Tech Tips - Tech Tips Volume 37 with Matthew Anthony / 603

Tech Tips Volume 37 with Matthew Anthony

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This week Sonic Academy welcomes back LA-based Perfect Driver label owner Matthew Anthony for some all-new Tech Tips in Ableton Live 10.

In these 10 videos we look at processing vocals and helping them shine through the mix more, sidechaining using LFO Tool on an unconventional beat, subtle changes that can really enhance your tracks including the use of Xfer OTT, and some super useful workflow and organisational tips that’ll help when collaborating with friends and keep your desktop tidy and accessible.

When you’re as busy as this guy is, running a label and constantly pushing out club bangers, you can rest assured you’re getting some useful knowledge on what works for him to keep the momentum going!

Go check it out!

I’ve been using SurferEQ to make space for vocals, I like that it follows the notes and only ducks those frequencies that need space. Another option is a dynamic EQ. In both cases you’re not compressing all the other frequencies.

buena explicacion sobre el paneo muy buena expicacion sobre las herramientas de ableton me sirvio mucho en mis producciones gracias!


good explanation on the panning and very good explanation on the tools of Ableton that will served me a lot in my productions thank you!

When exporting stems from Ableton is automation on the group applied to individual track?
Thank you!

Hey there @Yelena

Group automation are rendered at the group level when exporting audio from Live, so it all depends what exactly you’d like to export.

You have to think audio signal flow : each individual track within a group sends audio output to the group input - Then the group sends audio output to the master, automation are processed before audio output at each level.

So let’s say you have a “Synths” group including 4 tracks with some automation at both individual track & group level.

If you just need the full group output as an audio stem, then you can render the group itself, all automation on the 4 tracks + automation on the group will be rendered into one stem.

But if you’d like to export each 4 individual track + group automation as stems, then you need to solo each track + the group and repeat the export process 4 times taking care of soloing the appropriate track + the group each time and then you’ll have your 4 different audio stems matching each track & their own automation + the group automation.

You also might have some processing on your master that you’d like to include in the rendered audio stem, so best practice is to solo each track + the group and select “master” in the audio export settings and repeat the process for each track in the group.

Starting from Live 10 and above, there’s also an “include return and master effects” in the audio export settings, when this is enable you can just select & choose the group track for audio export instead of the master.

More info here on Ableton website, browse through the page and after point N°9, you’ll find this “Note” followed by some explanation about those “additional steps”, but basically it’s what I already mentioned and keeping the Live 9 recommended method is what I find the most convenient.


Note: Any grouped tracks will be rendered at the group level with group effects intact,
and each individual grouped track will also be exported, without group
effects. If you used return track or group track effects, and want to
export these combined with the source clip track then you need to take
some additional steps.


Thank you very much, Stéphane for the detailed explanation! Very handy tip with soloing the track + group.
I was wandering what “additional steps” I need to take as Ableton recommended :slight_smile:

You’re welcome :wink:

Good point ! :wink: I have now edited my post so that’s less confusing for others too :confused: :smile:

Cheers !