Live 12 suite: chord names and other composer notes to the arrange view?

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Harry_
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Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 12:54 pm

Live 12 suite: chord names and other composer notes to the arrange view?

Post by Harry_ » Fri Apr 10, 2026 11:31 am

The question concerns working with the Ableton Live 12 suite software. Ableton is notoriously end-user-hostile when it comes to composer features, e.g. piano roll, track, including the complete lack of notation features.
In addition, something as primitive as notes in the context of composition (Arrange-view), e.g. chord notation, has been made extremely difficult, if not impossible.

Question: Live user, any idea: does the Live 12 /Max for Live suite offer any tool /a special tool, e.g. to be purchased separately, that allows you to write chord names and other information on top or below to the track of the recorded MIDI information (Arrange-view)?

This feature should be obvious, but Ableton hasn't managed to do it in 20 years.

(And please don't suggest an empty track line writing, the editing features are terrible.)

[jur]
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Re: Live 12 suite: chord names and other composer notes to the arrange view?

Post by [jur] » Fri Apr 10, 2026 9:52 pm

Harry_ wrote:
Fri Apr 10, 2026 11:31 am
(And please don't suggest an empty track line writing, the editing features are terrible.)
Why are you mentioning editing wrt to this specific workaround? Linking tracks can help if that's about having a "info track/clip" following editing and moving parts around.
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Harry_
Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 12:54 pm

Re: Live 12 suite: chord names and other composer notes to the arrange view?

Post by Harry_ » Sat Apr 11, 2026 11:26 am

Sorry, I don't understand your comment.

If you have any information/idea how to reach what I describe above, please
add e.g. a link to the tutorial, manual site, Youtube etc. or try to be more spesific.

As said, this shouldn't be any "exotic" feature/desire for a composer - on the contrary, a most fundamental
part of the working environment, which I haven't found in the Live 12 suite.

Harry_
Posts: 51
Joined: Tue Jul 21, 2009 12:54 pm

Re: Live 12 suite: chord names and other composer notes to the arrange view?

Post by Harry_ » Sat Apr 11, 2026 7:10 pm

... and
e.g. the Max for Live "yellow stickers", Text Notes for Arrangement View
must be a joke.

Most unpractical if not impossible way to write chord names, lyrics etc. to its place under a spesicif note etc.

Ableton, whats wrong with you when neglecting this kind of essential feature???

cids
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Location: Amsterdam, Netherlands

Re: Live 12 suite: chord names and other composer notes to the arrange view?

Post by cids » Tue Jun 16, 2026 11:53 am

Check this extension, there might be more...

https://liveextensions.co/extensions/notation
Mac Studio M2 Max and MacBook Pro M4

Genelec M030; Live 12 latest and beta; macOS 27 Golden Gate
UAD Apollo Twin

Ableton Push 2

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