Ableton Forum

hey everyone

Intention:
- Switch an entire set to CUE with a single keystroke or click in order to audition it without sending audio to Main Outs

My Current Configuration:
> Master Channel > Cue Out > (Select headphones output)
- Signal on individual tracks where CUE is selected and Track Activator is OFF is sent to headphones but not to main outs
- This is the desired result in specific, but now I would like to enable / disable the result overall by way of a single action

Question:
- Is there a "Click-modifier" key that will enable (n)-clicking an individual channel's Track Activator button to control ALL such functionality?
- Some DAWS offer a choice of "Control All" and Control All Others" with such modifier keys

Observations:
- As I see so far, Track Activator (and Cue [Solo]) keys appear function on individually-controlled tracks only
- I'm interested in global control of Track Activator functionality
- Global Cue (/ Solo) control might be desirable as well, but I haven't considered that question completely yet

What I Have Tried:
- Cntrl-, Cmd-, Shft-, and Opt- click
- Other than Cntrl-click's exposing the flyout window, the desired result did not occur

Workaround Du Jour:
- Group the entire set and control all Track Activator buttons from the "global" Group Track Activator
- Selecting the "Cue" function on the "global" group track does not control Cue functionality on any of the grouped tracks (tho I can't say why this would be the case, that's how it seems to be).

Thoughts:
- The workaround solution provides the facility I want but it feels somehow unnecessary to me. Should there be a more straightforward way to control all Track Activator buttons without also creating an additional gain stage for the entire set?

- All suggestions for ways to accomplish the desired action, or thoughts about the question generally, are greatly appreciated!

- Thanks!

Make one extra empty Track and use its Solo button? Can even be a Return Track.

pottering wrote: ↑

Wed Nov 05, 2025 6:22 pm

Make one extra empty Track and use its Solo button? Can even be a Return Track.

Thank you for the thought!

I'm not quite sure that will achieve the intended result, however, because I want to Cue.

The way I understand it (so far, at least) in order to "privately audition" a track without sending it to the main outs:
- Master channel CUE output channels cannot be the set to the same as main channels (this varies "Solo" mode to "Cue")
- Cue is selected on the channel or channels to be auditioned, and
- The channel or channels to be auditioned must also be muted so as not to send that signal to the main outs as well

Activating a solo button on an empty track would indeed silence all other channels, just as you suggest.
But that commits the set to "Solo" mode, whereas I'm using Cue mode.

I'm not sure why "Cue" doesn't automatically mute the channel when it is selected, (I always thought that Cue rather inferred that one wanted to hear the track "privately") but -- like I say, so far as I understand it now -- that's how it works: one must use both Cue with Mute to get that "private audition" result.

o99