šŸ”¬Discover: Microtuner

In todayā€™s newsletter:

  • šŸ—ƒļøExploring the User Library in Ableton Live

  • šŸ”¬Discover: Microtuner

  • šŸ“ŗHow to Generate and Use White and Pink Noise in Ableton Live

  • šŸ“±Ableton Note 1.2: New Features and Enhancements for Creative Exploration

  • šŸŒ Ableton Live Community Ableton Push Performance by Shima Banana

  • āš”[Workflow Trick] Use Locators

šŸ—ƒļøExploring the User Library in Ableton Live

The User Library in Ableton Live is an essential feature for organizing and managing your personal sounds, presets, and samples. It provides a convenient, customizable space where you can store your favorite content and quickly access it during your productions. Whether youā€™re a seasoned producer or just starting, the User Library helps streamline your workflow and keep everything organized.

What Is the User Library?

The User Library is a dedicated folder in Ableton Live where you can save your personal sound files, instruments, effects, and other custom content. Unlike the default Ableton browser folders, which contain factory sounds and presets, the User Library is your personal space for anything you create or import. Itā€™s designed to keep all of your assets easily accessible and organized.

Main Features of the User Library

1. Custom Organization

One of the key benefits of the User Library is the ability to organize your sounds and presets in a way that suits your workflow. You can create folders for different types of sounds (e.g., drums, basses, synths) and sort them however you like. This organization helps save time when youā€™re in the middle of a project and need to find specific elements quickly.

2. Saving and Retrieving Presets

When you create custom presets for your instruments or effects, you can save them directly to the User Library. This is especially helpful for keeping your go-to sounds and setups readily available. By saving presets for your favorite effects chains, you can load them quickly without having to recreate them from scratch.

3. Easy Sample Management

The User Library is also a great place to store and manage your sample packs. You can drag and drop your audio files directly into the library, and then organize them into folders based on type, genre, or mood. This makes it easy to access and use your sample collection without having to navigate through multiple folders.

4. Project and Template Organization

You can store entire Ableton projects, templates, and set files in your User Library. This feature allows you to save your setups or templates for future use, saving you the hassle of setting up everything from scratch when starting a new project.

Why Use the User Library?

By having all your personal content stored in one place, you can quickly find the sounds and presets you need. It also ensures that custom creations like presets, samples, and templates are backed up and easily retrievable, preventing the risk of losing them over time.

User Library

šŸ”¬Discover: Microtuner

Abletonā€™s Microtuner is an advanced device designed for creating and manipulating microtonal scales, offering producers new ways to explore non-standard tunings. Whether youā€™re incorporating global musical traditions or developing experimental textures, Microtunerā€™s features are tailored for creative flexibility.

Key Features and Parameters

1. Scale Importing

The Microtuner supports .scl and .kbm files, allowing users to load scales from external sources. These formats are widely used in microtonal music and make it easy to incorporate authentic non-Western tunings or unconventional harmonic systems.

2. Scale Generator

This feature allows for the creation of custom scales directly within the device. Adjust the Pitch Division to split an octave into any number of intervals, or fine-tune individual steps using the Cent Offset. While exporting generated scales as .scl files is not currently supported, saving them as device presets ensures reusability.

3. Leader and Follower Modes

Microtuner can synchronize across multiple tracks by designating one device as the Leader, which dictates the tuning system for others. Alternatively, in Follower Mode, the device adapts to the scale settings of another leader instance. This is ideal for maintaining harmonic consistency in complex arrangements.

4. Interactive Visualization

A graphical interface shows the exact distribution of pitches in your scale, enabling precise editing. Users can adjust individual note positions and intervals interactively, enhancing both accuracy and creative control.

Applications and Workflow

Microtuner works seamlessly with Ableton devices, including those supporting MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE). Use it to design exotic harmonies, add unique tonal textures, or craft expressive performances. Save configurations as presets or integrate them into Instrument Racks for future use.

For a deeper dive into Microtunerā€™s capabilities, visit Abletonā€™s Microtuner page. Whether youā€™re exploring cultural tunings or pushing experimental boundaries, this device opens new doors in sound design and production.

Microtuner

šŸ“ŗHow to Generate and Use White and Pink Noise in Ableton Live

White and pink noise are often underrated tools, whether for sound design, mixing, or testing your setup. Ableton Live offers several ways to generate and manipulate these noises to achieve creative and practical results. Hereā€™s how you can make the most out of them.

What is the difference between Pink and White Noise?

White noise has equal energy per frequency, making it sound bright and harsh. Pink noise has equal energy per octave, which means that energy drops the higher the frequency, creating a warmer sound.

Image from the website getsnooz.com

Generating White and Pink Noise

  1. White Noise with Operator:

  • Load Operator onto a MIDI track.

  • Set the waveform of the first oscillator (labeled A) to ā€œNoise Whiteā€, under the oscillator settingsā€™ wave shape.

  • Adjust the envelope and filter to shape the noiseā€™s tonal characteristics.

  1. Pink Noise with EQ:

  • Start with white noise as above.

  • Add EQ Eight. Then, apply a low-shelf EQ to reduce the higher frequencies. Set the low-shelf filter to start around 500 Hz and reduce the ā€œQā€ to its lowest.

  • This gradual reduction balances the energy across octaves, mimicking pink noiseā€™s natural frequency distribution and removing the harshness of white noise.

  1. Alternatively, you can drag white or pink noise samples into an audio track from Abletonā€™s library or external sources, using Simpler or Sampler for further manipulation.

EQ Eight

Creative Uses

1. Sound Design:

  • Layer white noise with synths for textured leads or pads.

  • Use noise bursts for risers or impacts by automating volume and filter sweeps.

  • Sidechain white noise to your kick drum for rhythmic pumping effects in genres like house or techno.

2. Mixing Tool:

  • Pink noise is great for level balancing. Play pink noise at a consistent volume and solo each track in your mix. Adjust the volume until the track is just audible above the noiseā€”this ensures balanced levels across the mix.

3. Testing Acoustics:

  • Use pink noise to test your room or headphones. Play it through your system and use Abletonā€™s Spectrum to analyze frequency imbalances in your listening environment.

Tips for Noise Management

  • Layering: Combine noise with other elements, like reverb or delay, for depth and movement.

  • Automation: Use Liveā€™s LFO or automation lanes to add evolving dynamics to static noise layers.

White and pink noise are versatile tools that serve both practical and creative purposes. Liveā€™s devices make it easy to generate, shape, and integrate noise into your productions. Start experimenting, and youā€™ll quickly discover its power in your workflow.

White Noise in Operator

šŸ“±Ableton Note 1.2: New Features and Enhancements for Creative Exploration

The latest update to Ableton Note, version 1.2, introduces a host of exciting new features and tweaks designed to enhance your workflow and creative possibilities. Whether youā€™re producing beats, experimenting with sounds, or preparing your next live set, this update offers a range of tools to streamline your music-making process.

New Features

The Arpeggiator now boasts additional options, making it easier to shape complex patterns right from the sidebar next to the pads.

The Drum Sampler has also been significantly upgraded. A new second parameter page gives you access to additional playback effects, while a newly added X/Y Pad allows for hands-on manipulation of these effects with just a touch. These changes enhance the versatility of your drum sounds and let you explore new textures.

Another standout feature is the ability to share sets with Ableton Move, the new portable hardware instrument designed for intuitive music-making. This integration allows you to seamlessly transition between your mobile setup and desktop production environment.

Dynamics Presets have been expanded with new special presets that include a built-in Compressor device, providing quick access to professional-level dynamics processing. Additionally, the Saturator now includes a new saturation curve, giving you even more tonal control over your sounds.

The Delay and Reverb FX devices come with updated visualizations for filter and diffusion types, making it easier to navigate and understand the settings of these effects. This intuitive update enhances your ability to tweak effects to suit your sound design needs.

Tweaks and Refinements

In this release, the Drum Sampler now shows filter type icons, making it easier to identify and adjust your filter settings.

Other usability improvements include the Main FX Menu, which now stays open when adding FX devices or soloing/muting tracks, making the process faster and more fluid.

For those organizing content, templates have been streamlined. The Sampler and Drum Rack presets now appear in the Templates folder, and the Empty Drum Rack and Melodic Sampler presets are now positioned at the top of the list for quicker access.

Ableton Note 1.2 also introduces enhanced Ableton Cloud functionality, now supporting up to 8 sets instead of the previous limit of 5, giving you more space for your creative projects. Additionally, thereā€™s a new Discord link in the app settings, allowing you to connect with other Ableton and Note users directly.

Check the Release Note, explore the new features in Ableton Note 1.2 in this video and take your music production to the next level!

Ableton Note (Image from: Official Ableton Website)

šŸŒ Ableton Live Community
Ableton Push Performance by Shima Banana

Check out this performance by Tina Johnson (Shima Banana), a Japanese/American singer, producer and engineer from Tokyo. She began her music career in high school as a J-Pop singer and was signed to a major label by the age of 14. After two years of rigorous training she joined a girl group called FAKY and performed in arenas such as Makuhari Messe, Tokyo Dome stadium, and WOMB.

When she was 18 she left the group and moved to the U.S. to study music and audio engineering at the University of Miami. Since then she has embarked on her solo career as a singer and producer making electronic house, funk and R&B music.

āš”[Workflow Trick]
Use Locators

Organize your session for faster access to different sections by using Locators. You can give them a custom name pertaining to the different parts of your song. You can also quickly jump between locators.

How To Do It?

Simply right click on the time/scrub ruler at the top and choose ā€œAdd Locatorā€. You can then move them around and rename them. Use the ā€œNext/Previous Locatorā€ arrows on the top right of the Arrangement View to jump between locators.

Locators

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