Ableton Live - Organise Your Samples - Using Drum Racks Part 1/3

[@Mclennnan]

Robs original post is the winning method in my books and hardly a complete waste of time ;). PS Sorry for what may look like a rant to some but I felt that this method shouldn't be brushed off. It is a real time saver in the long run and it makes you decide once and for all which of your kicks, claps, hats, crashes or whatever will make the grade in your productions.

[@RedIndra]

yes yes yes yesssss! I've done it! Followed you step by step! Amazing tutorial! So well explained!!

[@yanivdebby9137]

did you dragged the instrument rack in to the drum rack succesfully? which ableton version are you working on?

[@zoovenir6559]

This was worth days of finding out what all of those small buttons in instrument and drum rack means. Excellent. Have to try on the Linn Drum samples I bought immediately.

[@loopmasters]

Glad you enjoyed it!

[@wesesheskhnemtuhit]

The more I learn the more I appreciate Ableton Live.

[@djmagnusmusic]

Super stuff Rob as usual!... A great refresher as I have seen this a few times now. Thanks for keep this mini-tutorial online via live-courses/loopmasters channel! One of similar techniques being achieved here with added note from Grayson Kilmer, which I have seen/heard before on another tutorial somewhere else, just another approach/technique.

[@Mclennnan]

So glad I found this. SO very very handy. Thanks Rob.

[@melliott8855]

Thanks for the video - clear and easy to understand - and also some of the additional tips below in the comments. Especially the distribute evenly tip (which I wish I had read before doing manually moving them as shown in the video)

[@Puzzle_Dust]

can't wait for part 2

[@Stacity]

I did have difficulty placing the instrument racks into the drum rack as I was placing it into the drum rack then dragging it back out to no avail but when I looked at the tutorial more carefully I could see that you don't actually let go of the drag between the two all sorted.

[@autocrow]

Where did you get the drum samples? I this something additional you have to buy? I can't find any. It's really starting to piss me off.

[@degeneratejoshua]

Thanks man! Great tutorial!!!

[@DavidBoura]

Thank you, i was looking for something like this but for Instruments racks, i'll check if it's the same process! Manyway my humble MpkMini is already way more interesting!

[@totozizo]

thank you for this tutorial, your explanations were just perfect!!

[@FaneTse]

That was a fantastic video. Thank you very much!

[@damianlaird3730]

This is incredible, thanks for your contribution!

[@carinasagittariusproject4764]

many thanks, super video!

[@TroubleinZION]

So helpful, thanks!

[@KamWhitakay]

Yeah I did this too, but figured out you gotta hold the mouse down over Drum Racks, then once the Drum Racks pads appear on the bottom left, you drag back to the pad you want to set the kick, snare, etc. and then finally let go of the mouse.

[@SimonCeztv]

This is awesome many thanks!

[@yanivdebby9137]

i dont know which ableton version are you worked on , but when dragging instrument rack to drum rack in ableton 10, its just messes up the instrument rack, some one knows what i am talking about?

[@TheHypernaught]

That's what I thought. You can process alot more using instument rack?

[@CreativeRamy]

so can the drum rack be saved to then use for other future sessions? sorry i don't think that was said in the video

[@EpicSpence]

I craft my kicks and keep them in a dedicated folder. That's what hot swap is for. I'm not a fan of mash up trial and error composing. Neat trick non the less :)

[@jimibue]

awesome video thank you

[@Eskideji]

128 samples?! wouldnt that take like hours to distribute those midi notes in order for that knob in the macro control have any effect? 10 different kicks i can see, but is there a shortcut or something?

[@glecko9241]

Still helpful! Thanks

[@LifeAfterDarkStudioNewYork]

Do you write songs where the drum samples change within the song? I've been looking for the best way to write these automations quickly (without having to record the automation on each macro/chain one by one). Any suggestions?

[@allenevans2556]

Did you ever figure out how to do this? I am trying to do the same thing.

[@praneelove7994]

Why would my instument show up as multi instead of their name in drum rack. Then I have a choice of all the keys when writing the pattern? Great vid by the way

[@PatrickMendesRS]

Good !!!!Thank you for your help!!!

[@Backup218]

nice tips

[@aaronjohnstontube]

hi, do you really need to drag the bars for all samples or is there a way to distribute ranges equally? like in key mode for example.

[@michaelb.3482]

Kontakt can do this, by moving up and down with a couple of samples.

[@michaelb.3482]

also the Sampler in Bitwig Studio is able to do that. I dont Like Ableton anymore. Bitwig is a very nice Zwitter between Logic and Ableton, and much more flexable.

[@Mclennnan]

Your method is wicked if you want to load in 128 kicks, but some peeps may not want to do that. Also, to add, with your method there is no clear indicator as to which kick I am selecting. There is no send/return section, nor is there even a sub mixer for additional treatment by way of effects like reverb, compression or whatever it is you feel like punishing your kick with.

[@bulletinthewind]

Dude....get onto Ableton...it's awesome!! Really quick workflow. I was using Reason primarily up until about a year ago and then got Live 8 (now Live 9). The awesome thing is, you can use Rewire to open Reason and use it inside Ableton. So essentially you have one monster DAW!! Check it out on KZbin - Ableton Rewire Reason.

[@gkilm]

NOTE: It should be mentioned that you don't have to drag the MIDI range of each sample by hand. You can select all of them, right-click and there is an option to have ableton "distribute" them automatically.

[@Crazy4YuliaV]

+Grayson Kilmer thank you!

[@gkilm]

you can have a macro map to the pitch by adding the "pitch" device to the rack. then you can limit the changes it can do by multiples of 12

[@ove1312]

How can i add pitch to macro so it can affect all my drum sounds and not only the selected part ?

[@beckfordism]

what i meant to say was as above ,but there are only 8 macros in the instrument rack ,so how could i extend those to use more than 8 pads in the drum rack ?

[@mickrainbow1]

Thanks for that. I'll give it a go later

[@eleonayemand6441]

oh sorry i figured it out. thanks for this tutorial :)

[@Dubstepmatic]

what a great info. thank you

[@TheDJGUNTER]

for some reason i only have an instrument folder but nothing i can drag to create a rack i need help!

[@josephlthompson719]

I have 9 suite, when I loaded the kicks in the instrument racks i get no sound. is there a difference between 8 and 9

[@mikeyxfrancis]

Is there any way to link macro 1 up to simpler so when you scroll through your 128 samples on macro 1, it will scroll through the same samples on the right side. It's kind of a pain to scroll through the different snares, then try and look for them on the right side there after you find one you like. Just wish Simpler could change with the macro

[@LerLoons]

hey i have a problem . when i preview the samples they sound good but if i drag it over to an audio track it sounds shit . what is happening ?

[@eleonayemand6441]

Hello sir, I have trouble with the part where I should drag the instrument rack to the drum track. It automatically transfers the whole instrument track and converting the drum rack into an instrument rack. Basically it just moved from one track to another. I am using ableton suite 9. Can you help me figure this out?

[@SparkleBarf]

You don't drag the instrument rack...click it then down at the bottom drag the "device title bar" into the drum rack

[@liamame]

so, with the edm packs you have on loopmasters.com, once buy a pack, i can just insert it into ableton live 9?

[@loopmasters]

+MewkaT that is correct!

[@liamame]

cool! thank you guys so much :D

[@martinnolin6439]

Can you automate the macros, so it will switch sample automaically?

[@beckfordism]

how would i get to use more than 8 pads ,as there are only 8 macros?

[@SeerWS]

Agreed. I left Cubase 6 for Live 9. I don't care if I lost my hard-earned $500. The change was worth it.

[@captaincactus2180]

Really helpfull, thanks!

[@steveworrell]

Hi Rob Jones

[@Mclennnan]

You BEAUTE! Fekin wish I had of read what you said before I did all that dragging lol. Thanks man.

[@dakoolguy111]

Can I control a drum rack with the apc40?

[@carlossousaoficial599]

Muito bom, grato pela dica!

[@eugenijuskonysevas8266]

thank you verry much

[@_EightySix]

When I try to drag the kick drum instrument rack i created to the drum rack it automatically just changes the drum rack to my instrument rack and transfers to the midi track where i'd put the drum rack..

[@neoxia19]

which controller do i need? can i do it with novations launch control?

[@Rafapt]

this was very usefull thanks ;)

[@soundshout]

In Propellerhead's Reason in the NNXT there is an extremely easy option called "Automap Zones" and "Automap Zones Chromatically" (takes 2 seconds!) something i REALLY miss in Ableton 9 right now. Mapping each kick, snare, clap, hihat, etc. 127 times manually takes ages of frustration while NNXT only literally takes 2 seconds. Come on Ableton... talking about "workflow"???? If i missed something and i'm wrong, please correct me....

[@jamtart22]

yo chek it blud all you have to do is highlight all the chains, right click, and choose "distribute ranges equally" .... hope that helps

[@jamtart22]

jamtart22 sorry, you have to highlight all the chains, select "key", right click, distribute ranges equally, of the 128 slots

[@dirtyfacedog]

nice tip !

[@maxter123ify]

I have to instrument rack, but i cant drag it in, its just a folder.

[@njm800]

question - i have my instrument racks all set up, and I have my drum rack ready and waiting. when i draw my instrument racks over a drum pad, the instrument rack spreads out to 3-7 of the drum pads, each saying "multi". Example, I drag the Snare Rack to C2 on the drum pad, and the result is "Multi" being displayed on C#, D, and E on the drum pad. Has anyone else had this issue?

[@aslegu]

When dragging my "Kick Instrument Rack" onto "Drum Rack" it spread all the 128 kicks out onto the DrumRack. Selecting or not selecting C1 pad in DrumRack does not seem to make a difference. Where do I go wrong?

[@loopmasters]

My guess is you are dragging straight onto the drum rack. In the video, you will see that you first need to drag it onto the drum racks MIDI track, and then onto a pad in the drum rack.

[@christmasperv2960]

Hey thanks guys. Here's the thing though.. when I drag the drum clip onto the MIDI track (if it even lets me) that will replace the entire drum rack. The drum rack will then be gone forever and all the MIDI maps within will be lost. Am I missing something?

[@xil.sanctified]

If I could post the 'mind blown' meme here, I would. But because I can't.... *mind blown*

[@MyEvildoer]

The only issue with this is that you get the same groove/beat each time. Also you would have to keep updating your rack each time you got a new sample pack. If you like to audition your drum hits then simply open your browser and click 16th notes at top of the screen and then use arrow keys to play the kick in time with your beat. Simples..

[@harknett100]

Wicked idea but is anyone else finding it heavy on CPU? I made a a rack with 100's of kicks, snares, claps hats ect. Anyone know of another method or software that can browse samples whilst the pattern is playing without getting so laggy?

[@imafackinjunglist]

Bounce what audio you already have laid out in to .wav play the .wav and try samples as it plays... hope that helps

[@raphexe]

GENIUS !!

[@guitarplayer3456]

Thought about switching to Ableton, but damn Reason still seems so much easier..

[@camerondarroch7627]

where do you get the samples from !!!!!!!!!!

[@loopmasters]

boombox 2015 www.loopmasters.com

[@gkilm]

This didn't work for me: Simpler is set to default in "Classic" mode, so each drum pad has to physically be held down for the length of the sample. When I play my pads, the samples get cut off abruptly. You can manually change each Simpler instance, but it's a bummer if you want to use a massive list of samples for each pad. Otherwise, this would be an awesome technique. Let me know if anyone knows a way around this problem.

[@bangytv]

+Grayson Kilmer you need sampler to do that mate. Open a blank drum rack, add an instrument rack in it, then add a sampler in your intrument rack. then follow his intructions, :)

[@gkilm]

Actually it turned out I was able to change my "default" Simpler to 1-shot mode (and drag this to the folder called "On Devices"). Then you just follow the tutorial like normal and every sample is automatically in 1-shot mode.

[@1Czechdrak]

usefull one

[@mickrainbow1]

I'm baffled. I made my instrument rack, opened a drumrack, dragged the instrument rack into the drum rack and it turned into another instrument rack. Any one else have this problem. Any one know waht I'm doing wrong?

[@maxter123ify]

My drum rack is just a folder with current projecct

[@massi3331]

io ti voglio bene. grazie grazie grazie per questa dritta!

[@whw5]

Before you put your samples in a rack just put the samples on a normal audio track. How ever many scenes there are will tell you exactly how many samples you have. When you drop the samples into the rack drag your last sample to the number that corresponds to how many samples you have. When you right click to distribute the ranges evenly there will be only one sample per slot.

[@snicker576]

Creating drum tracks using DAWs feels so insane to me, I can't handle it. So....much...damn...time. I've only done it once, and it took a pot and a half of coffee and enormous willpower. I home record so I just completely skip drums in everything I do, then have a buddy of mine lay down the drums later on

[@DBag-1212]

csb

[@sanjayt778]

super video Library rack Notice Board

[@nickert0n]

This is fucking awesome. TY

[@Mclennnan]

See I feel you missed the point a bit as this way of doing things doesnt stop at the kicks. He goes on to explain how to do it with the rest of your drum sounds and then eventulay have it all in a mega drum rack. From there you can have nested racks and the options get bigger and better when you delve in to the fantasticness of racks. I know this way takes a little more time but the befifits far outway the bit of inconvenience of sitting down for a day or maybe two and getting it all sorted.

[@WereGlidingWithStyle]

I LOVE YOUUUUUUUU

[@andrewbrogli47]

Seems pretty Cpu heavy having so many simplers open

[@wavvvesvvvves4175]

Tight application

[@snake6833]

PHAT BEATS

[@austman329329]

WHAAAAT?!?!?!? i dont even have the interment rack from the beginning

[@TheHypernaught]

Just when I find a tutorial that seems great. it gets slated by someone who claims to have a better way for doing the same thing. I'm even more confused

[@LeonDeFranco]

IQ level: infinite

[@poetshave]

Graeme Le Saux

[@kawaiifreak97]

dam son

[@MyEvildoer]

complete waste of time. Look at using sampler inside a rack instead and open zone control, pull in up to 128 kicks or sounds into zone box and then click selector, distribute all ranges equally and then map to macro. This video sucks.

[@denford317]

MyEvildoer This video DOESN'T suck for those of us that use Live 9 Standard (no sampler) Have a heart, be nice, in other words STFU!!

[@Ophobiiiaz]

you should not be using ableton hahaha