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Ableton Live 5 doesn't work with King files, right? Well, technically speaking it doesn't support the 'official' King file format. But not only can you create your ain REX-style slicing within Live, the 'practice it yourself' stretching method we're nigh to depict can be surprisingly flexible.

Commencement, we should hash out what REX-based stretching is all about. Although digital signal processing algorithms can lengthen digital audio by adding data, or shorten by deleting data, information technology's difficult to do this without compromising the sound quality — especially with substantial timing shifts. Alive'due south stretch algorithms are nothing short of miraculous when it comes to real-time tempo stretching, but like whatsoever stretch algorithms, they're not perfect. The King approach tin provide extremely good fidelity with percussive sounds, although the merchandise-off is that information technology is pretty much useless for sustained sounds.

The REX file format was invented past Propellerhead Software as an extremely clever time-stretching solution that applied MIDI thinking to digital audio. Their Recycle plan takes a piece of digital audio, cuts it into small segments ('slices'), notes where in the measure(s) these segments occur, then creates a MIDI file that triggers the segments at the appropriate time within the measure(south). Hosts that back up REX files use the digital audio and timing information to stretch the file to the target tempo.

For instance, the screenshot above shows a elementary pulsate loop. Recycle separates the pulsate part into individual 'slices', with each slice triggered by a MIDI note recorded in a sequence. When the sequencer plays back the MIDI notes at the original tempo, the diverse slices all play back in succession, at the original timings. With a slower tempo, the triggers that play back the segments are further autonomously; at a faster tempo, the triggers occur closer together.

As a result, the rhythmic relationship of the slices remains intact, because MIDI triggers e'er occur where they were recorded in a measure, regardless of tempo. In other words, MIDI data by and large follows musical time (bars, beats and ticks) instead of absolute time (hours, minutes and seconds).

A 120bpm loop has been dragged into the Arrangement view, and the tempo has been gear up to 120bpm. The main reward compared to DSP time-stretching is that the audio quality remains pretty much untouched — zip is added or deleted, just triggered at a different fourth dimension. Thus, information technology's theoretically (and oftentimes practically) possible to take Recycle files whose allegiance is indistinguishable from the original, even when time-stretched (in that location are limitations, though, which nosotros'll cover later).

Many programs take native back up for the Male monarch file format. For case, with Pro Tools 7, each slice is treated as a region, and when you import the file, it's treated as a Region Group. Thus, as you change the tempo, the regions are 'staked' to ticks and remain at the same bar and vanquish positions. Sonar includes the RXP REX file player; you load the Rex file into it, and it plays along with your sequence. MOTU's Digital Performer, Emagic Logic, Steinberg Cubase, and many others support the Rex format equally well.

Although Live five doesn't support REX files, you tin can use the same principle to slice and trigger digital audio within Live, and produce much the same issue.

Slicing Within Live

Here's how to slice within Alive. First, prepare Live's tempo to the tempo of the loop you want to slice, fifty-fifty if this is different from the Project tempo. It'southward just a temporary step; later on the process is complete, you can return to the original tempo (and the sliced file volition follow, of class — which is the whole point of this exercise!).

Now switch to Arrangement view. This technique cannot be done in Session view. Drag the file into the Track Display, and use the zoom options so that the waveform fills upwardly a comfortable corporeality of the screen. Place the offset transient and type Ctrl+E (or Ctrl-click and select 'Carve up'). This splits the Clip at the Insert Marking. Repeat at each transient that denotes a 'blob' of audio (for instance boot drum and snare beats, hi-hat hits and then on). This is catchy, because you don't want to break up a continuous audio with a split, nor do you want to miss a transient by not calculation a split. Feel will make this procedure easier, just for now, endeavour to make sure that each slice is a discrete piece of sound. Snapping to the filigree tin can be very helpful with files that accept quantised rhythms, but don't be afraid to turn off snapping if the transient falls slightly alee of or backside the beat. The of import consideration is to slice exactly at the transient's showtime; it's likely that zooming in volition be necessary.

The loop has now been sliced at each transient. Note the multiple small-scale clips above the waveform. At this point, change the tempo as a 'reality check'. The Prune volition speed up and slow downwards, as with a standard file loaded into Live. But at present we need to 'individualise' each slice, and anchor it to the bar, beat and tick position at which it was cut. To practise this, select all the sliced sound clips and make certain the Prune Overview tab is selected in the lower right corner of the Alive window. Information technology should show 'X Audio Clips Selected', where X is the number of slices in the loop. Disable the Warp option (in the Samples section of the Prune View) past clicking on the Warp button so that it'due south grey instead of yellowish. At present slow down the tempo by twenty percent or so — for example, if the loop was cutting at 120bpm, change the tempo to 96bpm. Each Prune will at present reflect its truthful, not stretched, duration at that tempo. As a effect, each Clip will now appear to be 20 percent shorter in duration. When you click on Play, yous'll hear the loop play dorsum, and notation that the allegiance of each slice is exactly the same as it was originally — there are no artifacts, flams, or other compromises with respect to fidelity. Cool! Now speed upwards the tempo as high as you'd like. The audio quality remains the same; notation how the infinite betwixt the disuse of one slice and the attack of the next slice 'tightens upwardly'.

We've accomplished what we've set up out to practice: create a file that sounds about identical over a wide tempo range, with no artifacts or DSP to alter the sound.

A brief aside hither: the fade button is extremely useful when doing slicing, and so check out the effects of checking or unchecking this option (remember to brand sure that all slices are selected). Without fade applied, any abrupt transition at the beginning or stop of a piece might produce a click. Applying the fade function minimises whatsoever possible click.

Conventional REX File Import

The original loop tempo was 125.126bpm; it's been tweaked to 133.33bpm to fit Live's Project tempo. 'Export every bit One Sample' is selected prior to exporting. Although nosotros've described how to create Rex-blazon slicing in Live, you may also want to use standard Rex files. This is easy to do if you export to a WAV or AIFF file, which is i of the functions provided in Propellerhead's Recycle program. It also helps if y'all know what the Live Project's tempo will exist, but that'south not essential; after importing, if y'all need to tweak the file tempo a scrap, y'all can utilise Alive's stretching options.

To prepare a Rex file for use in Alive:

one. Load the REX file into Recycle.

2. Turn on the Preview push button (to the left of the ship Stop push) and adjust the Tempo control to match the Alive Project tempo.

3. Adjust Recycle's options for the best audio quality (Stretch, for example, adds decay if needed for loops that are slowed downwards).

4. Go to the Process menu and tick 'Consign as One Sample'. Otherwise, each slice will be exported as an individual file.

5. Become to File / Export. Select the filename and either Moving ridge or Audio IFF format.

6. Specify the sample rate and bit depth used in your Live project, click on OK, and the file is exported.

seven. Load the file into Live. Although it has lost its Rex properties, you can of course use Alive'south stretching options if needed to change tempo.

Merely Because It'southward Non a Loop...

You lot might think that because nosotros've cut a bona fide loop into a bunch of picayune pieces, nosotros can't employ the Envelope options in Prune View. Well, you lot'd be correct. But that doesn't mean in that location isn't a workaround.

You can utilize transposition to individual slices or the entire loop. Just select whichever is advisable (a clip or all clips), and adjust the Transpose control in the Sample Brandish window to gustation. For example, you can select just the start slice (the downbeat) and transpose it down a trivial flake for a deeper sound, while transposing the backbeat upward a little bit to tighten the sound. Note that because there is no warping, transposing is like re-pitching — the elapsing gets shorter when transposing up, and longer when transposing down.

When selecting all slices, try transposing up an octave or so: standard drums end upward sounding more than similar an analogue beat box. It's a absurd effect.

Slowing down the tempo causes each slice to be triggered farther apart. Each slice is still the same duration as it was at the higher tempo, only because the tempo has been slowed downwards and each beat lasts longer, the Clip appears shorter.

Annotation that y'all can too arrange panning or volume using standard mixer rails envelopes.

Slice Shuffling

Because each slice is now its own Clip, there are tons of things y'all tin practise that are just not possible with a conventional loop. Hither are just a few:

• Turn off the grid, and shift Clips slightly ahead or behind the shell for dissimilar 'feels'.
• Rearrange the order of the slices to create an entirely different loop. This is particularly helpful because y'all can copy all the slices in a loop and paste them multiple times. Each iteration of the loop can take slight differences to add involvement.
• Copy and paste slices to create flams, additional hits, then on.
• Create a 2nd track, and drag some slices to this track. Then add envelopes, effects, or whatever to this 2nd track; only the slices you drag to this track will exist affected.

Live News

Ableton appear the imminent arrival of Live v.2 at the Winter NAMM show in January 2006. In improver to a number of small bug fixes, version v.two also introduces support for the new Intel-based Macs for the first time. The upgrade will price 39 Euros or $49 for Intel Mac users (due to associated evolution costs) but will be gratis to all other users. Ableton have promised to refund this charge to anyone purchasing Alive 6, which is expected to be released in the Autumn.

At the time of writing Live 5.2 has simply gone to public beta testing and a total release version should be available by the time y'all read this.

Slicing Limitations

OK, we've covered all the good stuff. Just in the spirit of equal time, note that while slicing can produce splendid results in Live, at that place are also some definite limitations. Here are the master ones.

• Slices have a finite, unchangeable length. Therefore, slowing downwardly the tempo creates a gap between slices. If the sound decays earlier the slice ends, there's no problem. But if in the original file the stop of ane slice 'bleeds' into the next slice, the gap can exist disconcerting.
• Speeding up the tempo causes the decay of one slice to 'butt splice' up against the outset of the next slice. Similarly, speeding up cuts off the end of segments. Fortunately, this isn't much of a problem because psychoacoustically, yous're more interested in hearing the new sound that'south cutting off the sometime sound rather than the old sound itself.
• Slicing files doesn't piece of work well with sustained sounds, or very circuitous sounds such as a role with lots of repeating delays. Ideally, slices should have a quick assault fourth dimension, and consist of a single 'block' of sound (similar a guitar chord, synth bass note or drum hit). This makes for an unambiguous slice — you lot know where it starts, and where it ends. It's much harder, and often impossible, to observe good slices with a sustained sound.
• Creating a really good sliced file tin exist tedious. Something similar a drum loop or synth bass part is easy to slice, but increasingly circuitous sounds become increasingly difficult to piece.

So far, the assumption is that the file y'all want to use already exists. Just if you're recording a file specifically for slicing within Alive, note that speeding up a file generally works better than slowing downward equally you don't accept any gaps with which you must contend. Therefore, information technology'south a good idea to record at the slowest tempo yous think you'll need. For case, to embrace a range of 120-145 bpm, I usually record the file at 120-125 bpm.

Slice Is Prissy!

We've pretty much covered everything y'all need to know near slicing in Alive. Although it's already a supremely flexible plan, this technique illustrates i more way to use information technology to create novel effects. Slicing simple percussive files is non hard at all, and non even very time-consuming — only the results can be very interesting.

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Source: https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/using-rex-files-ableton-live

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