Ableton Forum

I've got loads of drum loops with various patterns in my library, saved as a set of MIDI clips with the associated instrument. If I drag one onto an empty space, then a new channel appears, with the correct instrument, and all is good.

But, I want to use them to replace the instruments and clips on an existing channel (because I've painstakingly set up midi controls for clips, sends etc. in a way which I can't with user remote scripts. And I'm bored of waiting for M4L).

If I drag a set of clips onto an existing channel, then I just get the MIDI, not the instruments. I have to drag the clips to some empty space and then copy the instrument back. Is there any magic key combination or trick which would make this work?

Thanks

are you trying to replace the instrument on a track with the one that used in the clip? If so, why not hotswap the instruments? This does mean that you'll have to save the instrument to a library first.

Yeah, that's the problem - it means that I have to:\
* keep a library of the instruments that I'm using on clips (and make sure they're up to date)
* remember which is which
* pull in clips
* then pull in the instrument

It's just a lot of work, for something where it already has the instrument as part of the clips, so I'd like to just drag it in.

I'm kind of hoping someone will say "There's a special key not in the manual, and if you hold down Ctrl-Alt while dragging them in, the it replaces the instrument"

if you are looking to merge midi and controller data from two clips , one with instrument modulation and one with track modulation, the 'easiest' method will to copy the envelopes between the clips. I do not know of any nontedious way to achieve what you want to do.