Ableton/Live/UG/05 Managing Files and Sets/07 Collecting External Files
- Collecting copies external files into the Project folder so moved originals can't break the Set.
- File → Collect All and Save asks which locations to collect from. Packs and the User Library need collecting only if you plan to move or uninstall them; collecting multisampled instruments can make the Project much larger. Files go into the Project's Samples or Presets folders.
- In the File Manager (Manage Set), the External Files section groups files outside the Project by location with counts and sizes. Show displays them in the browser; toggle Collect Into Project per location, then press Collect and Save.
- Collect Files on Export, in Library Settings, decides whether dependent files are copied when you drag clips, presets or tracks from a Set to the browser:
- Always, the default: copied without asking.
- Ask: choose Copy, Don't Copy or Cancel, then name the item.
- Never: original references are kept.
- One clip or preset moves at a time; several tracks can move together. A clip becomes an
.alc, tracks an .als, and copying also creates a Project folder. - The setting also applies to the Save Preset button when a preset contains samples.
- The File Manager can locate and collect files for the User Library, the current Project, and other Projects, not just the open Set. Use Manage User Library or Manage Project, or right-click a Project folder in the browser and choose Manage Project. Finish with Collect and Save.