You can resample in Ableton Live by selecting the Resampling option from the Audio From drop-down of an audio track. Then, you can record the audio you want to be resampled, which will record onto that track for resampling use.
I’m Donovan, a seasoned producer and musician who has spent a lot of time working with Ableton Live. I’m familiar with the features and functions of this DAW and know how to resample through first-hand experience.
This post will show you how to resample in Ableton Live. I’ll walk you through all the steps to make this happen quickly so you can use it to your advantage in your projects. I’ll also provide some other tips and related information.
Let’s get to it.
Contents
Detailed Steps to Resample in Ableton Live
I think resampling is a great production skill, as it can help you make minor or major adjustments to an audio file. It’s a great way to explore new ideas while keeping your original take or audio sample intact.
Ableton Live makes it really easy to resample, and this is another one of the reasons why I love working with this DAW for production and sampling in general. I know a lot of other producers and DJs feel the same way.
Follow these steps to resample in Ableton Live:
1. Open a new or existing Live Set.
2. Record an audio or MIDI track or choose the track you want to resample. You can resample just about any audio that’s in an existing track. But you need audio to work with before you can resample.
3. Select or create an open audio track.
4. Click on the Input Type drop-down box in the open audio track.
5. Choose Resampling from the drop-down menu.
6. Arm the resampling track by clicking on the Track Arm button of that track.
7. Now press Play on the audio track you want resampled.
8. Press Record on the Resampling track once the audio track is playing.
9. Press Stop when the track is done playing or you want the resampling track to end.
10. You’ll see the resampled audio track appear as a new audio clip in the track you recorded it to. You can double-click on it to make any edits or adjustments to the track now that it’s been resampled.
11. Repeat the process for any other tracks you want resampled.
Why Resample in Ableton Live?
Resampling in Ableton Live or any other DAW has a few practical features that can be useful during production. On a basic level, it lets you bounce a track with effects on it.
But just as the name implies, doing this will also give you quick access to new samples that you can play around with in your projects. By quickly resampling a track, you can make changes to the pitch or anything else that can spark your creative juices.
Using resampling can also help you create loops that can be used to build up your projects. When I was first learning how to use Ableton Live, I wasn’t great at making loops. But I did know how to play instruments.
So I would record a guitar track or a keyboard track and then use the resampling feature to make a loop of the audio that I just recorded. This really helped me explore everything the Ableton was capable of and improved my production skills along the way.
Additional Tips
Resampling can also be a valuable tool if you are pushing the CPU limits of your computer. This is especially useful during live DJ sets where you can’t afford your system to slow down or crash.
Bouncing a track with effects rather than having those effects applied directly in DAW frees up valuable CPU, making everything run more seamlessly. If you have a large live set, keep this in mind.
Take advantage of the Sample Editor once you have an audio track resampled. Double-click on the resampled audio and this editor will appear at the bottom of your window. You can make all sorts of adjustments from here.
Final Thoughts
Resampling in Ableton Live is a very useful tool that everyone using the DAW should know how to do. It’s a great way to start building loops, but it can also free up the CPU so your system works effectively during live performances.
The process for resampling is basically the same whether you want to do it in the Session or Arrangement views in Ableton. Just remember to adjust the input to Resampling and arm the track to record.
How do you use resampling in Ableton Live? Let me know in the comments below.
