Pre-roll for new users

Share your favorite Ableton Live tips, tricks, and techniques.
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jonljacobi
Posts: 887
Joined: Sat Dec 30, 2017 3:36 am

Pre-roll for new users

Post by jonljacobi » Sat Jul 10, 2021 5:53 pm

I'm sure most experienced users know this, but it's something I happened upon accidentally though it's probably in the user's guide and I didn't read it thoroughly enough. That was quite awhile ago, but I was just using it and thought I'd bubble the knowledge to the top.

If you set the punch-in to start recording at the left loop/record marker, this is where Ableton officially starts creating a clip. However, if instead of using a count in with the insert marker at the punch-in mark, you set the insert marker before the start of the clip, this where Live will actually start recording.

This can be handy to catch muted strums before playing the actual chord on the guitar, a singer inhaling, any instrument pushing the first beat, etc. For me this is usually most important at the very beginning of a song, or rafter a stop in the music. Without capturing the material slightly ahead of the clip, you wind up with an unnatural sounding onset note at the beginning of the clip.

Of course, it's best to perform the part from beginning to end, but sometimes that's just not feasible.

At any rate, Live records from wherever the insert marker is placed. That's your pre-roll.

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