Feeling the need to make music making a little less solitary? In this multi-part series, we’ll be exploring some resources for adapting Ableton Live to playing with others — playing in tune, in sync, sharing ideas, and producing together. So let’s start as instrumental ensembles do: by tuning up.
Thanks to Ableton for helping support this series. This article contains some affiliate links; if you buy something from a CDM link, we may earn a commission.
I don’t know about you, but I love working alone — it’s just I also love playing with others. Sometimes shifting modes, especially with technology, can just require some additional prep. So what I’ll compile in this series is approaches to doing just that. I hope that’ll trigger some conversation and we can expand more.
And let’s start with how you play in tune — in various environments, including mixing with other instruments.
Tuners
Live doesn’t have a single pitch reference by default — see Tuning Systems, below. But you can always use Ableton’s Tuner, introduced with Ableton Live 9.2, to check incoming pitch. That can act as a tuner for instruments, or in the other direction, gives you a reference for tuning your Live session or individual synths. Just insert it on a track with an audio input, or after a software synth you want to measure or tune.
Even better, try Iftah’s Pitch Pipe, a more advanced tuner built in Max for Live. That has accessibility features for blind, visually impaired, and sighted users. There are also extra modes for string and percussion instruments. Like Iftah’s other software, it’s pay-what-you-choose, so cost doesn’t have to be a barrier but you can also choose to spend to support development.
Tuning and interfacing with modular gear
Calibrating and tuning analog oscillators is a lot like tuning instruments — and you may even make use of those same tuners! CV Tools works with Live 10.1 and later. (If you have Push 3, you can use that hardware interface, as well, including the standalone version.)
CV Instrument from Ableton’s CV Tools can assist in tuning modular equipment. Kirk Degiorgio has done a great guide:
DC Coupling: CV Instrument uses the audio output, so you’ll want a DC-coupled (not AC-coupled) interface; see Ableton’s FAQ or Sweetwater’s guide to DC-coupled audio interfaces.
CV Tools: Overview & Technical FAQ
But even without the interface, you can make use of CV Clock, CV Clock Out, CV Triggers, and the “Pitch” mode of CV In (converts pitch to CV). You can also use any MIDI/CV interface and calibrate pitch that way; some even have their own calibration routines.
For more, see my previous tutorial:
The best way to integrate Ableton Live and Eurorack modular – for any rig
Tracking pitch in software modular, Devices
There’s no need for external gear, though! You can also add a software modular to Ableton Live — some even for free. With these, you can detect pitch and convert it to control signal. And you can also do that from Max for Live.
Ableton has its own built-in Envelope Follower, but no Pitch Follower — not yet, anyway! A great third-party option is the free Helmholtz Pitch Follower by Delta Sound Labs:
Helmholtz – Pitch Follower 1.0
In the software modular world, Entrian Follower from the VCV Rack Library is a free, powerful pitch detection and envelope follower that outputs CV, so you can patch an instrument as a controller. It runs in VCV Rack, which is free (though you need the paid Pro version to run it as a plug-in).
Cardinal, a fork of VCV Rack that has a free plug-in version, also has an internl pitch detector. It’s called ToCV Pitch.
And AAS Multiphonics CV-3 also has its own built-in pitch and envelope following:
Keys and scales
If you’re using 12-Tone Equal Temperament (or closely adjacent tunings), Ableton’s Scales and Scale Root (key signatures) can assist you live. You may already be aware that these can work with Clip editing, but they’re useful for playing live, too.
As with Clip Launch Quantization, you set the Scale Root and Scale Name in the toolbar. You also toggle Scale mode here. Note that this does not change tuning, which means some of the non-Western Scale names can be a little misleading (like Pelog), while others are frequently tuned to 12-TET in modern practice on western instruments and in popular music (like Hirajoshi and Iwata from Japan), but see Tuning Systems, below.
Various Ableton devices support Scale awareness — they’ll modify their behavior based on the selected Scale and Scale Root. Add these to a MIDI track you’re playing (or on Push standalone) and you’ll constrain your playing to the scale for more of that “no wrong notes” feeling.
- Arpeggiator
- Chord
- Pitch
- Random
- Scale
You can also use the Quantizer on Auto Shift (with audio input) to auto-tune, and tune the oscillators and filters in Meld. Look for the Scale icon on the Device toolbar:
You can also automate these changes. Enter desired root and scale/mode in a Clip, and then trigger different Clips to change:
So here’s the strategy: automate those Scale changes, and magically all your arps and jams can be not just in tune, but “in mode” / in the scale.
And, of course, you can use onboard Scale settings on Push and Move, directly on the hardware.
For more on this topic, Ned Rush has a deep-dive tutorial
If you want to get really fancy, you can automate these changes from Arrangement view, since some people prefer to play from there — via another Max for Live device:
Advanced Scale Awareness Control for Ableton Live 12
Tools to keep you in tune
If you want to jam in real-time, there are some add-ons to consider from the Max for Live community that go beyond what Ableton’s own Scale-awareness features can accomplish.
Tritonet v3 by Tolga Zafer Özdemir is a wild, recent device that lets you fly through the circle of fifths with live visualizations, hundreds of scales, chord generation, and MIDI (plus MPE) and audio (Resonator) integrations. It’s a nice fit with Push (or Move), but will also work with other MIDI controllers.
Chord Change by XY Studio Tools works with real-time chord progressions and instantly syncs across eight tracks at once — allowing you to “conduct” harmonic changes.
Tuning Systems
Not all instruments are tuned to 12-Tone Equal Temperament even in “common practice” Western or pop music, and certainly not across other practices. So Tuning Systems, introduced with Live 12, are another way to tune your Live session to what other players are doing. This could easily be a separate article, but let’s review quickly.
To try a Tuning System quickly, you can select a built-in preset from Live’s included settings, or import any Scala file. Double-click it to load the Tuning System and impact all tuning-aware Devices across Live. This will disable Scale mode, because that mode presumes equal-tempered intervals and degrees. (You can switch it back on by disabling the Tuning System again.)
Once selected, you’ll see ranges and new reference pitches.
Ableton’s internal instruments (and some audio effects) all work well with Tuning Systems. For third-party support, you’ll want to choose an MPE-compatible plug-in, and then enable MPE pitch. Right-click the Device to check that both Enable MPE Mode and Apply Tuning to Per-Note Pitch Bend are toggled on:
You may need to verify settings inside the plug-in. Arturia’s Pigments, for instance, does have its own internal MPE pitch settings:
Because of these layers of potential failure, I always test a new Tuning System with something like Drift first, then move on to the third-party plug-in. But hey, if this sounds too technical, sometimes this leads to happy accidents, too!
The good news is, you’ll find a lot of plug-ins now provide MPE pitch support, plus software modular environments like VCV Rack and Multiphonics CV-3, too. You don’t even necessarily need to be using the MPE features for expression — you might just use it for per-note pitch control.
All of this said, if you’re using Tuning Systems to play with another musician, there’s a very high chance you’ll want to make your own tuning. Ableton’s free tuning site includes detailed tools for learning tunings and creating your own, complete with MIDI and pitch input support. You can then export your finished Tuning System, and using it with Live is as simple as dragging and dropping it into the active Tuning System.
Make your own tuning – Ableton
The basic idea would be to sit with the editor and either adapt an existing tuning, or build one from scratch, while singing/playing.
For designing new tunings from scratch, I really like Leimma by Counterpoint and Khyam Allami. It has additional tools for creating ratios and fine-tuning measurements that you don’t get from Ableton’s browser tool (though the best is to use the two side by side). You can export via Scala file and drag it into Live just as with Ableton’s Tuning Systems:
Alternative tuning tools
There are some additional ways to using tuning/microtuning.
MTS-ESP has the advantage of automating across devices, outside of the Ableton and MPE ecosystem here. You also get more advanced tools for editing tunings inside the software, whereas the approach above requires switching tools a bit.
There’s also this advanced tool which I’ve barely gotten to try, but it has some unique microtuning features (morphing and adaptive just intonation) and works back to Live 10. (
Scale Breaker by Chaos Culture
Get Live 12
If some of the Live 12-i-ness above made you long for an upgrade and you’re on an older version, remember that Ableton has both tailored upgrade pricing and now a rent-to-own option:
Live Shop and Upgrades
What’s next
There’s plenty more to explore. Coming up, we’ll look at playing in time — everything you want to know about clock, sync, Ableton Link, and latency. Plus we’ll cover the new Ableton Link Audio, ways of exchanging projects, and a ton of fun ways to collaborate and jam live. If you have questions, ideas, or tips — or any feedback at all — comment or contact me. (Yes, the contact form works again!)
And hopefully this will be one to bookmark and return to when you need help getting ready for your next jam. Enjoy.