A/B listening in Live (bypassing master plugs)

[Jan Holm]

Hi there

I need a trick or a feature. While mixing stuff I like to hold my
stuff up against things I know that work. Is there a way to make
a track bypass the plugs on the master ?

I don't want the "B" reference going through my processing. I Could
make my mastering on a Bus or automate bypass on the master plugs
but I would love another, hopefully simpler solution.

[bosonHavoc]

could just route the audio of the reference track directly out your sound card instead of sending it to master.

[chrk]

Read: http://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php? ... 5#p1303375

Simple, elegant and just what bosonHavoc said with a little more detail.

[subunit23]

there is another way:

create a new audio track, insert your reference 'song' and deactivate the track by clicking on the yellow button.

after your last plugin in the master chain, insert live native compressor (make sure you set the ratio to 1 and switch off the make up gain so it doesn't act as a compressor and let the signal pass through completely unprocessed).

sidechain the compressor to the track that contains the reference song

now play both you arrangement and the reference (which you can't hear as it's deactivated)

to A/B simply click on the compressor's 'headphone' symbol (between 'sidechain' and 'eq')

et voila:-)

[invol]

Here is the easiest way.

Just KEY or MIDI map the same key/button to multiple things - e.g., Reference Track activator on/off or solo button, and to device bypass button.

When you press the mapped key it solos the desired track and disables processing.

There are many permutations on this method, just do what makes sense to you.

Cheers,
Brian

[Jan Holm]

Thank you all. I knew there had to be a couple of methods.
For my situation I'll go for "EXT out" as mentioned by
bosonHavoc & chrk.

[invol]

I just route the reference track to audio out

On further thought, that is probably the easiest method : )

[ark]

Here's another way that may be the easiest yet:

Select all of the master track's FX, right-click, and select "Group". This bundles all of the FX into a single master FX that you can now turn on or off with a single click.

This technique works for any part of the chain, on any track.

[Tarekith]

Here's another way that may be the easiest yet:

Select all of the master track's FX, right-click, and select "Group". This bundles all of the FX into a single master FX that you can now turn on or off with a single click.

This technique works for any part of the chain, on any track.

+1, that's my method too.

[3dot...]

racks chain selector.. you can match volumes more easily..
a/b by switching the chain on/off is tricky on the brain..
first match the volumes.. then A/B..

racks are perfect for that..as they have a mixer...
also .. as an added "bonus"..
you can 'fade' between a and b.. (and even c/d/e etc.)
the sound you want can turn up some wheres in between..

[IP]

what 3dot said!

(signal feed from comp)


I often also pre-set filters to different chains to be able to A/B low only, mid, hi, full range or a combination of those with just a click