Ableton Forum

how do you deal with clips that start or end on a pickup?

for example:
a bass line starts on the beat but ends with a pickup to loop around again. but, you don't want the pickup notes on the last repeat

or this:
a bass line that simply begins on a pickup but you only want it there the first time

this question because each clip is triggered on the next downbeat

In the clip view you can set up the start,end and loop point. When you "fire" the clip it will start...end...loop...at those markers... see the small triangles below the loop braces?
Or...you can duplicate the clip...in the first one put the markers to loop only the "pickup" part and in the second...to loop everything but the "pickup" part...and then use follow actions to play them the order you want.

I was hoping there was a way without having to create another version of the clip

thx!

There is...read the first part of my post. But...what's so difficult with creating a duplicate of the clip? it takes less than a second.

I had thought of making copies and re-looping and yeah it is easy. it's just that I create a lot of parts that start on the pick up...duplicating every time is like clutter and seems inefficient

You can also make a legato between the end and the start of a clip, so the first note doesn´t get triggered again but is an extension of the last note. Stretch the last note over the end point of the loop, and stretch the first note over the starting point. This only works if it is the same note, I think.