Ableton Live Tutorial

Ableton Live 9 Explained®

  4.7   (44)  - log in to review
38 Videos | Length: 3hr 32min 42sec
Sample this tutorial...
Own it Forever
$1750 $35 Download
Site All-Access Pass
$15 /month Get Your Pass

Chapter 1 : Getting Started

  • image description 0:47

    Introduction

    Scottie welcomes you to Ableton Live 9 Explained and gives a quick rundown of what you will learn.

  • image description 3:44

    Install & Unlock

    Learn how to download, install and unlock via Ableton’s website. This also includes any additional Ableton or third party Live Packs.

  • image description 4:50

    Software Setup

    See how to choose and setup the correct audio drivers for Mac & PC as well as configure routing. Scottie also shows how to make sure connected MIDI controllers are working and how to correctly setup and turn Instant Mapping on if supported.

  • image description 4:23

    Optimizing Audio

    Learn all about latency and how to reduce it, as well as how to find how low your buffer size can go safely with the built-in test.

Chapter 2 : The Basics

  • image description 3:01

    Starting a New Project & Saving

    Learn to create a new set and explore the files and folders created within the Project Folder.

  • image description 3:16

    The Browser

    Discover the Categories and Places in the browser and learn how to add folders from the hard drive. See how to use search and preview to find inspiration quickly.

  • image description 2:28

    Audio & MIDI Tracks

    Get a detailed intro to Tracks and how to organize them with Colors and Groups.

  • image description 8:56

    Routing & Monitoring

    Scottie demonstrates basic signal flow and goes over Live 9's Monitor section.

  • image description 8:17

    Clips

    Get a solid introduction to clips and how to launch and stop them individually within a Scene. See how the Global Quantize setting effects Clips and learn the difference between looping and one shot clips. You will also explore how clips in the same track interact.

  • image description 7:53

    Session & Arrangement Views

    Learn the difference between the two views and how they interact. Scottie also explores the Back to Arrangement button and when to use it.

  • image description 4:36

    The Mixer

    Explore all the options in the mixer section such as Fader, Mute, Solo and Arm.

  • image description 6:53

    Intro to Devices

    Learn what a Device is and where to locate them. Also see how to activate and locate third party plug-ins.

  • image description 7:25

    Views

    Discover the main work areas, what they're for and how to show/hide them to make more space. Discover Clip View, Device View, Groove Pool, Overview and Show/Hide Buttons.

Chapter 3 : Recording

  • image description 3:18

    The Transport

    Learn how to ready Live to capture ideas with Tap Tempo, Time Signature, the Metronome and more.

  • image description 6:21

    Recording MIDI Clips

    Discover how to record a MIDI Clip with a MIDI controller. You will also see how to correctly set routing for the recording and learn how to Overdub and choose a Record Quantization. Scottie demonstrates how to create a default MIDI Track and gives an intro to the idea of creating multiple takes on the fly.

  • image description 3:14

    Convert Audio to MIDI

    Learn how Ableton extracts notes from Audio Clips and creates MIDI clips for Harmony, Melody and Drums. Scottie also explores activating this feature with the drag and drop method.

  • image description 4:05

    Recording Audio Clips

    Scottie shows how to create a default Audio Track and record an Audio Clip with an external sound source. You will also see how to correctly set routing for the recording and learn about simple gain structure.

  • image description 7:17

    Key & MIDI Map Mode

    Learn how to control almost any parameter with your computer keyboard or a MIDI controller including 3rd party plug-ins.

  • image description 4:57

    Recording Session View Automation

    Explore how to prepare session view to record parameter automation as well as how to override recorded automation and re-enable the automation.

  • image description 4:16

    External Sources

    Scottie shows how Live can interact with external hardware and software using ReWire and the External Instruments/Effects Devices.

  • image description 5:45

    Freeze & Resample

    Discover how to freeze a track and why we would want to. Also explore resampling and its usefulness.

  • image description 5:12

    Managing Sets

    Now it's time to save. Learn the many ways to manage sets, projects and presets. See how to use the built-in Browser to recall previous ideas and projects.

Chapter 4 : Editing

  • image description 11:53

    MIDI Clips

    Learn how to tweak and edit MIDI Clips to perfection with Quantizing, Draw Mode and MIDI Editing features including Transform, Note Stretch and Legato.

  • image description 4:02

    Audio Clips

    See how to tweak and edit Audio Clips with features like Transpose, Clip Gain, Clip Fade and Reverse.

  • image description 13:09

    Working in Clip View

    Learn how to adjust universal Clip attributes including length, loop/one shot, Launch Mode, Launch Quantization and Follow Actions.

  • image description 12:58

    Warping

    Discover how Live can warp Audio Clips in real-time. This includes everything from simple Quantization to recreating a completely new idea. Explore the different Warp Modes and how different types of Audio Clips sound.

  • image description 7:53

    Automation

    Learn to Edit or create Clip Automation with breakpoints and curves or by drawing them in with the pencil tool. Scottie shows the power of Modulation and unlinked Envelopes that can be longer or shorter than the clip.

  • image description 9:57

    Grooves & the Groove Pool

    Scottie show you ways to add a human element to clips by assigning universal swings or grooves. Also see how to extract grooves from existing clips to lock the timing of multiple clips together.

Chapter 5 : Devices

  • image description 3:36

    Instruments

    Discover the built-in instruments, what they do and their factory presets.

  • image description 6:41

    Effects

    Explore the built-in Audio and MIDI Effects, what they do and their factory presets.

  • image description 4:49

    Racks

    Learn about the three different types of Racks: Instrument, Drum and Effect. Also discover how to create them, why we would use them and how to save them.

Chapter 6 : Create an Arrangement

  • image description 4:36

    Recording into Arrangement View

    Discover how to capture a Session View performance in Arrangement View and explore recording and dropping Clips directly into Arrangement View.

  • image description 2:46

    Editing

    Learn how to set Locators and Time Signature changes as well as Loop time and perform Punch In/ Out recordings. Then explore Clip and Arrangement editing which includes Splitting, Drag & Drop, Copy & Paste, Deactivate and Consolidate.

  • image description 4:12

    Sends, Returns & Busses

    Scottie shows you how to use Sends and Returns, as well as how to create a standard mix Bus.

  • image description 3:06

    Arrangement Automation Editing

    Learn how to use, record and edit automation with Lanes, Draw Mode, Break Points and Curves. Then discover how to Automate the Song Tempo.

  • image description 3:35

    Exporting

    See how to Export audio when your arrangement is finished and how to easily create stems or upload directly to SoundCloud.

Chapter 7 : 9.2 Update

  • image description 4:11

    New Stuff

    With the 9.2 update there are a few brand new things. The Tuner device is much needed and anticipated. It's a great utility and an ease to use. There are a lot of updates to presets and factory samples and then a new option for exporting.

  • image description 4:24

    Workflow

    There's a cool new way to grab ideas of any length and use them immediately. There has also been a major overhaul with plugin latency. Now all automation and modulation is latency compensated.

Product Overview

Presented by Ableton Certified Trainer Scottie Dugan, this collection of videos will show you what you need to know to hit the ground running with Live 9 and then elevate you to 'power user' status.

Learn all the important fundamentals of Live 9, such as installation, software setup, routing & monitoring, creating and recording to audio & MIDI tracks, working with clips, all the different instruments, effects & racks, exporting your song for CD, MP3 and SoundCloud and much, much more.

Brush up on the new updates to Ableton Live 9.2 with these additional videos! Learn about the new Tuner Device, updates to Presets and Samples, and Workflow Enhancements with the latest version of Live.

If you're new to Ableton Live 9, or want to further your knowledge and skills, this is series to watch... Get "Ableton Live 9 Explained" today.

Why Users Choose Us

There are many things our users love about Groove3, but a couple always stand out at the top when asked why people choose us as their learning resource.

Quality Content

We meticulously craft professional quality tutorials that are thoughtful, informative and done with attention to detail. We stand behind our products with a 100% satisfaction guarantee and are trusted by 1000s of users every day.

Save Time & Money

Our library brings over 1700 hours of quality instruction to you fingertips and we release new content every week. Don't waste your valuable time scouring the web for information you may never find or is cumbersome to use and potentially can't be trusted.

Ableton Live 9 Explained® is rated 4.7 out of 5 by 44 .
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Excellent course for beginners to Live I am skilled at another DAW but recently decided to learn Live 9. Mainly because I am forming a live electronic music ensemble and Live is simply the best way to do this. I had Live 9 and got this course and it has been excellent. Scott does an excellent job here and all in the right order. Crawl before you walk and run etc.. This is a well organised course. I have tried others as well and they are messy in comparison. They jump all around the place and leave out important info. Scotts' course is well organised and thorough. Scott is a certified Ableton trainer and all I can say is they must have a very high bar in order to become one. They have trained Scott well and Scott can now train you well. I have been putting off learning another major DAW for a long time but after doing this course all I can say is it was fun and a dream.
Date published: 2019-03-02
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Excellent Very Wide, straight to the point, no time wasted
Date published: 2018-11-13
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Well explained Good tutorial, most beginner-intermediate things covered, even tough it's not an very in-depth tutorial it's still very helpfull.
Date published: 2018-06-11
Rated 4.5 out of 5 by from Straight to the point Excellent breakdown of the feature s of live with no frills or fluff. Got me up to speed quickly while transitioning from another, more traditional DAW
Date published: 2018-01-31
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Absolutely Perfect! This course has taken me from being completely lost in Ableton Live 9 to feeling very confident at maneuvering through the DAWs several different features.
Date published: 2018-01-26
Rated 4.5 out of 5 by from Very helpfu Overall, a great primer. I just wish the instructor had a little more personality, and wasn't so monotone
Date published: 2017-12-07
Rated 4.5 out of 5 by from Learnt some new things. Picked up some new tips and tricks. Course pace was good not to slow or fast and I was able to follow along and take some notes. I can recommend it as a good overview
Date published: 2017-11-14
Rated 4.5 out of 5 by from very helpful The tutorials are crisp , precise and modular. Very helpful to get started,
Date published: 2017-09-17
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Easy Good to remember my last class and good tips
Date published: 2017-09-14
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Great Job. Thanks for teaching me about all the details and secrets. I'm working with Live now for multiple years, but was always too lazy to study the manual. I would have had saved a lot of time and would have even increased my creativity and workflow much earlier. I highly recommend! Please update any new features that might come out and if you have further tips and tricks, please share!
Date published: 2017-08-17
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Providing the foundation to build my skill sets! I am roughly halfway through these tutorials, they are detailed, easy to understand, great visual representation ( obviously) of the DAW in action, information flows nice and sequentially, I am very happy with these tutorials, Thank You. Please continue to add to the present curriculum!!!
Date published: 2017-08-16
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Thorough Explanations This tutorial series explains Ableton features in depth with easy to follow instructions
Date published: 2017-07-02
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Outstanding! Better Than a different Ableton Live Course I Paid Much For I realize from watching these lessons how much I was not taught in a different Ableton Live course I took. I really like that these lessons are essentially videos of the instructor doing the work in Ableton. the other course I took was a confusing mess of diagrams and writing (incomplete) we read. Here, live images convey so much more -- much more than trying to describe it in written words. This course is a bargain. My learning is solidified.
Date published: 2017-07-01
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Great tutorial I have been messing around with Ableton for close to 10 years. This helped me understand a lot of different functions and how they work. Well done.
Date published: 2017-06-08
Rated 3.5 out of 5 by from helpful everything has been helpful
Date published: 2017-06-07
Rated 4.5 out of 5 by from Very Helpfull good information could be even a little slower maybe longer videos by a min or two to just to go over stuff.
Date published: 2017-05-24
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Everything I needed about Live I am a Groove 3 fan so I will only say that this video was superb in helping me to decide against ever working with Ableton Live. The instructor was great and the examples were clear and well defined. Anyone wanting a good basic start on Live could do no better than viewing this.
Date published: 2017-05-19
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Super! Great - clear explanation
Date published: 2017-05-17
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Great Intro Makes Ableton sound logical even.
Date published: 2017-05-07
Rated 4.5 out of 5 by from brilliant! very well explained!
Date published: 2017-05-05
Rated 4.5 out of 5 by from Great introduction overview to Live 9 This training video helped me understand the fundamental basics of Live 9. I highly recommend it as a learning tool for all beginning Live users.
Date published: 2017-04-30
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Super slick I'd recommend it
Date published: 2017-04-26
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from I was gonna scratch learning Ableton and go back to Pro Tools till I saw these Groove3 Tutorials! If there's anyone out there that goes completely ADD anytime they read through a manual, ( you know that zombie stare into nothingness and you start thinking about anything other then what's in the manual) then these tutorials are for you. The presenters in these tutorials know what they're talking about and they explain everything extremely well. Unlike youtube where there's pauses of silences that seem like enternity or you can barely understand what they're trying to say or simply they have no idea what they're talking about and have no place trying to teach others about anything. I have learned so much just in one day here at Groove3. it's incredible. Thank you guys!
Date published: 2017-04-17
Rated 4.5 out of 5 by from Very clear explanation of a fairly complex DAW environment I found the explanation and presentation of each module to be very clear, concise, and easy to follow, especially with Ableton Live 9 open in another window to be able to try various things out. There were a few things that were given a very quick pass through that could have been elaborated on, but assuming this is just a starting point, I went and took an experimentally minded look at those points in the app itself. The presenter was very good, and his relaxed yet focused style was able to minimize the 'training fatigue' that comes from trying to intake a large amount of info at a time. One critique though - in a few of the modules (Warping comes to mind) the presenter uses a clip with a fade in before the looping. Examples processing the beginning of the clip are hard to hear clearly without turning up the monitor level, and this makes the narration overly loud. Demonstrating these same techniques on a clip with better/constant overall gain will help make the presented info clearer to the viewer.
Date published: 2017-04-17
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Good stuff Very thorough and informative
Date published: 2017-04-14
Rated 3.0 out of 5 by from Good verbal explanations, mouse pointer way too small ! I like the patience he takes in explaining each of the chapter contents. Thoughtful order to presenting the concepts, and for the most part the actions on How to accomplish these tasks in the Ableton interface is demonstrated. However in numerous scenarios, the author is performing a strategic move in the Live interface, and I am lost as to / what / where / how / he is making the sounds that are produced. (e.g. The mouse pointer is _Too_Small_, and is difficult to follow) Please, like most other training videos, put a large circle or highlight in some very obvious fashion, or make very large, the Mouse Pointer. This is quite a basic requirement for any video tutorial, and seems remedial that I need to request or point out this shortcoming to a professional organization. I have a number of groove3 videos and most of them do edit their mouse pointer to make it visible. (Almost all screen capturing software offers mouse highlighting, not sure why production skipped it for this video).
Date published: 2017-04-10
Rated 4.5 out of 5 by from VERY GOOD VIDEO IS MY PREFERRED WAY TO LEARN
Date published: 2017-03-25
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Excellent resource for learning Ableton Live! This is a very user friendly tutorial - explaining things simply and succinctly. It starts at the very beginning and works its way through in a logical way to build a solid foundation to learning Ableton Live. The videos are nice and short too so you can process the information without feeling overwhelmed, and you can fit in a quick video here or there to work with a busy schedule. Excellent resource for learning Ableton Live.
Date published: 2017-03-13
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Covers a lot of ground I just purchased Ableton Live, so this was my intro to it. I feel comfortable enough now to dive in and start working, although I may have to revisit some of these lessons.
Date published: 2017-03-11
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from All I could ask for The tutorial really walked me through my questions about the program. I was so confused when I first downloaded Ableton Live, but with this tutorial, i'm ready to make great music. Thanks so much!!!
Date published: 2017-03-01
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Great explanations for beginners I really like this so far. It's not like other courses that still assume you know things already even though it's supposed to be for beginners.
Date published: 2017-01-15
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Clear explanations, very professional lots of info Scotty Dugan is a monster! A great instructor who breaks it down clearly and concisely. I have watched them all and this is the best Ableton Live 9 course out there. Great info!
Date published: 2017-01-07
Rated 3.0 out of 5 by from Just the basics I already know how to work with Logic Pro X, but I am new to Ableton. It is difficult to give this a rating, because there are positives and negatives which I find difficult to weigh against each other. My points: Positive: Clear explanations, the instructor seems very professional, per time unit spent watching this you learn a lot. Good quality video's. Negative: It is just explaining the basics and some topics are gone over very quickly. This series could have been much longer. I started reading a book and there are lots of details I learn from there which where not really explained in this video series. I would like to see a longer, more in depth series on Ableton Live. Nevertheless, I think I can still recommend it if you just want to get the basics. For the basics, it is very good. But for more in depth, this is not enough.
Date published: 2017-01-04
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Much, much better than I expected. As a user who has already spent lots of time over the past 6 months studying Ableton on my own, I thought that I might be wasting my money with this service. Not at all! Even in the early videos on setup and file management, I learned new things. An excellent instructor who explains simply and directly how to use each and every feature of Live. Excellent!
Date published: 2017-01-03
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Very Good Very Good, pro. and Easy... i learned a lot from it
Date published: 2016-10-29
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Learned alot, good instructor looking to see if Ableton will be a good live setup hub for my keys... well. I don't know yet, but I learned tons about the product. I like that he repeated important as well as difficult concepts.
Date published: 2016-10-09
Rated 3.0 out of 5 by from OK to get started with Live This is OK to get started with live, but it is pretty light on many of its subjects. For example the video on racks feels like a rushed afterthought & skips over the drum racks, in particular, way too quickly. Ableton Live 9 Explained? No, Ableton Live 9 Introduced would be a better title.
Date published: 2016-10-04
Rated 4.0 out of 5 by from Live 9 Live 9 upgrade needed to know what's changes the tutorials was clear and right for me.
Date published: 2016-07-14
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Well done Learned a lot Consistent quality. Very helpful. Thank you.
Date published: 2016-07-10
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Usable Info I've had Live for some time but never went too far beyond dropping clips and playing around. Wanted to learn more. This tutorial is different in that the information given gets you going quickly, without making the presentation seem like a verbal technical manual. I didn't need to know absolutely everything at once ... I needed to know what would get me going and make me productive and then I could find out other things that I needed to know as I needed to know them.
Date published: 2016-06-01
Rated 2.0 out of 5 by from Basic Overview This course is a basic overview. To me it goes into a little more detail than the instructions supplied with Live 9 but honestly, I wouldn't say after watching this I am not any more in tune with the software. Right from the start, there is only basic install instructions. Great but that was pretty easy to figure out on my own. How about a lesson on installing the samples etc. on an external or secondary drive and how to map it so Ableton can find it? Or maybe a lesson on how to install third party content like say, Maschine or Kontakt...whatever? I just felt, especially toward the end, that it was rushed. Would be great to see more examples of workflow. Yeah cool, I can make a beat and loop it. How about straight forward examples of using Live in arrangement view to do compositions that aren't loop based and more than just triggering for live performance. Yes, I am aware that this software is named "Live" but I am quite sure it can be a powerful tool for whatever songwriting genre one would, or could, throw at it.
Date published: 2016-05-27
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Education of the future You won't get this quality of education anywhere, even in real schools.
Date published: 2016-05-19
Rated 5.0 out of 5 by from Wonderful instruction! I sampled several Ableton Live review courses before settling on this one. Scottie is a really great instructor, very clear and extremely organized and methodical. He makes it simple and easy to follow, which is all we really want when trying to learn something new and complex.
Date published: 2016-04-25
We use cookies to personalize content and ads, to provide social media features and to analyze our traffic. We also share information about your use of our site with our social media, advertising and analytics partners. By continuing to use this site you agree to the use of cookies. View Privacy Policy