My BEST Ableton Live workflow tips 💯 **and FREE VSTs**

[@BK-iw1zm]

So, I've made the jump over to Ableton from Reason as well! I was a hardcore Reason user for over 10 years. I finally got tired of waiting for them to create a better workflow in their sequencer. But now, with Live 10 and Reaon 11 I have a killer combination. This channel will be a invaluable resource for me. Thanks David!

[@matthewstuartnz]

Glad to hear you’re enjoying it! It’s a great combination! 👌🏻 thanks for checking out the channel! 🙏🏻

[@TaffoVelikoff]

Similar story. Now I use both, it's amazing!

[@TaffoVelikoff]

Ha! I also exported all of the different devices from Reason as a VST preset and added them to a collection. Makes life so much better!

[@matthewstuartnz]

It's a good idea right! Reminds me I need to update my presets now that they have added a few things 😅

[@slumphouseent.]

i love your keyboard . that looks murdered out as we say in the usa

[@matthewstuartnz]

The keyboard controller or the actual keyboard? I love the aesthetic of both! 👌🏻 it took me a while to find a Mac mechanics keyboard that I actually liked.

[@soronoc]

It seems to me that the most apparent thing that everyone overlooks in any digital workflow is the power of their peripherals. This might not be that useful for Mac users, but I'm a PC gamer, And I have a keyboard with a whole bunch of macro functions, and my mouse is a Naga hex which has seven side buttons plus the usual mouse functions. So I have most of the regularly used shortcuts, copy, paste duplicate, all on the mouse. I even use the mouse three-button, which has left-right function to bump selected parts along the timeline. Even if you have a basic three-button mouse, you could at least have a copy, paste, duplicate shortcuts on the mouse. I also have undo-redo bound to a macro. It seemed like a no-brainer, but it's often overlooked. With macro controls, you could go down a rabbit hole of having one button preprogram behaviours. For example, you can have one button to quantise and then duplicate four times if that was something you regularly did in your workflow.

[@matthewstuartnz]

This is awesome man! I use the Logitech MX Master and actually have a bunch of macros that I use just generally on my computer. When I was using Reason I actually had a whole lot of specific ones programmed just for that app that made SO MUCH difference in the speed of my workflow. Now that I've been using Ableton for a while I could probably incorporate some macros into that again. 🤔 Thanks for the reminder!

[@matthewstuartnz]

And yea, also on the note of peripherals; I switched to a complete wireless keyboard to free up a usb slot on my dock. But found a huge benefit in being able to move it out of the way of my keyboard, to my other desk if I'm using maschine. Just generally anywhere. I didn't realise it would make so much difference, but it's been awesome!

[@soronoc]

@@matthewstuartnz Yeah, as soon as you mentioned the wireless keyboard I thought, I am definitely having the same problem, most of my MIDI controllers are leaning against a wall next to me, then are placed where my keyboard is, it would be convenient to have it in various different places that didn't have to be the keyboard to the back and away from the cable of the MIDI controller.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea man, it was an actual game changer for me. The little things you don't think of 😅

[@Anthony-sn9kl]

:)

[@slumphouseent.]

Nice workflow

[@matthewstuartnz]

Thanks man 🙏🏻

[@TaffoVelikoff]

There is a keyboard command for returning to the start of the track. Just hit "HOME"

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea, if you have a keyboard with 'home' on it. I don't think mine did for a while. But also, I wanted it by my left-hand. Just a hangover from what I used to do in Reason.

[@FTropper]

I don't get the thing with the d key: the default behavior of the space bar is to play where you set the cursor. If you hit space bar again it stops and if you hit space bar once more it jump back and plays the from the same point you started last time. Also you can set a marker and right click on the marker and say "Set song start here" - now if you hit the space bar it will always start at that position no matter where the cursor is.

[@matthewstuartnz]

True. However, I want to be able to jump back to the start AND have the first spacebar functionality you mentioned. If you do CMD + ? to bring up the help text and put your mouse over the transport controls, it will tell you that clicking 'stop' twice will return the curser to the start. However there is no keyboard command for this (and it's something I'm used to doing all the time). The 'd' thing fixes this. It also results in a more consistent behaviour between my keyboard commands and my MIDI controllers transport controls (where pushing stop twice does the same thing as 'd'.

[@soronoc]

I'll add, one screen Eww. There are plenty of workspace studies that link screen real-estate with productivity. Reason was godlike with three screens. Primary sequencer, Secondary In portrait with the rack and a third with the mixer. While I'm inexperienced with Live it seems to be optimised for duel screens, dropping stuff from session view to sequencer without tabbing seems like the future to me! And the program just makes more sense seeing the mixer/session view with the sequencer.

[@matthewstuartnz]

I agree. I don't really use session view for anything though other than mixing. And I really don't like using it as mixer. That's why the NI controller has been such a game-changer for me. Basically a dual screen. I can always see and control the levels of whichever track is selected. I basically never use session view anymore. I was using the mixer a little recently but that's only cause I hadn't been mixing in a while and forgot about why I like the NI controller. When I came to my senses, it was straight back to that! 😅

[@soronoc]

​@@matthewstuartnz I guess you could still gain efficiencies by having plug-ins open on a separate screen, browsing files et cetera. There is always some efficiency gained with more screen real estate when you have it. I can't even imagine using reason without two. It feels so good to just add a high and low pass and some EQ on-the-fly. I'm missing the mixer too! PS. I mentioned it because I don't think I've seen a single producer on youtube using multi-screens. There are some flash git big-time producers who have single astronomical screens. My theory is it's a Mac laptop user hangover thing?

[@soronoc]

@@matthewstuartnz If only propellerhead did a juiced-up mixer replacement VST, not that there seems to be such a thing.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea probably. Ableton used to not even have dual screen support. I actually want to get an ultra wide so I can have my plugins open on a ‘second screen’ as you mentioned.

[@matthewstuartnz]

Yea that would be sick. Personally I’d like to see them incorporate more elements of the SSL mixed into the rack VST.

[@ChristFan868]

Why'd you transition from Reason to Ableton?

[@matthewstuartnz]

I was a hardcore Reason user for 8 years. LOVED IT. But my production style evolved and I was doing a lot more glitchy edits with audio and the Reason sequencer wasn't keeping up with what I wanted to do. They both have their pros and cons but I found the Ableton sequencer to be a lot more powerful given the music I was making. Now that Reason Studios have released the Reason Rack Plugin, that in Ableton is a killer combination for me! You thinking about using Ableton? I'm assuming you're on Reason now?

[@DJMixtApe808]

hi mate, David has already replied with his suggestions, but i thought i might chip in some thoughts, as i'm currently in the process of moving over to Ableton as my main DAW after having every version of Reason up to 11, which i decided not to invest in. one of the main reasons is that Ableton are currently doing a free 90 day trial, so why the hell not! i'm 20 days in, and already it's making logical sense to transfer over. i write quite a bit of sample-based house, and the manipulation of audio in Live 10 is just so much easier and deeper. i also wanted to get more into some slower tempo stuff, and for some reason it feels nicer using ableton's clips, rater than always laying out tracks in a sequencer. that probably leads on to another point, which is that Ableton sounds better for the style i'm going for. it's a really nebulous and subjective point, but i find it's tonal quality and set of audio tool to be on the whole better. Reason's are great though. but when you finish a tune, i find it's closer to what i was originally going for in Ableton than Reason. i don't know about anyone else, but i found you could always spot the Reason 'sound' pretty easily, and it wasn't always what i wanted. Ableton allows for more tonal possibilities, i think. another big thing for me was the attraction of using Push with Ableton. i've been looking at using a pad controller for a while, but was never convinced Reason was the DAW for it. Session view in Ableton is literally made for triggering loops or collections of them. what i was finding difficult with all DAWs to be honest, was the DAW itself getting in the way of my original idea. What makes Push 2 and Ableton so attractive is that you can genuinely do everything without looking up from the controller. it's both controller and instrument in reality, and i think i'm going to find that really liberating. even after just 20 days with Live 10 Suit and not yet getting my hands on a Push, i am simply 100% going to invest. to date, i've used Cubase, Logic (a bit) Reason and Ableton. I stuck with Reason for so long because its Rack and UX made the time between idea to tonal setup and on to work in progress track really short. but it always lacked something as an arrangement and production tool, i found. Ableton simply throws a lot more depth into the production bits, with much more useful controls than Reason. but with Push 2's integration with all parts of the software, i can finally see a DAW improving on how quick it was in Reason to get an idea down. i'd simply recommend getting the trial if you can. some of the features that appeal to me might not matter to you and you could end up staying with Reason, which is a great DAW. it's definitely worth watching a few youtube tutorials to help you get over the initial learning curve, but you've got plenty of time with 90 days! apart from David's channel, i'd definitely recommend checking Underbelly's You Suck At Producing channel. they're not only great for general production tips, but good for getting to grips with Ableton - and very funny also!

[@matthewstuartnz]

Woah thanks man, this is an awesome comment. You summed it up very well 👌🏻 yea, I think Ableton is hands down the best DAW for sampling. And you’re going to LOVE the push! I decided to go for the Maschine Mk III over the push for various reasons but I’ve used a push 2 before and they are incredible! And yea, with Ableton’s current promotion, it’s a fantastic time to give it a try!