MODULAR WASN'T WORKING FOR ME UNTIL I CHANGED THESE THINGS! AKA How I use Ableton with my Eurorack.

[@RickyTinez]

incredible. love that workflow of ableton and your main machine in this case your modular system. Thanks for taking the time out to make this video!

[@nivenofficial]

Thanks Ricky, I’ve taken a lot of inspiration from your stuff over the years!

[@markbooth]

You’ve hit the big time with Mr T commenting on your channel 😎

[@trigmusicnz]

lovely mate. thank you. the final push towards the es9

[@FRANZ03]

Wow your Setup is totally the realization of what I was creating in my head already . amazing

[@nivenofficial]

Glad to hear it!

[@noisevector]

Although I have plenty of I/O on my audio interface, I like to mix everything outboard on the analog Mackie mixer and record the complete mix into Ableton. I have eurorack fx and 4 pedals on the sends/returns on the mixer. Complete mix goes from mixer into compressor and straight into Ableton with minor tweaking mostly (limiter). I like to do as much analog outboard as I can (disto, reverb, delay, comp etc). That works for me for the raw analog techno sound I want to get.

[@DmitriyBorodiy]

That's such a great workflow! Saves so much time and money, cuz there's so much that Ableton can take care of, and not everything needs to be modular. I also switched to using my LaunchControl, ES-9 and Ableton in exactly the same way. My favorite thing to do is using Ableton as a matrix mixer and send few Eurorack voices to different hardware and software effects.

[@ridgerider7402]

Cheers mate, great inspiration. Going back to basics, simple re-routing and connections can really help work out workflow blockages

[@LavendelBrei]

I had similar issues and solved them with a Tascam Model 24 so I can just multitrack record right at the mixer and process later.

[@gullgrey]

Holy smokes! I've seen a lot of great modular set-ups, but this is hands down the best and most inspiring i've seen! So nice!! The music is great too!

[@nivenofficial]

Thanks Dennis! Hope it helps man!

[@lucaspadini8223]

Great video!! Can you explain how you connect beatstep to Pam?? Clock out to clock in and what you connect in the Run input of Pam??

[@djsoulfeggio]

Your modular set up is cool, but what I can never buy is that incredible accent. Your setup is tops though. Thanks for walking us through it!

[@pgarrone02]

Dude I swear I was just watching a NASA video of a space station docking and was like “Wow man, this just blows my mind”. Next video I saw was yours and my skull is completely empty. This is exactly the workflow I’ve wanted to use but just wasn’t smart enough to think of. Thank you man. ✌️🤟🤘

[@nivenofficial]

Ah thanks man! Super nice of you to say! …also going to head over and check out some nasa space docking videos now…

[@buddingsignal]

thank *YOU* Niven for this life changing lesson. what a great bridge to both worlds...daw and dawless.

[@nivenofficial]

Thanks dude! Appreciate the feedback!

[@markbooth]

Great advice and exactly how I’ve found things work for me too. ES9 into a default Ableton project with side chain pre configured and Ozone on the master to balance for KZbin levels.

[@brokensemitone]

I've been doing something similar with my ES-9. Great video.

[@NateHorn]

That jam at the end was killer great job mate

[@FlipHybrid]

Brilljant setup, makes me wanna get an ES-9 and do everything inside of ableton as well

[@Alphonso_026]

Great stuff! Within 6 minutes you made me change my entire workflow 😂 🙌🏼! Got myself the ES-9 and the launch control and paired it up with my Keystep Pro, works like a charm. Refreshing, simple and best of both worlds IMO. Anyways, thanks for pointing it out, gamechanger for sure. Maybe do an in-depth video on your setup (default routing in Abelton, tips and tricks etc.) would be awesome 🙏🏼

[@stevekirkby6570]

Good topic for discussion. I went the way of a Tascam12 Mixer/Recorder. Then when I want to mix etc I just grab the card out of it and load into Cubase - everything is lined up and stays sync'd. I can go weeks without firing up the DAW :)

[@countorringtonludlow5211]

I'd like to provide an alternative method for what he shows at 2:00. In regards to saving default project You can also delete every channel in your project, except what is used by the ES-9. Then save as a template instead of going into preferences and making it the autoload. It makes it easy to drag/drop the tracks into any project when you want to call it up. Useful for saving cpu on your autoload and also useful for old projects that didn't exist before your new workflow autoload. You could also use the Expert Sleepers FH-2 with the expansion addons and use midi ccs as your base of conversion to cv. Vastly expanding on your output options to modular gear. Fuckin rad!

[@audeon_visual]

Such a crucial video! This answers so many questions.

[@kevinseidel1575]

Another great option for the modular to computer interface is the Boredbrain Optx. 8 ins and 8 outs of audio or CV in 8HP that connects to the computer via the ADAT of your audio interface. I picked up 2 for max effect ☺️

[@nivenofficial]

Sounds like a great way to go

[@McEnroe911]

Agreed. The optx is Heaven sent. Sold my ES9 for it and never looked back.

[@bartjanc]

@@McEnroe911 what exactly makes it better then an es9?

[@McEnroe911]

@@bartjanc with the ES9 you have to deal with its terrible software mixer. I’ve honestly never seen a more convoluted piece of audio software… with the OPTX you don’t need to use any software at all, as long as you have an adat input on your current interface it just shows up as 8 additional digital ins and outs. Brilliant.

[@bartjanc]

@@McEnroe911 thanks

[@TheMarcusYukoFireHydrant]

brilliant channel and content

[@F_letc.h]

Thanks for the tip on the midi mixer. If I decide to purchase one, I’ll purchase through your affiliate link.

[@nivenofficial]

Thanks man, much appreciated!

[@MrBEnIbb]

Also nice, when you need some extra LFOs, noise sources, random voltages etc , you can just send them out with CVtools

[@mickolos]

Great video. We need more videos like these as they are few and far between. Keep up the great work.

[@HumanMotives]

Lovely video! Great seeing your process ❤️🙏

[@lunr_girl]

Beautiful!

[@markbooth]

Exact same reason I use an ES9 with a default Ableton template and the kick always on the same channel. It’s such a simple setup to record. The only thing I add on top is Ozone on the master to get levels correct for KZbin content. Enjoying your videos.

[@MrReeTart]

You have a really nice selection of foley/percussive elements. Could you point me in a good direction to find some more earcandy like that? Cheers! ❤️

[@knobsstrings]

Nice jam at the end! 👏

[@nivenofficial]

Thanks!

[@virgiledoes7746]

Pam, es-9 and novation XL, you're all set ! Love the way you work man (quite have the same), keep going

[@Psionetics]

Great video! Really enjoying the content

[@chiefthomson]

Always love to hear about someone else's workflow. I like how you built it. I've meanwhile changed to a digital mixer instead, which also gives me separate outs, but with a bit more control over the mixing process right away. Keep them vids coming ;)

[@channelite]

Thanks for showing your setup, very informative.

[@nivenofficial]

Thanks John, glad you enjoyed!

[@rhomboman]

Love ur setup + very lovely sounds

[@nivenofficial]

Thanks Stefan!

[@Hennesg]

Fun Fact. Daft Punk used Ableton without screens for their live shows. It was controlled with a Behringer BCR2000

[@markuskreuzinger3250]

Which mac do you recommend for the es9 with ableton, i always get sound clicks on PC when i start anything that makes sound (either KZbin or a program)

[@SnapiTT]

Just discovered your channel. great stuff, keep on doin mate

[@nivenofficial]

Thanks mate, much appreciated!

[@maxmilan9392]

Hallo! How you record without latency? In my setup the record happens randomly in time. From ten trys, one is in time of the First Bar. I'm getting my clock from cv tools. Got 128 samplerates, delay compensate them and -55ms on trackdelay by Monitoring off and nothing helps. Every record is not same like the other. My workflow is horrible

[@pj4533]

Really enjoyed your video, my es-9 is in the mail now. This is a simple question, but you skipped over the shuttle controls (your track was playing, and you unmuted). How do you actually start/stop Ableton? Or start recording? I have the Launch Control XL, but it seems to want to be paired with something else with shuttle controls? Do you just make a custom XL mapping? Thanks in advance.

[@LazarusGordon]

comment from product page: "I bought my es9 new. There was a bit more set up than I would have preferred but it was easy enough to set up in stand alone mode once I knew what I was doing. I had issues getting a stable connection to the DAW. Kept having to swap the sample rate to restore sound quality. Lastly when using both the quarter inch jacks to speakers and using the usRead more about I bought my es9 new. There was a bit b out to the DAW, both outputs had high frequency noise. Seeing as my main use case was as an integrated interface in my eurorack environment this rendered the es9 useless for my application" so it seems kind of noisy? who else can confirm? my question: is this goig to work with any daw? like for example with PRO TOOLS (first) ? i mean is the module going to act as whatever scarlet focusrite? just with that usb cable?

[@pixelfrenzy]

Really useful video - thanks. Just so I've got it right: you're doing all the sequencing with the Beatstep Pro and using Ableton to record and arrange, is that it? Or are you triggering any of the Eurorack stuff from Ableton as well?

[@benoftroy]

great setup, thanks for sharing!

[@nivenofficial]

Thanks Benjamin!

[@tgeo2880]

Hey man, happy to have found your channel. Elegant workflow. How long have you been using modular?

[@nivenofficial]

Thanks man! Been using it around 5 years :)

[@JayPrev]

This sent me all the way down a rabbit hole rethinking my mixing process, thanks for sharing! When you look at the power you get for the hp vs a basic mixing module and i/o module combo it's a no-brainer. I have a barebones 6hp quad stereo mixer + 4hp output but a Boredbrain Optx running basically the same setup as yours via ADAT to my audio interface will actually save me 2hp lol.

[@nivenofficial]

Glad you got something out of my ramble man, this kind of setup was a total game changer for me :)

[@AntoninComestaz]

Great instructive video! Thanks! One question: How do you listen to your modular and apply effects via MONITOR IN in Ableton without latency? 🤔

[@nivenofficial]

I listen to the whole mix coming from Ableton so the latency is on everything I hear and doesn’t put specific elements out of time!

[@AntoninComestaz]

@@nivenofficial, I haven't thought of that! Brilliant! Thanks for the tip & quick reply! 😊

[@DmitriyBorodiy]

By the way, did you ever have hissing/humming noise issue with your ES-9? If so, any tips how to avoid it?

[@nivenofficial]

I haven't had this issue, might be an issue with your power supply or something like that? Something not grounded properly? Glad you enjoyed the video though!

[@bartjanc]

Is there any lag? Even if u use a more complex fx chain?

[@nivenofficial]

Depends on how much cpu you use have. I tend to keep fx chains to a minimum and lag wasn’t an issue even on this old MacBook Pro.

[@confidirator4438]

Hi, thanks for your video. It's super informative. I recently tried to set up my beatstep pro so it acts as a syncing interface between ableton and pamela's new workout. It didn't work well as I had problems getting pam's properly running in sync with live. Could you explain how you managed it to work? Best, Manuel

[@nivenofficial]

I sync the beat step pro to ableton via usb. Then I use Beat Step Pro's clock out to drive pams. You need a mini jack stereo to 2x mini jack mono connector, use that to connect the BSP clock out to directly into pams clock and run inputs.

[@confidirator4438]

@@nivenofficial Thanks. I'll try that!

[@djfree5435]

Hey is your Es-9 also getting quite warm?

[@nivenofficial]

Never noticed this happening

[@City2x]

Sounds you could use a push.

[@karimaakter9713]

Fg

[@thommysaraceno2862]

ES-9 sold out everwhere :( anyone know when they might be available again @expert sleepers

[@jasevaughan7829]

Got mine from Signal Sounds last week

[@thommysaraceno2862]

@@jasevaughan7829 Thanks!