Audio Warping, Recording and Editing

Question 1

Name the six audio warp modes in Ableton

Answer 1

Beats, Tones, Texture, Re-pitch, Complex and Complex Pro

Question 2

What do the additional settings in Beats warping mode control and how does this affect the sound?

Answer 2

Beats mode works by repeating certain sections of the audio with added fades; there are three choices for how the fades are applied (single fade out, continuous repeats with fade outs, and continuous crossfades) and a control for how long the fades are.

Question 3

Where can you find the option to stop Ableton from automatically creting .asd files ?

Answer 3

In Preferences in the File/Folder tab select the option for ‘Create Analysis file’ to turn or off

Question 4

If Ableton is set to NOT make .asd files automatically whre caan you manual create one ?

Answer 4

In clip view there is a button on the left towards the middle to “Save” hat will create one for this clip

Question 5

What are two advantages of using analysis files instead of consolidating clips to new audio files ?

Answer 5

With .asd files you retain the original audio in-tact incase you want to alter it later, you also will save space as an .asd file is tiny in size and could also mean not needing multiple audio files for every variation of a clip

Question 6

Which mode and approximate settings would you use to change the pitch of a vocal for the most transparent result possible?

Answer 6

Complex ro mode with the Formants set to a high value and the envelope to a mid-range value

Question 7

Which mode and approximate settings would you use to drastically change the tempo of a drum loop and retain the original sounds intact?

Answer 7

Beats mode with the mode set to single fade and the length of the fade set relatively short

Question 8

What are the small grey arrows in an audio clip (clip/detail view) called?

Answer 8

Psudo Warp Markers

Question 9

How would you change the timing of hits in an audio drum loop using warp markers in clip view ?

Answer 9

CTRL + click on Paudo Warp Markers above the drum hit to be moved (this will create markers on either side of the selected hit also) and drag to the desired poistion

Question 10

How can you quantise the hits in an audio dum loop in clip view?

Answer 10

Set the grid to the desired value (e.g. 16ths), use CTRL+ A to select all within the clip and then CTRL + U to quantise the audio according to it’s Psudo Warp Markers

Question 11

Describe the steps needed to take an audio drum loop clip that isn’t neatly cut or starts in the wrong place in the drum pattern, and turn it into a correctly cut and quantised loop of the correct length

Answer 11

Find the start and end of the pattern in the audio within the clip view and double-click those Psudo Warp Markers to activate them; next check what the length of the pattern is by listening to the beat and counting, and set the loop length (to the left of the waveform) to the correct number of bars/beats; next move the start and end marker to the start and end of the loop within the clip, removing any previous markers (double click to remove); quantise the audio if desired using CTRL + U and finally right-click and select ‘Crop Audio’ to finalise the clip

Question 12

Which warping mode is best used for audio with well-defined pitches ?

Answer 12

Tones

Question 13

Which warping mode is best used for audio without an easily defined pitch (e.g. a cymbal or sound FX)?

Answer 13

Texture

Question 14

What would be the benefit of Freezing and flattening all of the tracks in yourproject when preparing to do a studio recoring session (e.g. with a vocalist)

Answer 14

It would save CPU and allow for low latency recording while still alowing you to make changes to the levels of individual elements, which wouldn’t be possible if you simply bounced the project master to a wav file

Question 15

Give two reasons why you shouldn’t run and work on a project directly from USB?

Answer 15

The USB port will not be fast enough to stream all the data simultaneously and it could also experience an electrical spike or issue with ejection that would cause the file to corrupt and be un-recoverable

Question 16

Which type of microphone polar pattern would be best for stereo Mid/Side recording?

Answer 16

Figure of eight

Question 17

Which type of microphone polar pattern would be best for stereo Mid/Side recording?

Answer 17

Figure of eight

Question 18

Describe how to set-up Punch-in and/or Punch Out recording in Arrangement view

Answer 18

First set the Loop Brace in the Arrange window so the left hand marker is where you want recording to begin and the right-hand marker is wherre you wan it to stop, then select the Punch In and/or Punch Out in the transport bar. Now you can start recording from before that point and it will only actually begin recording at that point (and end where the Loop Brace ends if Punch Out is on).

Question 19

Describe how to set-up Punch-in and/or Punch Out recording in Arrangement view

Answer 19

First set the Loop Brace in the Arrange window so the left hand marker is where you want recording to begin and the right-hand marker is wherre you want it to stop, then select the Punch In and/or Punch Out in the transport bar. Now you can start recording from before that point and it will only actually begin recording at that point (and end where the Loop Brace ends if Punch Out is on).

Question 20

Describe how to record a four-bar looping section in multiple takes and then listen back to each take (in arrangement view) to find the best

Answer 20

Set the Loop Brace in the Arrangement window so it is four bars long and in the desired place; then select the Loop button on the Transport Bar (or press CTRL + L); set the cursor to the beginning of the loop brace (or before if Punching In) and begin recording; record as many takes of the loop as desired; now in the clip view you will see all of the audio recorded if you zoom out from the current selection, and you can navigate between iterations of the loop within Clip View by pressing up and down on the D-Pad

Question 21

How can you make the current selection occupy the whole screen in arrangement view ?

Answer 21

Make a selection in arrangement view then press Z in order to Zoom to fit the current selection (Zoom To Selection)

Question 22

(Ableton 11) How do you access the take lanes in arrangement view after using Cycle recording mode and what are three ways the comp a single track from multiple takes ?

Answer 22

Right click and select ‘Show Takes Lanes’ to view all takes simultaneously, then you can select a region in one of the takes and press Enter to bring it into the main take, or you can use the pencil tool to select the areas you want, or you can loop one section and as you are playing it back use CTRL + SHIFT and the up and down arrows to select different takes as you audition them

Question 23

(Ableton 11) How do you use the Take Lanes feature (Arrangement View) to create an interesting and creative audio part

Answer 23

You can create a series of take lanes on an empy track and then drag in various contasting loops and sounds onto each lane, then use the pencil tool to fill the main take with bits from each (works well for making interesting drum/percussion loops for example)

Question 24

What Does the ‘RAM’ button (Clip View) do when switched on?

Answer 24

When this is on Live will load the referenced clip into memory instead of trying to reference from your disk in real time