Do you want to loop audio clip slots in Ableton? Are you looking for an Ableton live looper?
I’ve seen forum posts from as far back as 2007 asking for this functionality in Ableton. And well, I got tired of waiting.
After using the Loopy iOS app for years, I got used to one touch looping that automatically punches out after a predefined number of bars. The problem with iOS apps though is that system isn’t really good enough for professional musicians. I tried to rely on looping with an iPad for years and was always frustrated with the limitations.
On the other side of the coin, I loved Ableton but couldn’t get that critical ability to easily loop in Ableton. I spoke to them and their answer is their stock Looper device that comes with Ableton. However, if you’ve ever used Loopy, you know that Abelton just doesn’t even touch what’s possible. And the strange part is, the potential in Ableton is HUGE. I created the clip slot looper to unlock that potential – and I use it all. the. time. I absolutely love it!
How It Works
What’s exciting about this device is that when you add it to a track (audio & MIDI versions available), every clip slot on that track is automatically turned into a looper (see video below). The main advantage here over Ableton’s stock Looper is that you can record multiple loops on a single track. And when the clip slot looper is added to multiple tracks, you have a huge grid of available loops – ready to go. To compare this to the Loopy iOS app, there you’re limited to 12 loops. Here, you basically have an unlimited number.
Where It Gets Powerful
Where this really takes off is when you combine the clip clot looper with a midi control surface like the Akai APC40 MKII:
That video also touch on using AutoHotKey with Abelton. Here’s the free AHK script mentioned in case you want to get into using a USB foot pedal as shown in that video. I’ve also pasted the script below in case you just want to copy and paste it.
Something not mentioned in the video above is the ability to “key map” the clip slot looper (or auto punch out device, I use these terms interchangeably). You can key map the various bar lengths to be able to quickly switch them on the fly.
In this image I have Ableton in key map mode and have assigned number keys to the most common loop lengths that I use. Very handy.
Here are the clip slot loopers:
Audio Clip Slot Looper for Ableton Live »
MIDI Clip Slot Looper for Ableton Live »
All of those are available in a package as well »
Here’s another video showing the clip slot looping in Abelton:
AutoHotKey Script
Here’s the AutoHotKey script if you want to play with it. Just download and install AutoHotKey (PC only), paste the code below into a text file and then save it with the file extension .ahk. Then, click on the file to run it.
#NoEnv ; Recommended for performance and compatibility with future AutoHotkey releases.
; #Warn ; Enable warnings to assist with detecting common errors.
SetWorkingDir %A_ScriptDir% ; Ensures a consistent starting directory.
#IfWinActive ahk_exe Ableton Live 10 Suite.exe
Insert:: ; this resets recording of an active clip in session view
Send, {Delete}
Send, {Enter}
return
#IfWinActive ahk_exe Ableton Live 10 Suite.exe
Home:: ; this resets recording of an active track in arrangement view
SetKeyDelay, 200
Send, {Space}
Send, ^z
Send, {f9}
return
