Best Workflow for Using Drum Machines (eg. TR-808/TR-909) in Ableton Live

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agwittgenstein
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Joined: Sat Jan 04, 2025 8:42 am

Best Workflow for Using Drum Machines (eg. TR-808/TR-909) in Ableton Live

Post by agwittgenstein » Sat Jan 04, 2025 8:45 am

Hi everyone,

I'm exploring the best ways to integrate a drum machine (e.g., Roland TR-909 or TR-808) into my workflow in Ableton Live. I’ve noticed there isn’t a native way to directly load a drum machine into a Drum Rack, so I’ve been thinking about two potential approaches:
  • Using multi-output settings to separate the channels: I would resample the specific drum sounds I need, then load those samples into a custom Drum Rack to build my kit.
  • Working with multi-output directly: This allows me to create my sequence inside the drum machine while still processing the audio on separate channels. However, I’d eventually need to record/resample the final result to work with it further. aka more laborious if I need to change something in the mixing phase
I’d love to hear how others are managing their drum machines in Ableton Live. Are there other approaches I might be missing? Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated!

Thanks!

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