When I meet new people that claim to be '˜in' to Ableton Live, I'm generally surprised to find that they still regard it as more of a loop program than a DAW with amazing ability. C'mon, Ableton went way beyond simple loops years and years ago! But yes, its initial claim to fame is loops, and there's no disputing that.
Though Ableton offers many different packages with different prices for Live, I'm pretty sure that it's the regular old Ableton Live that most people purchase. And, this would make good sense. The Ableton Suite, even as a download, is a whopping $699. Granted, this includes all of the instruments, sound banks, and more. But, it's still $699 vs. $499.
Ableton Live Similar Software
Ableton Simpler: One Shot Mode. Simpler: Slicing Mode. Warping with Ableton Simpler. Ableton Tips and Tricks. These Ableton tips will help streamline your music production. Each link has tons of useful tricks to make things easier while creation music. 30 Tips for Ableton Live. 5 Ableton Live Tips To Revolutionize Your Workflow. 14 Ableton Live. Ableton.prod - first, DB prod. Open!, ableton.prod - Demo, Black Lyon Studios feat. The Dog Of Shaman - Indian Relax, ableton.prod - beats, Gadzhishka SHM - when we do not sleep (MML.
'¨Also, Ableton offers the $99 dollar intro version, which is a steal, and is no slouch compared to the full version. But, like the $499 full version, it doesn't really have instruments like the Suite...oh, yes it does.
In this particular tutorial, I'd like to draw your attention to one instrument that comes in both the intro, and the full version of Ableton Live that is far more powerful than it's regularly given credit: Simpler.
Simpler Explained
By definition, Simpler is a sampler. But, if you understand samplers, you'll understand that a sampler is just a synthesizer that uses audio files as oscillators, as opposed to your regular old analog, digital, FM wave or whatever you're in to.
Now, think about this for a second: if a sampler uses audio as an oscillator, couldn't I just drop a simple recording of a sawtooth waveform, or a triangle waveform, or some other complex waveform and use the sampler like a synth? Absolutely! What's more is that Simpler is actually extremely simple to use as opposed to many of the other basic soft synths included with many other DAWs. Let's see it in action.
Step 1 - Drop An Audio File In Simpler
Currently, in my Ableton project, I have a single recording of a sustained note from a synthesizer.
Ableton Live Simpler Portamento
I'd like to use this sustained note as an oscillator (or sample) in Simpler. Ultimately, I'd like to make a bass synth.
To do this, from the Live Devices, I will drag Simpler in to the Clip/Device drop area.
Next, I'll drag my synth recording in to the 'Drop Sample Here' section of Simpler.
Step 2 - Make It Loop
Now, I'll set my Simpler to loop the sample audio file that I've placed in to it, by enabling the loop function, and adjusting the Fade, Length, and Loop knobs till it plays without any hiccups within the looped playback.
Step 3 - Change The Polyphony
Also, since this is intended to be a bass, I'll reduce the number of voices allowed to 1. This will allow me to make one of those stylin' bass lines that keeps me out of trouble because it's one key at a time. I can't technically make a mistake with note overlaps. Right?
Step 4 - Create A Sequence
Before I go in to any additional tweaks, I like to actually write my bass part, then go back and modify as needed. I'll record a MIDI clip of my bass part.
Step 5 - Modify Filter Settings
Next, I'll turn on the Filter. I'll put it in LP24 (Low Pass 24 dB Slope), give full strength to the Filter Envelope, and adjust the Frequency and Resonance accordingly. See the figure below.
You'll notice I also adjusted the Filter Envelope so that the decay is at 1.53s. This will give the bass that sweeping effect.
And there you go, instant bass synth of your own creation within Ableton Live! Try some other audio files, see what you come up with. And remember, don't forget the filters, envelopes, polyphony, etc to make the synth, I mean sampler behave the way you want it to.
For a more detailed exploration of Ableton Live's Simpler join Laura Escudé, renowned experimental performer, cutting-edge musician, and one of the most popular Ableton Live Certified Trainers, in Live 8 102 - The Simpler Sampler.