm wondering if there is a way to make wav files directly instead of live clips. The reason I ask is that while I know that wav files are created in the Processed folder of the project's samples folder, I'd rather not have to worry about creating and saving a project every time I want to make wav files. I'd rather just launch live when i'm feeling creative, jam up some midi loops using impulse or whatever and flatten them directly into wav files so that I can drag them into a folder in the browser of my choice instead of having to save a whole project and having to remember and navigate to which Processed folder the actual wav file was saved to. If I choose not to save a project after creating a live clip, Live would ask to leave the sample in place but that still puts the actual wav file in the Processed/Freeze folder in a temporary project folder which is just as much of a hassle. I guess another option is to use Render to Disk but then you're missing out on drag and drop functionality and instead have to deal with the save dialog window which interrupts the workflow.

So I'm wondering if anyone knows of a way to create wav files directly instead of Live Clips other than Render to Disk.

Martyn · Post by **Martyn** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 9:10 pm

Right click the track header and choose "flatten", that should do it.

blinkeye · Post by **blinkeye** » Sun Oct 21, 2007 9:16 pm

Martyn wrote:Right click the track header and choose "flatten", that should do it.

That should do what exactly? Did you read my question?

pepezabala · Post by **pepezabala** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 7:19 am

different possibilities:

-Save a project everytime you play, drag the clips into it's own project

-drag the clips into an existing project folder (call it "my jam-clips" or what ever). Then you would need to manage this project regularly and collect the audio files into it. Afterwards you can delete your jamming-sessions without to worry about the audiofiles inside.

-Wait for live 7. It will alow you to drag clips together with it's audio-file into a folder (why wasn't it like that right from the start????)

blinkeye · Post by **blinkeye** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 10:14 pm

pepezabala wrote:-Wait for live 7. It will alow you to drag clips together with it's audio-file into a folder (why wasn't it like that right from the start????)

too bad you can't do this now. where is this new feature documented?

terragong · Post by **terragong** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 10:31 pm

maybe this helps....
http://www.silverspike.com/?Products:TapeIt

blinkeye · Post by **blinkeye** » Mon Oct 22, 2007 10:34 pm

terragong wrote:maybe this helps....
http://www.silverspike.com/?Products:TapeIt

thanks, that looks like a possible workaround but I'm on a mac. Know of any OS X alternatives?

longjohns · Post by **longjohns** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 1:26 am

Once you freeze and flatten, a .wav file does exist - so the question is how to access it most easily

I'd f&f the clips - then context ->show in browser, then context -> show in explorer (finder, in your case?)...

then copy and paste to your destination folder

at this point if you don't want to save the temp project, then the temp folder will be deleted on exit, and you will only have the one copy of each .wav file you flattened.

As noted, this can be a bit easier in Live 7, although you will end up with both .alc and .wav files in the destination folder if you drag via the Live browser. Also you will get the /Samples/Imported (or whatever) folder structure, rather than having complete control over the folders by doing it in the finder.

blinkeye · Post by **blinkeye** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 8:49 am

longjohns wrote:I'd f&f the clips - then context ->show in browser, then context -> show in explorer (finder, in your case?)...

then copy and paste to your destination folder

at this point if you don't want to save the temp project, then the temp folder will be deleted on exit, and you will only have the one copy of each .wav file you flattened.

I don't see a "show in browser" context menu when I right click on a flattened audio clip in the session view but when I drag it to the browser and right click on the resulting live clip I do get the "show in finder" context menu. But that takes me to the same live clip .alc file's location in the finder instead of the actual wav file.

EgAD · Post by **EgAD** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 9:12 am

can't you just drag the wav to a folder on your desktop?

bensuthers · Post by **bensuthers** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 9:27 am

what's the issue here? that you can't find the wav file?

illtrooper · Post by **illtrooper** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 9:59 am

"Know of any OS X alternatives?"

Yeah, I'm on OSX and although I don't know of a VST plug that does it, I recommend Audio Hijack Pro ($32, creates recordings in the standard .wav, mp3 or .aif formats) from Rogue Amoeba software, amazingly useful, already updated for Leopard too...

it might accomplish what you're looking for: you can tell it to create an audio file from any audio the computer is making, and save it anywhere (I usually just record to the desktop and organize it when I'm done).

You description of what you're looking for is so detailed and dense (not in a bad way, though) that I might have totally misunderstood what you were looking for, but Audio Hijack Pro is what I use to instantly grab audio from anything I hear that I want - sound from a YouTube video, a loop from something playing in iTunes, a sound from a DVD that's playing, a sound from Reason that was the result of a glitch and would only happen when I would switch instruments when no sequencer was running, and yes, you can re-record DRM'd iTunes Music Store tracks you may own without the ol' "burn a CD and re-import it" chore.

Look into it if you haven't already tried it.

www.rogueamoeba.com

Good luck

blinkeye · Post by **blinkeye** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 9:39 pm

EgAD wrote:can't you just drag the wav to a folder on your desktop?

Well, in order to do that I first need to save a project and browse to the actual wav audio file (as opposed to the .alc Live Clip) in the saved project's Freeze folder (which is inside the Processed folder which is inside the Samples folder). As you can see, this process makes it a hassle and is nowhere near "just drag the wav to a folder on the desktop". I simply want to launch Live, make some midi loops, flatten to audio, and drag the actual wav audio files to a folder instead of having to navigate around to find it.

bensuthers wrote:what's the issue here? that you can't find the wav file?

No. As I explained in my original post, the issue is that I would like to drag and drop actual wav audio files to the browser instead of .alc Live Clips, or at least simplify the process compared to how it works now. As of Live 6, I have to save the project (if I don't want the wav file to end up in some temporary folder), browse to that project's sample folder, find the wav file, and right click to choose the "Show in Finder" context menu to show the actual wav file so that I can finally drag it into a folder of my choice.

blinkeye · Post by **blinkeye** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 9:48 pm

illtrooper wrote:"Know of any OS X alternatives?"

Yeah, I'm on OSX and although I don't know of a VST plug that does it, I recommend Audio Hijack Pro

I know about Audio Hijack Pro but that doesn't help me in this case unless it can midi sync to Live and allows a way to convert midi to audio without having to trim the recorded audio. See, what's useful for me in Live is the freeze and flattening of midi loops so that I can instantly convert midi loops to audio loops that are identical in length without having to record to audio and worry about stopping record in time or having to edit the audio file to delete anything other than what you wanted that may have been recorded before you pressed stop. Like I said, Render to Disk would be a solution except that you lose the quick drag and drop functionality and instead have to deal with the Save... dialog window every time which interrupts workflow.

blinkeye · Post by **blinkeye** » Tue Oct 23, 2007 10:00 pm

longjohns wrote:I'd f&f the clips - then context ->show in browser, then context -> show in explorer (finder, in your case?)...

It doesn't work like that for me, but I found that once I had dragged the flattened Live Clips to the browser, I have to select them and right click to choose "Manage File(s)" which will open up the File Manager and I have to click "Show" under "External Samples" for the wav files to show in Live's browser. Even then, I still have to right click on them to choose "Show in Finder" in order to drag them into a folder of my choice. Lots of steps I'd rather not have to be bothered with and it sucks I have to wait for Live 7 to do it simply.

Make audio files directly instead of Live Clips?

Make audio files directly instead of Live Clips?

TapeIt-vst

Re: TapeIt-vst