Ableton/Live/UG/05 Managing Files and Sets/01 Sample Files
- A sample is an audio file. Live reads mono and stereo WAV, AIFF, AIFF-C, FLAC and OGG Vorbis, and imports MP3, plus M4A on Mac.
- Uncompressed files of any length, sample rate or bit depth load without conversion; compressed files are decoded on import.
- Samples play from disk, so large files don't fill RAM, though many at once can overload the disk (see Ableton/Live/UG/38 Computer Audio Resources).
- The first time a sample is added to a Set, Live writes an analysis file for it.
- Live decodes a compressed file such as an MP3 into a temporary WAV, usually fast enough to play right away, and keeps it in the Decoding subfolder of the Cache folder. Old files are cleared automatically.
- Settings → File & Folder → Decoding Cache: Minimum Free Space to leave on disk, an optional Maximum Cache Size, a Cleanup button that deletes files the open Set doesn't use, and the cache folder location.
- An analysis file (Ableton/File/.asd) sits next to its sample with the same name. It improves warping quality, detects the tempo of long samples, and speeds up waveform drawing. Long samples stay grayed out and unplayable until analysis finishes.
.asd files don't show in the browser; a checkmark on a sample's icon means one exists.- The Save Default Clip button in a clip's title bar stores the clip's settings, such as Warp Markers, in the
.asd, so the sample loads that way in future Sets. It doesn't change clips already in other Sets, and unlike a Live Clip it stores no devices. - A sample with an
.asd isn't analyzed again. Long samples aren't analyzed when Auto-Warp Long Samples is off. - Create Analysis Files = Off in File & Folder Settings stops writing
.asd files, so samples are analyzed on every load. Existing files stay, and Save Default Clip still writes one.
- File → Export Audio/Video, or
Cmd+Shift+R (Mac) / Ctrl+Shift+R (Win), renders the Set's audio, and video too when the Set has video clips. 5.1.3.1 Selection Options
- Rendered Track chooses what to render, always post-fader:
- Main: the Main output, the same signal you hear.
- All Individual Tracks: one file per track, including groups, returns and Main, all the same length for easy alignment. MIDI tracks with no instrument or audio effects are skipped; a MIDI track with audio effects but no instrument exports silence.
- Selected Tracks Only: the same, for tracks selected before opening the dialog.
- A single named track.
- Render Start and Render Length default to the whole Set. An Arrangement time selection made beforehand sets them.
- The render captures what was playing: if Session clips are playing over the Arrangement, only each track's active clip is rendered.
5.1.3.2 Rendering Options
- Include Return and Main Effects: adds the returns a track uses and the Main track's effects when rendering individual tracks, for stems.
- Render as Loop: renders in two passes so an effect tail that runs past the end wraps into the start, making a seamless loop of the same length.
- Convert to Mono, and Normalize, which raises the gain so the highest peak reaches full scale.
- Create Analysis File: writes an
.asd alongside the render. - Sample Rate: rates at or above the Set's rate render directly; lower rates render at the Set's rate and are then downsampled with the SoX Resampler library.
5.1.3.3 Encoding Options
- Encode PCM (on by default) writes a lossless WAV, AIFF or FLAC file at 16, 24 or 32 bits.
- Below 32 bits, choose dithering: No Dither, Rectangular, Triangular (the default), or POW-r 1, 2 or 3. Dither only once. Render at 32 bits if the file will be processed further, and use POW-r only on the final render, never for files headed to mastering.
- Encode MP3 writes a 320 kbps CBR MP3, alone or with the PCM file. MP3 export adds a little silence at the start, which can throw off alignment in another DAW.
- With both encoders off, Export is grayed out.
5.1.3.4 Video Rendering Options
- Create Video writes a video file next to the audio. It needs video clips in the Arrangement and a PCM audio file.
- Video Encoder lists the encoders installed on the computer; Edit opens the encoder's settings when it has any.
- Audio renders first, then video, possibly in several passes. Resolution matches the source unless the encoder settings change it. See Ableton/Live/UG/28 Video.
5.1.3.5 Real-Time Rendering
- Rendering is offline unless the signal passes through an External Audio Effect or External Instrument routed to hardware; then the Main output and the tracks using it render in real time.
- A 10-second countdown lets external gear fall silent first. Change the seconds, Restart, or Skip.
- Auto-Restart on drop-outs re-renders automatically if Live detects glitches. Restart starts over; Cancel stops and deletes the partial file. The dialog counts attempts; closing other CPU-heavy programs helps.