Ableton Forum

Hello all !

I'm a new ableton user. I've been practising for some weeks now, and i'm finally coming here because there are stuffs that I still don't understand.

The problem I can't solve is the intrument volume that I can't set well.
For example, i've got three instruments loaded :

- The impulse stuff, with drums sounds inside (Snare, claps, hihats...)
- Bass (My bass booms)
- Kind of electro piano, with effects on it.

The thing is that I can't manage to tune the volume of each instrument, and each samples loaded in instruments (here "impulse") ; to have an output volume well tuned. I mean, every instrument volume is randomly going up into the red zone, thus I have to lower the master volume to avoid saturation. I'm so ending with a low volume track, with no punch...

I hope you understood my explanation, and I guess this tuning needs some time and experience, so if you have some tips or tutorials explaining it, I'd be grateful

Thanks !

Track volume..
Compressor/Limiter..
Practise.. ..more!

Hi Reddneck : )

It sounds like you need to check out your "Gain staging"

Leave the master fader at its default setting of "zero" (dont touch this)
Mute everything but your kick. Get this peaking at -8dbfs on your master meter. (read the manual regarding the metering)
Turn up your monitoring so you have your punch!!!
Add the snare and other percussion till its sitting nice.
Add your bass
Add your keys.

If your master is now clipping back of the faders of all instruments together. You can select multiple chanels and they will all move together

I like to have no clipping on all instruments. So with something like impulse I watch the tiny little meter on the plugins right hand side and make sure this isn't going into the red.

Correct gain staging and leaving headroom will hopefully mean no plug ins (third party) digitally clip. Turn up your monitoring once you have set your initial level (of say the kik) with head room. Drums are probably a good place to start with your gain staging as they usually have the biggest "peaks"

Then you could look at some compression on your drum track. Say FB2 mode no look ahead, 4:1 ratio 3ms attack 200 ms release. Auto make up off. Use your ears and adjust the compressor output so that the bypased state matched the engaged state.

Bass you could use EQ 8 in high quality mode and hi pass or low shelf out some of that boom. If the boom only happens on a certain note you could notch it out. It could also be a defective monitoring setup.

This is just a guide. Use your ears. Have a quick read about gain staging, eq and compresion and read the relevant bits in the ableton manual as you are trying to achieve these things.

Hope this helps!

foetus666 wrote:If your master is now clipping back off the faders of all instruments together. You can select multiple chanels and they will all move together

fixed to avoid unnecessary head scratching during information overload

no offense foetus.

I was so busy and it took me so much time to try what you adivsed me to, that I totally forgot to post smthing to thank you. Well then thanks

I'll keep trying to do what you advised me. It start to be better already.