Ableton Forum

So im not a complete live noob but im just starting to use ableton live 8 as my primary DAW and ive got a few queries I apologise in advance if the answers to questions can be found in the forums ha

1) On my old DAW there was the option to place a sample onto a midi keyboard where C4 would be just the sample without any transposing and C3 would be a lower, transposed version of that note. So basically what im asking is - is it possible in live to spread a sample across a keyboard in many differant pitches without manualy doing it myself? If im rubbish at explaining it then the DAW with this fuctionality is 'NANOSTUDIO' for pc/iphone.

2) If i use live's metronome and then record using a mic ( not connected to pc ) then import that sample, Live automatically warps it, usually making it sound completely broken. I think the problem is that when import the sample its hasnt been trimmed yet so live pressumes its tempo including the blank spaces of time where nothing is playing. My question is - is there anyway to just put in my sample and Live doesnt mess with it ( if i turn off warping completely then it will not let me loop the damn thing! I just want to be able to make a loop out of the recording i made without warping or at least an explanation as to how to use warping properly because im obviously using it wrong :/

3) why do people use VST synths? Its just everyone loves them but i dont see the need when live offers tons of instruments for us to play with. Is it just because people want more selection? Are they better quality? Can more intersting sounds be made with them than meets the eye?

4) how do i completely reverse a component of a track like a sound sample? Also can midi instruments be reversed and not just the Notes in reverse order but the actual sounds recorded backwards?

5) finally, does anyone know of the best/quickest to set up/good quality audio interface. Do i need a soundcard to support it or is it irrelevant. Also, is it as simple as being able to plug in and play a microphone and guitar and it will just sound good, no noise/feedback/delay or would be easier to just buy USB mic and USB guitar Jack. If USB mic is recommended then which is the best USB mic out there?

So i know there are alot of questions there, im just tired of searching for answers and it would be nice to see what the kind people at ableton forums have to offer as help.
Thanks Alot x

Hey there, welcome to the forums.

Jakenicolaides wrote:1) On my old DAW there was the option to place a sample onto a midi keyboard where C4 would be just the sample without any transposing and C3 would be a lower, transposed version of that note. So basically what im asking is - is it possible in live to spread a sample across a keyboard in many differant pitches without manualy doing it myself? If im rubbish at explaining it then the DAW with this fuctionality is 'NANOSTUDIO' for pc/iphone.

I believe just loading a sample into the Simpler device in Live will do this. I know Sampler will (because you can define pitch ranges for samples in it) but I think it works in Simpler too I don't have it in front of me to check, so someone please correct me if I'm mistaken.

Jakenicolaides wrote:2) If i use live's metronome and then record using a mic ( not connected to pc ) then import that sample, Live automatically warps it, usually making it sound completely broken. I think the problem is that when import the sample its hasnt been trimmed yet so live pressumes its tempo including the blank spaces of time where nothing is playing. My question is - is there anyway to just put in my sample and Live doesnt mess with it ( if i turn off warping completely then it will not let me loop the damn thing! I just want to be able to make a loop out of the recording i made without warping or at least an explanation as to how to use warping properly because im obviously using it wrong :/

Defintely read the chapter on warping in the manual and do the tutorials. They're pretty good and once you get the hang of it it's pretty natural. If you're still confused, YouTube has some videos.

I think there's an option in Live's preferences for whether it automatically warps recorded samples. It'll be under "Record/Warp/Launch" but I forget the name.

Jakenicolaides wrote: 3) why do people use VST synths? Its just everyone loves them but i dont see the need when live offers tons of instruments for us to play with. Is it just because people want more selection? Are they better quality? Can more intersting sounds be made with them than meets the eye?

Sometimes you just want a different instrument. I think Live's synths are great and I tend to use them, but sometimes I want something with a different sound or interface or a certain feature.

And sometimes people want just want, say, NI Massive because they heard Skrillex uses it and they're either made out of money or just torrenting everything anyway so money is no object. This kind of thing happens too.

They're just different tools for different purposes. If you're having a great time exploring all the neat stuff Ableton comes with, no need to expand into VSTs. If you really want a very specific thing that one of them does, well, maybe get that one.

For reference, I personally do 90% of everything with Live's built-in devices, and then I have a compressor plugin I really like and a synthesizer plugin I really wanted the sound of. I have a few other plugins as well, but I hardly use them.

Jakenicolaides wrote:4) how do i completely reverse a component of a track like a sound sample? Also can midi instruments be reversed and not just the Notes in reverse order but the actual sounds recorded backwards?

Any audio clip can be reversed. So this works for both samples and recordings of MIDI instruments:
- Make a recording of whatever you want in a clip somehow (you might already have this, if not you can record it on a new track with appropriate routing).
- Click the "rev" button on the clip view. It'll reverse the wave.

Jakenicolaides wrote:5) finally, does anyone know of the best/quickest to set up/good quality audio interface. Do i need a soundcard to support it or is it irrelevant. Also, is it as simple as being able to plug in and play a microphone and guitar and it will just sound good, no noise/feedback/delay or would be easier to just buy USB mic and USB guitar Jack. If USB mic is recommended then which is the best USB mic out there?

An audio interface is a "soundcard" - the term "audio interface" just has more of a recording connotation but the basic idea is the same.

Choosing a good audio interface for your needs is a huge conversation and you'll probably have to go through a couple of them before you settle on one you love, so do your research online. This question comes up a ton on forums ("help, which interface should I buy?") so instead of going back and forth trying to answer for your specific situation here, I'll link you to an answer I wrote on Stack Exchange's A/V site which hopefully will help you figure out what you need to think about and look for. Best of luck

Thanks very much, that was incredibly usefull and helpful, thanks very much mate

No problem, thanks for asking clear questions :D Hope you have a blast with Live.