Guides. How I actually do it.
Practical notes from my own sessions — the stock Ableton way first, then where one of my tools makes it quicker. No theory degree required.
Guide · Max for LiveThe best free Max for Live devices, checked one by oneFifteen free Max for Live devices worth installing, mostly from other makers, with an honest note on what each one really costs you and how to install them in Live 12.8 min read →Guide · Ableton LiveHow to DJ in Ableton Live: the honest, modern guideDecks, mixer, headphone cueing and a channel you play live, built with Live's own tools first. Plus where a dedicated device saves you an evening of mapping.7 min read →Guide · Ableton LiveChords without music theory in Ableton LiveI don't read theory either. Here is how to write chords that sound played, not programmed, with Live 12's own tools, a few loops that always work and your ears.9 min read →Guide · Ableton LiveHow to make an acid bassline in Ableton LiveOne oscillator, one screaming filter, slides and accents. Here is how I build a 303-style acid line with Live's stock devices, and how to keep it moving.8 min read →Guide · Ableton LiveHow to make glitch effects that stay on the gridStutters, tape stops, reverses and broken buffers – built with Live's own tools first, and kept locked to the beat so they sound like choices, not bugs.7 min read →Guide · Sound designGranular effect tutorial: keep grains in time and in keyGranular is easy to make beautiful and hard to make fit. Here is how to lock grains to the beat and pitch them to the chord in Ableton Live, then where a dedicated plugin saves the math.9 min read →Guide · Mixing bassHow to distort bass without losing low endWhy distortion eats your sub, and how to keep the floor solid with parallel and multiband distortion using Live's own devices.9 min read →Guide · ReverbConvolution reverb from real spaces: tombs, cathedrals and a reactor hallWhat an impulse response is, the stories behind five real rooms you can put your mix in, and how to use them without drowning the track.9 min read →Guide · MixingBinaural reverb: putting the room around your headWhy some reverbs seem to surround you on headphones, how HRTF makes it work, and how to use binaural reverb without breaking the speaker mix.8 min read →Guide · Live showsAn Ableton bar counter for live shows: let the whole stage see the countAbleton tells you where you are in the song. It does not tell the drummer. Here is how to get a visible bar countdown on stage, with stock Live first and a free stage display second.8 min read →