Are you wondering how to restore clip slot focus in Ableton after making an adjustment in the effects rack or clip editor?

Sometimes finding a simple, badly needed solution in Ableton can take more than a decade. Here’s a post from the Ableton forum, 2007:

I’m using the curser keys to shift focus amoung multiple slots.
When I adjust an effect setting or something …I lose focus on the clips.
Whats the best way to return focus to the clip slots?….
should I just designate a dummy slot to a pedal on my FCB1010 to it?….seems like a waste of a pedal to use just for that!
Any advice?

If you’re using the clip slot looper, then you may have had this same issue: how do I restore clip focus in Ableton?… And I FINALLY FOUND THE SOLUTION! Sorry for the caps, but I’ve been needing this for at least five years now.

The trick is to tap the TAB key twice. This moves Ableton to the arrangement view and back to the session view. When it comes back to the session view, your clip is active again. If you’re using autohotkey for Windows or the Automator for Mac, you can program the double tab tap to a single key. In my case, I’ve set up a handy little control surface and mapped this solution to one of the keys on it.