How To Create Quick And Easy MIDI Clip Variations In Ableton Live

Live's Clip Properties section allows you to get out of the "loop rut", spicing up tracks with more and better variations. Here's how to use it.  

You may be a seasoned Ableton Live user, but with a DAW this talented and one that's constantly evolving with regular updates, there's always more to learn! And what better way to get some great advanced Live tips than from an expert producer? In this short video from the course Ableton Live 202: Advanced MIDI Techniques, DJ Kiva reveals the secrets of the MIDI clip properties functions in Live, which can help you to quickly and easily create melodic and rhythmic variations.

Ableton Live 202: Advanced MIDI Techniques

We begin with some good advice - it's helpful to get out of the loop production rut, where you just use the same loops copied and pasted many times over. Why stick with that when it's easy to create variations? In the clip properties window you'll find a Duplicate command which lets you quickly create new copies of a pattern. You can use the Pen tool to quickly add, remove and change notes in different instances of the loop. There's also an Overdub function that lets you record new ideas on top of existing patterns, which is available with just a couple of clicks. You'll also see how this works in the video.

For much more valuable advice and guidance on how to program, edit and manipulate MIDI in useful and advanced ways in Ableton Live, be sure to check out the full course, which you can do using the links below.

Watch the course Ableton Live 202: Advanced MIDI Techniques in the Ask.Audio Academy | macProVideo | Ask.Video

Hollin Jones was classically trained as a piano player but found the lure of blues and jazz too much to resist. Graduating from bands to composition then production, he relishes the chance to play anything with keys. A sometime lecturer in videographics, music production and photography post production, Hollin has been a freelance w... Read More

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