Using a template for your Ableton Live projects can give you a head start on the recording process. There are plenty of good free and paid templates out there to choose from, with many available for different types of creative flows.
I’m Donovan, and I’ve spent the last several months heavily exploring everything in Ableton Live. I have a lot of experience working as a producer and musician, and I did extensive research to find the best free and paid templates.
This post will show you the best free and paid templates for Ableton Live. I’ll give you some background on each template and tell you why I think each is worth using. I want to ensure you have access to everything you need.
Let’s jump in.
Best Free Templates for Ableton Live
Here are my choices for the best free templates for Ableton Live. If you are on a budget or don’t want to pay extra for access to a good template, each option here is worth exploring.
1. ProductionMusicLive Templates
ProductionMusicLive offers a number of high-quality Ableton Live templates, and they are all pretty solid. You need to give them your email address to access the free options, but that’s all there is to it.
These templates are a good starting point if you want a fully set-up project at your fingertips. You’ll be able to dive right into the creative process without worrying about arranging a bunch of tracks and inputs.
Once you have any of these templates downloaded, you can explore different sounds and samples to make them more akin to your personal production style. They are very comprehensive for being free.
2. AfroDJMac’s Noverture Percussion Rack
If you are looking for a sweet percussion rack template to start making samples, grooves, and other beats, check out AfroDJMac’s Noverture percussion rack. This is another solid template all around.
This template includes an instrument rack, a Kalimba kit, and a drum rack that’s ready for action. You just need to plug and play everything into a new project, and your creative juices will start flowing.
I like the sounds of all these percussion elements a lot. If you can’t find what you want or need with Ableton’s stock percussion, explore what’s in this free template. Having a ton of samples and sounds is an excellent thing for any DJ or producer.
3. Hybrid Trap by WA Productions
If you are looking to make trap music in Ableton Live, the Hybrid Trap template by WA Productions is a fantastic option to go with. This gives you all the project files you need to make a bumping trap track in no time.
Using a template like this is great for beginners who want to learn about the genre or experienced producers who need to save time and energy. It has everything you need to jump-start a Live Set.
You get some nice percussion, bass, lead, and other drum elements here. They are all well organized to give you an idea of what a Trap project would look like so you can emulate it once you learn the basics. There’s a lot here for free to explore.
4. Ambient Pad Template by Gravitas Create
Another solid choice for a free project template is the Ambient Pad by Gravitas Create. This one will give you a lot to work with in any project and is an excellent jumping-off point if you like to make any sort of electronic music.
This is a simple template that isn’t too much for beginners while still giving even seasoned producers a nice tool to use in Ableton projects. It has a subtle but enchanting sound that is easy to get behind.
This isn’t really a full project template, but I still think it’s worth checking out because it sounds so good. I wouldn’t base an entire project around it, but you will get an interesting and effective soundscape to start molding.
5. Progressive Trance by Ancore Sounds
Progressive Trance by Ancore Sounds is a sweet template for anyone who wants a full trance project to explore. It’s an in-depth setup that will provide you with plenty of tracks and sounds to continue building or work into your existing project.
I like all the presets in this one, and I think it gets you pointed in the right direction for making intriguing trance tracks even if you are new to the genre. It also features a handful of amazing plugins you could use in other projects once you get the hang of their controls.
Trance music isn’t always my thing, but this template expanded my horizons a bit. I like it when I’m challenged, and learning how this template was set up gave me a better look into a genre I wasn’t super familiar with.
6. Pheek’s Mixing Template 2.0
If you want a template to help you dial in your mixes or just learn how to mix in the first place, Pheek’s Mixing Template 2.0 is highly recommended. This a great tool for beginners to use and gives you a lot of information for free.
When you download this template, you’ll get a full mixing project already set up. You can throw in your own tracks and start the mix-down process, giving you all the tools you need to take your basic tracks to the next level.
The template includes six groups, three busses, a MIXBUS, a reference channel, and multiple sends. It’s pretty comprehensive and gives you a great look at a professional-level mixing setup to reference down the road when your skills improve.
Best Paid Templates for Ableton Live
If you want more comprehensive templates, you’ll need to pay for them. All of the paid templates here are excellent and will provide you with more in-depth setups and workflows than most free options.
I like all of the Beat Bloom Premium Ableton templates because they are still relatively affordable while still giving you everything you need and expect from a professional-style template. These can be great learning tools, or you can implement them professionally as well.
There are eleven different templates to choose from, and each can work well. I especially like the Astronaut option, which is a deep house template that provides lots of melodic elements I enjoyed during the creative process.
These templates are also great for anyone on a budget. They aren’t free, but they definitely are not expensive. You should be able to afford at least one of them, and I recommend looking at several if you can swing it.
8. Abletontemplates.net
Abletontemplates.net has a ton of different templates to explore. If you are trying to learn how to create a variety of tracks or just want to improve your skills as a producer, this is a great place to do just that.
I don’t have a favorite template from these guys, and everyone I’ve explored so far has been valuable in some way. I like how they set up and organize projects, and it’s very easy to follow the workflow and learn so that I can implement elements into future work.
You can also find a wide variety of templates here to match any specific genre you want to work within. That variety is worth checking out, especially if you are trying to uncover new skills or dynamics within a project.
9. Innovation Sounds Techno Templates
If you want high-end techno templates for Ableton Live, the guys at Innovation Sound have you covered. These are some of the best templates for techno that I’ve found so far, and each of the options I’ve used has been more than solid.
Innovation has a wide range of options to choose from here, but if you really want to learn a lot and get many tools, I recommend going with one of their bundled products. You get multiple templates with these, but they are a little more expensive than single options.
Regardless of which of these templates you go with, you shouldn’t be disappointed. I learned a lot about my techno mixes within an hour of downloading my first template. That alone made it worth the cost of purchase, in my opinion.
10. Remakes Pro Templates Pack
One of the best ways that I’ve found to improve my production skills was to emulate the tactics of already successful producers. You can do just that with this Remakes Pro Templates Pack because it gives you access to some famous tracks to work with.
I noticed a definite increase in my basic production skills after playing with these templates for a while. The organization was on point, and all of the presets and plugins were arranged in a way that just made sense to me after I saw it.
If you are someone who learns by example, using remake templates is a great way to unlock your production potential in Ableton Live. After pouring over any of these, you won’t be disappointed and will likely learn some professional-level skills.
11. Elevate Music Templates
Another solid option to look into for all sorts of Ableton Live templates is Elevate Music. There are a large number of templates to explore here, and most of them are affordable. I found these were a great starting point to build on when I was in a hurry.
Whether you are looking for house, techno, or deep tech templates, you’ll find a little bit of everything here. I was impressed with the variety of options and thought that it was worth paying a little more for. If you need multiple genres and templates, look around here for sure.
Elevate also adds new templates all the time, so it’s worth checking back on this source often. Even if you don’t see what you are looking for right away, there’s a good chance they will put out a new template soon that might better meet your needs.
Final Thoughts
Using templates in Ableton Live is a great way to take your production skills to the next level. They can streamline your creative process and give you the tools you didn’t know you needed. Templates have taught me so much about Ableton over the years.
All of the templates here are highly recommended. I don’t have a single best template to recommend because it depends on your specific preferences and needs. But the resources here will provide something for everyone.
Do you know of any other awesome Ableton Live templates I didn’t mention? Let me know in the comments below.
