Ableton Forum

are impulse hotswaps meant to preview?

I have this feeling like I should be hearing the drum from the library "in place" when it has that orange dot next to it.

the normal preview icon (headphones) is greyed out when I am in hotswap mode - this would seem to indicate that I shouldbe getting a preview of the drum from the library in place of the one in impulse I am intending to swap.

Otherwise how are we meant to find out if it is a good swap?

Angstrom wrote:are impulse hotswaps meant to preview?

I have this feeling like I should be hearing the drum from the library "in place" when it has that orange dot next to it.

the normal preview icon (headphones) is greyed out when I am in hotswap mode - this would seem to indicate that I shouldbe getting a preview of the drum from the library in place of the one in impulse I am intending to swap.

Otherwise how are we meant to find out if it is a good swap?

I've asked the same thing.
The reply was that hot swap works fast enough to work as preview.

I understand that the preview icon is greyed by default. But i would appreciate the option to activate it.

Does this mean to preview drumsounds, you just load each one into impulse anyway, and keep changing so you can hear what it sounds like?
If thats the case I would like the preview icon option too. (That would be better)
I will have to mess about, I never noticed this.

when I have used hotswap so far - I have found it pretty useless actually.

When I select the hotswap sample in the library ... it closes the hotswap browser , so I would say it is a long way from quick enough.

Why does it always take me to "the library" as well, I actually want to go to the folder where the current sample lives (EG d:/samples/drums/hits/snares/ ). Which is not in my "library" . I dont actually use the ableton library system as it doesn't fit with the way I work.

Now with hotswap I press orange button on impulse, "library" opens, I navigate to my D drive, up, up , across ... down / samples /drum hits / snares / acoustic. ah, finally there.

now click on a sample and "ping" the fucker goes away and I have to do it all over again.

painfull !

Are you aware of bookmarks in Live?

no, I don't think I am - hopefully this is something in L6 I am unaware of rather than something in L5 I am unaware of!

Angstrom wrote:no, I don't think I am - hopefully this is something in L6 I am unaware of rather than something in L5 I am unaware of!

When you're in the browser. The path of where you are is displayed at the top.
There's a menu where you can add bookmarks to.

aha, I remember reading about it - good stuff.

I just had to check L5 .. nope it's not there, good I've not gone mad

Right, anyway - back to the issue: it's the "double click on the hotswap button". I have reported it as a bug. It swaps the sample - but it closes the browser. Hitting return swaps the sample - but does not close the browser.

Ideally this should temporarily replace the live sample with the sample selected in the browser, not actually replace it until a second click is made. That's the whole point of preview, right?

The bookmarks help but the browser should bounce back to the location of the current sample, not the toplevel library directory.

So does it preview when you use the up and down arrows to move through the folder or select a new sample or do you have to also hit return/double click to make the swap active?

I really hope you can just move through the samples a bit like redrum instead of activating a selection like changing presets on other Live devices.

I want to be able to quickly audition loop after loop, even if the loops are different lengths.

Example:

I have a good song going. I want to add one great shaker loop. I have over 50 of them, with varying lengths (some 1 bar, some 2, some 4, etc.).

I want to listen to the first one for 2 or 3 loops and then quickly stop listening to that one and listen to the next one (even if it's a different length) for 2 or 3 loops, etc. All while the song keeps going, of course.

What's the fastest way to do this? Does 6 offer some improved method to do this?

GOD yeah - i hadnt tried this - I just checked this impulse hot swapping and it's really cumbersome without audition - definitely a major arse ache

no it needs to have audition - you need to be able to scroll through sounds quickly and this method is not quick at all

Actually there are a couple of changes I think actually made things more complicated - the new edit/replace setup while I like it, they should have left the buttons there as well because they've now added an extra mouse click and navigation when IMO all changes should be aimed at making things like that as quick as possible - I think it's definitely worth having the new "reveal" but not at the expense of the buttons - you could have edit and replace doing exactly the same as what those 2 do in the P. inspector do - in fact why not just change the replace button to a hot swap button?

[edit] actually - I just went back to test replace - and I think it not doing it in impulse must be a bug because it's there for replace on a normal clip - you can scroll through loops and samples - not being able to for drums doesnt make sense - with loops they can be looping in the track while you replace, but you can still audition anyway, but for drum hits youd have to sequence a midi note if you want it to just keep playing in the background while you hot swap

I agree to all that!

especially preview on hotswap in Impulse (obviously )

I gave the new reveal a chance on this ,and I do like it for its extended functionaity - but it seems odd to go from one click to 3.

I know they often aim for GUI 'simplicity' - but I do think this sometimes comes at a cost of usability.

you know what I think this thread should be in the beta forum

you want to post it?