Tutorials

Ableton Live has a number of excellent delay plugins, but did you know that you can use them for a lot more than just echo? In this video I explore 6 creative ways you can use Ableton’s delays in your music making.

MaxForLive is an incredibly powerful tool for making music. With so much available, getting started with MaxForLive can feel a little overwhelming. To help, I’ve started a new video series, ‘Making Music with MaxForLive’.

MaxForLive is a powerful tool that lets you expand the possibilities of Ableton Live. With literally 1000s of devices available getting started with MaxForLive can feel a little overwhelming. To help, I’ve started a new video series, ‘Making Music with MaxForLive’ that explores some of the best MaxForLive devices available and how you can use them in your music making.

In this masterclass at dBs Music Bristol, I explore how you can use the built-in MIDI tools in Live, as well as some really cool MaxForLive devices to help you come up with ideas when you get stuck, or simply help you generate new ideas you might not have otherwise come across.

What is MaxForLive? You might have heard about this incredible tool, but are you making use of its awesome powers in your music production? In this video, I explore exactly what MaxForLive is, why you should be using it and look at how easy it is to get set up and start using MaxForLive in your productions.

The 4-to-the-floor pumping effect usually achieved with sidechain compression has become a ubiquitous element of modern music production. In this video, we explore a quick technique to achieve a similar effect using Ableton’s versatile Autopan device.

Ableton Live 10.1 has some fantastic new features to help you with your music making. I spent a bit of time with the new Live 10.1 Beta and got together with MusicTech magazine to build a track using some of the new features.

Do you struggle to finish music? Finishing tracks seems to be a problem that many music makers (myself included) seem to have. To help with this, I’ve put together a video outlining some useful strategies you can use to finish more music.

Ableton’s Creative Extensions is a set of MaxForLive devices that extend the creative possibilities of Ableton Live Suite in interesting ways. Discover some creative ways to use them in your music.

Did you know you can use the noise section of Ableton Live 10’s Echo device to create interesting drum patterns by modulating the noise amount using another new device in Live 10, the Shaper? Learn how to use both of these tools to add unique percussive elements to your productions.

The new MaxForLive modulation devices included with Ableton Live 10 Suite are incredibly powerful tools for unique and evolving sound design. Learn how to use them to add interesting movement to your sounds and keep your sound design interesting.

Do you ever get stuck writing music and just can’t come up with ideas? Learn how to use some basic MIDI tools in Ableton Live to generate an unlimited number of unique musical ideas to pick and choose from.

Tremolo, stutter/gate effects, spinning speakers… Ableton Live’s Autopan can do a whole lot more than just panning. Learn how to get the most out of this incredibly versatile Ableton effect.

Working with samples is part and parcel of any modern music production workflow but often we collect so many samples that digging through them to find the right ones takes more time than actually making music. Learn how to use iTunes to streamline your sample organisation so you never break your creative flow.

Having unique sound design in your productions is a great way to set yourself apart but sound design can be a daunting subject. Learn an easy technique to create unique instruments from found sound sources such as field recordings.

Humanization is a great way to add life to your programmed MIDI by adding subtle, semi-random variations to your velocity and timing. Learn a quick and easy process for humanizing your MIDI parts in Ableton Live to add natural feeling and groove to your music production.