Ableton Forum

Posted: **Sat Apr 14, 2018 9:17 pm**

The big drawback when I switch to Ableton from another DAW is the lack of mono tracks. And there is no workarround to implement this. WE GUITARRISTS AND INSTRUMENTALISTS IN GENERAL NEED **MONO** TRACKS FOR OUR.... **MONO** RECORDINGS. Holy sh****t Please Ableton 10 f**cking years and still awaiting for this. Even past century sequencers had it!!!!

Posted: **Sun Apr 15, 2018 8:10 am**

alvaro wrote:The big drawback when I switch to Ableton from another DAW is the lack of mono tracks. And there is no workarround to implement this. WE GUITARRISTS AND INSTRUMENTALISTS IN GENERAL NEED **MONO** TRACKS FOR OUR.... **MONO** RECORDINGS. Holy sh****t Please Ableton 10 f**cking years and still awaiting for this. Even past century sequencers had it!!!!

Sequencers have neither mono nor stereo audio as they record MIDI events, so I'm not sure what's that supposed to mean? You mean a mixer function of a sequencer? That's still not part of the sequencer function.

Mono inputs when recording in Live typically renders a mono display as well as a mono audio file. Like this:

Which comes from recording this mono input:

As you can see here when opening the raw audio file from disk into Audacity it's a one channel mono recording:

More close to your request you do seem unaware of the improvements made in Live 10. As Stereo Pan Mode brings separate controls of left and right you can put both to Center like this:

.

Here's a stereo track before the fader analyzed by Melda MStereoScope (free):

This reading is indicating stereo information. And the following image displays the same audio in the subsequent buss:

As you can see this is now totally mono. In Live 10 you can now assure an audio signal in Live is effectively mono with this new pan function in the mixer without adding the device Utility with "Mono" enabled (or "width" set to 0 in Live 9).

I'm not saying there couldn't be improvements in this area, but it would help if you could be more specific in what you are missing, given there are mono possibilities in Live.

For instance:

A manual way to tell Live that a specific recording should be in mono despite the number of inputs
A "convert clip to mono" command.
Perhaps close to your request, Tracks that are designated as mono also internally in the processing stages. Personally I can't see this as necessary as achieving practically mono is so simple. I'm open for arguments though and I'm sure Ableton are too.
Export tracks designated as "mono" in single channel mono also when exporting "all tracks"

There is a Live 10 suggestion in Centercode: MONO TRACKS and STEREO PANNING CONTROLS, that I just voted for, expressing what should fall within your taste. Author is "G1500". One need to register for the Live 10 beta program.

Posted: **Tue Apr 17, 2018 4:12 pm**

Thanks for your detailed arguing, and apologizes if my initial message sounded rude.

I am aware that live records mono audio and such. But what happens on the mixer? you see two channels, two meters and a balance (non pan) control. This misleads me everytime. And any plugin you insert in that track, will behave as stereo.

I am not a dsp developer, just a musician, and this behaviour is frustrating for me. Maybe i'm wrong and Live treats mono signals as they are in all their integrity through any signal flow point, from the input to the mixer. But GUI wise, it simply does not appear as that

Posted: **Tue Apr 17, 2018 4:16 pm**

This was achieved using the mixer of Live 10 rendering the use of devices such a Utility unnecessary.

Maybe my English is limited, can't understand this statement.

Posted: **Tue Apr 17, 2018 7:53 pm**

alvaro wrote:
This was achieved using the mixer of Live 10 rendering the use of devices such a Utility unnecessary.
Maybe my English is limited, can't understand this statement.

It's not your English.

I meant that you can make sure an audio signal in any type of track in Live is mono with this new pan function in the mixer without adding the device Utility with "Mono" enabled. Which is the classic way to achieve this.

Posted: **Sat Apr 21, 2018 7:19 pm**

and if not mono tracks, how about the ability to choose which channels to use in each sample detail view.
Stereo/Left/Right
and you would only need Utility to sum to mono, change width, switch phase, gain etc.

Posted: **Thu Sep 19, 2019 7:04 pm**

I understand and appreciate your reply but I think it still leaves out a couple of things. For example, I'm having to slim down my session for Live performance and I could save a lot of resources if I could, for example, use real mono plugins for mono sources like my guitar and vocals.

However, I don't think that ableton accepts mono plugins, even when the source is set to a mono channel (Ext. channel 1 e.g.) or when I put a utility at 0% width to convert to mono I do believe that the chain still processes dual-mono or "useless stereo" meaning it processes 2 channels (as L and R) with the same info.

Stromkraft wrote: ↑
Sun Apr 15, 2018 8:10 am

alvaro wrote:The big drawback when I switch to Ableton from another DAW is the lack of mono tracks. And there is no workarround to implement this. WE GUITARRISTS AND INSTRUMENTALISTS IN GENERAL NEED **MONO** TRACKS FOR OUR.... **MONO** RECORDINGS. Holy sh****t Please Ableton 10 f**cking years and still awaiting for this. Even past century sequencers had it!!!!
Sequencers have neither mono nor stereo audio as they record MIDI events, so I'm not sure what's that supposed to mean? You mean a mixer function of a sequencer? That's still not part of the sequencer function.

Mono inputs when recording in Live typically renders a mono display as well as a mono audio file. Like this:

Which comes from recording this mono input:

As you can see here when opening the raw audio file from disk into Audacity it's a one channel mono recording:

More close to your request you do seem unaware of the improvements made in Live 10. As Stereo Pan Mode brings separate controls of left and right you can put both to Center like this:
.

Here's a stereo track before the fader analyzed by Melda MStereoScope (free):

This reading is indicating stereo information. And the following image displays the same audio in the subsequent buss:

As you can see this is now totally mono. In Live 10 you can now assure an audio signal in Live is effectively mono with this new pan function in the mixer without adding the device Utility with "Mono" enabled (or "width" set to 0 in Live 9).

I'm not saying there couldn't be improvements in this area, but it would help if you could be more specific in what you are missing, given there are mono possibilities in Live.

For instance:

A manual way to tell Live that a specific recording should be in mono despite the number of inputs

A "convert clip to mono" command.

Perhaps close to your request, Tracks that are designated as mono also internally in the processing stages. Personally I can't see this as necessary as achieving practically mono is so simple. I'm open for arguments though and I'm sure Ableton are too.

Export tracks designated as "mono" in single channel mono also when exporting "all tracks"
There is a Live 10 suggestion in Centercode: MONO TRACKS and STEREO PANNING CONTROLS, that I just voted for, expressing what should fall within your taste. Author is "G1500". One need to register for the Live 10 beta program.

Posted: **Fri Dec 06, 2019 8:01 am**

This is especially a bummer with the new hardware integration in apogee. I can't utilize the plugin offloading in any other way than pairs

Is this a stability thing in ableton's view I wonder?

Ableton Forum

MONO TRACKS

MONO TRACKS

Re: MONO TRACKS

Re: MONO TRACKS

Re: MONO TRACKS

Re: MONO TRACKS

Re: MONO TRACKS

Re: MONO TRACKS

Re: MONO TRACKS