Mac Shortcuts Overriding Ableton
- I have an issue regarding overriding Ableton shortcuts with Bome. Some time ago, on my Mac, I made some Bome translators for sending PCs.
- The keyboard shortcuts in ableton live are as robust as they are useful. Quick composition on the go. You can override these if you wish or your needs.
- Mastering the keyboard shortcuts for Ableton Live is an essential skill to. Hold CTRL, When drawing: freehand lines When moving: overrides.
- F (Mac) shortcut will open the Browser(s Search Mode. A note for users of older Live versions5 Live 8 does not allow overwriting Live Sets that were.
- Studio One comes with keyboard shortcut mappings for Cubase, Logic. Some shortcuts to Sonar can overwrite useful Studio One shortcuts,.
I would love it if I could have custom key commands in Ableton. If you are on Mac you can add some through system preferences/keyboard/shortcuts. You can also edit existing ones and override them. Simply press Cmd + U on Mac or Ctrl + U on Windows to quantize your notes. This is another one of those shortcuts which will make you think that Ableton is the. Sometimes copy-pasting or duplicating elements can override other sections,.
Ableton Live Shortcut Keys Pdf
Mastering the keyboard shortcuts for Ableton Live is an essential skill to make your writing and production sessions more fluid, maintaining creative flow and more effortlessly executing your ideas as they come to mind (and to hand).
For beginners, this list and PDF is also a great resource to learn key features of Ableton Live.
For advanced producers, we’d added in bold the new shortcuts added in Live 10.
Ableton Live 10 Keyboard Shortcuts
Bold = new or updated in Live 10
FLIPPABLE VIEWS | ||
| tab | tab | Toggle Session/Arrangement view |
| ⇧ tab | ⇧ tab | Toggle Device/Clip view |
COLLAPSIBLE VIEWS | ||
| (Remember it: ‘SLIMBORG’) | ||
| ⌘⌥ S | CTRL–ALT–S | Sends |
| ⌘⌥ L | CTRL-ALT-L | Lower section (aka Detail View) |
| ⌘⌥ I | CTRL-ALT-I | Input/output routing panel |
| ⌘⌥ M | CTRL-ALT-M | Mixer |
| ⌘⌥ B | CTRL-ALT-B | Browser |
| ⌘⌥ O | CTRL-ALT-O | Overview |
| ⌘⌥ R | CTRL-ALT-R | Returns |
| ⌘⌥ G | CTRL-ALT-G | Groove Pool |
FLOATING WINDOWS | ||
| ⇧⌘W | ⇧CTRL-W | Launch a second window |
| ⌘⌥ P | CTRL-ALT-P | Plug-in window (for non-Ableton plug-ins) – hides/shows selected device |
| ⌘⌥ V | CTRL-ALT-V | Video window (there must be a video on arrangement view timeline first) |
| ⌘, | CTRL-, | Preferences |
BROWSE | ||
| ⌘ F | CTRL-F | Search in browser |
| → | → | Preview selected browser item |
| Esc | Esc | Stop previewing selected browser item |
| Return | Return | Load selected browser item onto track |
| Q | Q | Hot swap the selected device (when device is on a track). Hit Q again after loading |
| 1,2,3…7 | 1,2,3…7 | Assign colour to selected browser item (adds item to a “collection”) |
| 0 | 0 | Remove all colours from selected browser item (removes item from all “collections”) |
PLAYBACK and RECORD | ||
| Fn ← | Home | Move insert marker to beginning of arrangement timeline |
| Space | Space | Play (from start, or from insert marker, or from start of selection) |
| Space | Space | Pause |
| ⇧ Space | ⇧ Space | Un-pause |
| ⌥ Space | ALT-Space | Play selected time only, then pause |
| ⌘⇧ F | CTRL⇧ F | Scroll display to follow playback |
| F9 | F9 | Record to arrangement |
| F10 | F10 | Back to arrangement |
ZOOMING | ||
| + | + | Zoom in |
| – | – | Zoom out |
| Z | Z | Zoom to selected clip/time |
| ⇧ Z | ⇧ Z | Zoom out from selected clip/time. Do this again to zoom all the way out |
| ⌥ scroll | ALT-scroll | Zoom height of selected track (arrangement view) |
| S | S | Fold height of all tracks (arrangement view) |
ALL THE SINGLE-LETTER COMMANDS | ||
| Remember it: BRAS ZOMQ | ||
| B | B | Toggle draw mode (for programming within MIDI Clips or drawing automation) |
| R | R | Reverse selected audio – in arrangement view only |
| A | A | Automation (hide / show) – in arrangement view only |
| S | S | Fold height of all tracks (arrangement view) |
| Z | Z | Zoom to selected clip/time (then ⇧ Z to zoom out) in arrangement view or detail view |
| 0 (zero) | 0 (zero) | Deactivate (clips, tracks, devices, & notes) |
| M | M | Toggle computer MIDI keyboard |
| Q | Q | Hot swap the selected device (when device is on a track). Then arrows, Return, Q |
PARAMETER MAPPING | ||
| ⌘ M | CTRL-M | MIDI map mode – assign a MIDI controller to any purple-shaded parameter |
| ⌘ K | CTRL-K | Key map mode – assign a QWERTY key to any orange-shaded parameter |
CREATE AND CAPTURE | ||
| ⌘ T | CTRL-T | Insert new audio track |
| ⌘⇧ T | CTRL⇧ T | Insert new MIDI track |
| ⌘ I | CTRL-I | Insert new scene (in session view) |
| ⌘⌥ T | CTRL-ALT-T | Insert new return track |
| d-click | d-click | Create new MIDI clip (in session view clip slot or on arrangement view timeline) |
| ⌘⇧ I | CTRL-ALT-I | “Capture and Insert scene” Creates new scene from currently playing clips |
| ⌘⇧ C | CTRL⇧ C | Capture MIDI (if you forgot to hit record while jamming) |
| ⌘⇧ S | CTRL⇧ S | Save Live Set As… (new name and / or version number) |
| ⌘⇧ R | CTRL⇧ R | Export your song or selection. Choose to export as audio file, mp3 and / or video |
ARRANGEMENT VIEW | ||
| ← → | ← → | Move selected clip left/right |
| ⇧ ←→ | ⇧ ←→ | Nudge selected clip left/right |
| Hold ⌘ | Hold CTRL | Finer resolution when dragging clips |
| R | R | Reverse selected audio |
| ⇧ | ⇧ | Hold shift and drag the edge of a warped audio clip to stretch it |
ARRANGEMENT TIMELINE EDITING | ||
| ⌘⇧ del | CTRL⇧ del | Delete time |
| ⌘⇧ V | CTRL⇧ V | Paste time |
| ⌘⇧ X | CTRL⇧ V | Cut time |
| ⌘ I | CTRL-I | Insert silence |
| ⌘ J | CTRL-J | Consolidate selection into clip |
| ⌘ E | CTRL-E | Split clip at selection |
| ⌘⇧ D | CTRL⇧ D | Insert duplicated time |
| ⌘ L | CTRL-L | Loop the current timeline selection |
MIXER AND DEVICE PARAMETER EDITING | ||
| del | del | Return value to default (on selected parameter). Double-clicking also works |
| Hold ⇧ | Hold ⇧ | While moving parameters, moves in finer increments |
| r-click | r-click | Show automation or Show modulation |
AUTOMATION | ||
| A | A | Toggle automation mode |
| B | B | Draw stepped automation |
| Hold ⌥ | Hold alt | Curve the automation |
| ⌘ del | CTRL-del | Delete automation (on automated parameter) |
| Hold ⇧ | Hold ⇧ | For finer increments |
| Hold ⇧ | Hold ⇧ | To restrict automation movements to either horizontal or vertical |
| Hold ⌘ | Hold CTRL | When drawing: freehand lines When moving: overrides grid snapping |
GROUP TRACKS and RACKS | ||
| ⌘ G | CTRL-G | Tracks: Group selected tracks Devices: Create rack from selected device/s |
| – | – | Tracks: Hide grouped tracks Devices: Collapse device |
| + | + | Tracks: Unfold grouped tracks Devices: Expand device if collapsed |
MIDI EDITING | ||
| B | B | Draw mode |
| ⌘ U | CTRL-U | Quantize |
| ⌘⇧ U | CTRL⇧ U | Quantize settings |
| ←→↓ ↑ | ←→↓ ↑ | Move selected notes left/right/up/down |
| ⇧ ↓ ↑ | ⇧ ↓ ↑ | Transpose MIDI notes up / down in octaves |
| ⌘ ←→ | CTRL ←→ | Nudge MIDI notes |
| ⇧ ←→ | ⇧ ←→ | Lengthen / Shorten MIDI note |
| ⌘⇧ D | CTRL⇧ D | Insert duplicated time |
COMPUTER MIDI KEYBOARD | ||
| M | M | Toggle computer MIDI keyboard |
| A to L | A to L | This row triggers white notes from C (the A key). |
| W to O | W to O | This row triggers black notes from C# (the W key). Actual keys are: WE – TYU – O |
| Z | Z | Octave down |
| X | X | Octave up |
| C | C | Decrease note velocity |
| V | V | Increase note velocity |
The keyboard shortcuts in Ableton Live are as robust as they are useful, but there are a number of features that fall outside the scope of the application's default shortcuts. These are often rather specific to an individual's needs & generally speaking using a midi controller is a great way to speed up those areas of your workflow. If you're a laptop-based producer working in multiple locations, however, you won't always have one on you. In these cases, one may turn to Live's highly versatile key mapping features.
You can easily enter key mapping mode at any time by pressing cmd (ctrl) + k. The keys you choose are arbitrary, but you'll find certain ones will work better than others for certain purposes. Feel free to experiment!
keyboard overlap
Ableton midi player plugin for midi downloads. Live already makes substantial use of your computer's keyboard, even outside the innumerable modifier-based shortcuts. I've made this infographic to help you avoid the keys that are feature-laden or unmappable:
keyboard (blue) of course represents the built-in single octave keyboard, a wonderful asset for demoing sounds or quick composition on the go. You can override these if you wish when your needs require it, but I prefer to leave it alone.
system (red) represents unmappable keys that are used as modifiers & computer-related input.
ableton (yellow) are the keys that already have function in live without modifiers, including z & x (keyboard octave change), c & v (keyboard velocity change), & tab (switch between arrangement & session views).
Keep in mind that Live distinguishes between capitals, so if you want to map some of these default shortcuts without overriding their functions, you can. For example, b enters draw mode, but you could map B to turn the metronome on & still preserve the lowercase b for draw mode.
save to template
There are many, many functions you can key map - device parameters, mutes, track selection, etc. These can be handy in a pinch on a per-track basis, but my focus today will be on ideas for key maps that are useful in all projects thateffectively expand Live's functionality & keyboard shortcuts. As such, you may consider saving your favorites into your default template - this way, every time you load up a new project you have all the keyboard shortcuts you find useful without having to map them each time.
You can check out my guide to reference tracks for an example of a useful default template you can build with key maps. Below, you will find 5 ideas to get you started.
locator create/delete/select
If you're like me, you use a lot of locators to keep your project marked & organized. The ability to jump around to the most important sections of your tracks is fantastic & key mapping can make this process even faster. I prefer < & > as my selectors because they look like their function, & ? for set/delete because of its proximity to those keys.
tap tempo
Tap tempo is in many ways the most organic way to enter tempo. Clicking on a mouse will do fine, but pressing a button feels a lot more solid & natural. It can be handy to have this feature ready & waiting when you load up a project so it's one I definitely recommend saving this to the default template.
metronome on/off
If you're doing any kind of live recording & want to sync to the grid, the metronome is indispensable. it has always bothered me there is no default keyboard shortcut for turning the click track on and off but fortunately key mapping makes this possible. Once again, adding this to your default template can pay dividends in convenience going forward.
automation arm
If you're modulating a lot of parameters, automation arm is a feature you'll be turning on an off as required throughout your project. It's a minor improvement to not have to move & click the mouse to do this, but over the course of many projects & automation arming it in this way can be a huge time-saver.
record
Creating key maps for existing keyboard shortcuts can feel redundant, but for certain shortcuts & uses it makes sense. If you're on a mac, Live's default record shortcut requires you to use two hands to reach the fn & f9 keys at the same time. There are plenty of situations where you'll want at least one hand on your instrument in preparation for playing & the more simple single key press proves useful. I use r as it's not taken up by any other function by default.
master volume snap
You'll often want to check your mix at low levels to hear what pokes through. Of course, you can turn down knobs on your interface or mixer, but mapping the master volume fader to snap to a specific lower level will be quicker & more consistent every time.
check mono compatibility
Here's an excellent bonus tip thanks to reddit user u/ProfessorStrangeman:
Ableton Shortcuts
Ooo! I have one to add!! I've got a Utility on my master bus with the width set to 0% & the on/off mapped to the tilde '~' key so I can quickly mono reference while sound designing & mixing.
This is definitely one that's worth adding to your default template - it's easy to do but you don't want to have to set it up every time you load a new project. It is always a good idea to check for mono compatibility and having a quick switch at your fingertips can really speed this process up.
That's all I have for this article, but if you have a use for key mapping you can't go without, I'd love to hear about it on Facebook or Twitter.