In arrangement view how do I shorten Abletons export region? It wont let me go shorter than I think 1/4 bar.

Also why do some samples have a single mono wav but in Ableton if I render it to a new audio track or when making a mono sample it has 2? I guess its still mono, but Its kinda annoying is all.

 

You can select the region to export in the track-lane with left-mouse-click with the shortest being something like a 1/16 note-length I think. Then it is independent of the loop-region.

There is a render-option "create mono file".

 

Like when I make a super short punchy kick drum or just a click sound when I place the export region bar and drag it around the sample there is always extra empty space on the tail end. There is no way to "unlock" the region bar to make it exactly (or just a tiny bit longer) than the sample ?

I never saw that "create mono file", is that in the right click menu or export menu? I will look for it! I always wondered why Ableton audio samples have 2 waveform inside the sample (like a stereo file even though I use utility to make it mono) instead of just one for mono.

Thanks for the help!

 

I am not aware of that, (maybe by turning the Fixed Grid off?) I usually use the "Resampling" input type for making shorter samples, that way, I have more control. Do be aware that using the Resampling also prints the effects on your master channel to the new sample.

The "create mono file" is in the export menu.

An informative article about mono/stereo from the ableton site: https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/articles/360009201540-Mono-Stereo-Conversions-in-Live.

Cheers.

 

Thanks for the information. I will try these tips later today.

By "resampling" you mean just recording from one track to a new track and setting input to resample, right? That doesn't change the export region bar though. I am trying to figure out how to export samples I make that are shorter than what the region bar allows for. But maybe I don't understand what you mean

By using "convert to mono" on export, does it alter the sound of an already mono sample, as in make it mono twice? And the resulting wav file has only one waveform or still has 2?

 

You can e.g. insert a Kick (audio clip) and make it super short, then
- Select the (shortened) clip, right click and select crop clip(s)
- right click again on it and select Show in Explorer (or the Mac equivalent)
- you'll see the resulting audio (copy it somewhere else, if don't plan to save the project)

alternatively:
- you can select Show in Browser and it will be ready in Ableton
- you can 'Consolidate' and again 'Show in Explorer' (in this case it wont let you copy while the file is in use)

Mind that on exit, Live will ask you if you want to keep/delete the files. Hope this is what you're after

 

Thats a cool workaround if it works and saves me from having to export. What I am trying to do is make my own samples for drums, so some will be mono and very short. Thank you.

 

Yeah, nice to make quickly a bunch of one-shots or whatever. Don't have to save/export, the files just pile up in your project's samples -> processed -> cut/consolidate/freeze/rev.. folder. Unfortunately I don't think there is a way to make them mono from Live, so you'll probably have to find a batch converter of some sort..

 

So I tried all of the suggestions and I still have to export to get the "convert to mono", but it works! There is only one waveform inside the audio now. Yippeeee! Now I just have to remember to reset the export settings every time after finished. Sure enough, I forgot and had to reexport an 8 minute song

I tried the Crop Clip and that also worked, but not totally. Its shorter, but I still cant find a way to get the region bar unlocked for precise control of export region. Oh well, good enough for now. Thanks everybody.

 

Last edited by a moderator: Mar 13, 2023