20 Essential Ableton Tips

Once we get set in our ways with any software, it's easy to stop evolving and trying new things. Here we have some top tips for Ableton Live, on three levels of complexity - from Lodewijk Vos (LØ). Some of the tips are about workflow, offering help with your utilities, while others involve more production related advice - all the tips are listed here with timestamps:

00:00 Intro 00:10 The 3 Levels 00:33 Tip 1 -- Save Default Presets 00:51 Tip 2 -- Use Your Return Tracks 01:14 Tip 3 -- Save Default Projects 01:38 Tip 4 -- Put a Hashtag Before Track Names 02:10 Tip 5 -- Build Your Own Sidechain Racks 03:05 Tip 6 -- Use Racks for Everything 03:54 Tip 7 -- Learn Your Shortcuts 04:32 Tip 8 -- Tap to Transient in Ableton 04:56 Tip 9 -- Collect All and Save 05:20 Tip 10 -- Stem Out Your Work Every Day 06:11 Free Fragile Violins Sampler 06:39 Level 2: The Good Stuff 06:47 Tip 11 -- Write Your Automation 07:24 Tip 12 -- Don't Use Your Fader to Mix 07:54 Tip 13 -- Use a Controller for Everything 08:02 Tip 14 -- Fix Your Latency 08:38 Tip 15 -- Grab Tracks from Other Sessions 09:18 Tip 16 -- Use Templates as a Modular System 10:17 Level 3: Pro Level 10:24 Tip 17 -- Use SoundFlow with Stream Deck 10:58 Tip 18 -- Never Touch the Volume Button 12:28 Tip 19 -- Use Rolling Sampler 13:55 Tip 20 -- You: The Community

Here's what he has to say:

I've been using Ableton professionally for around 20 years, and these are 20 tips that actually changed the way I work. This is not just another random shortcut list. These are the real Ableton habits, workflows, racks, templates, routing tricks, automation methods, latency fixes, and pro-level systems I've picked up from years of making music in a working environment. I split the video into three levels: Level 1: Rookie The foundations that save time, keep sessions clean, and make Ableton faster. Level 2: The Good Stuff The workflow tricks that separate solid producers from people constantly fighting their DAW. Level 3: Pro Level The serious systems that make Ableton feel faster, cleaner, and more professional.

He's offering a free version of a string sample library here: https://stan.store/lodewijkvos/p/fragile-violin--free

More from Lodewijk Vos (LØ)

• VC-01 Voicecrafter: Vocal Synth & Sequencer 09-Oct-26
• Bubblegum: Free Pitch Editor 08-Oct-26
• DestroyFX Buffer Override 08-Oct-26
• Oxygene 50th Anniversary 07-Oct-26
• The Great Debate: Firmware Hacking 07-Oct-26