As music producers, we all strive to be as efficient as possible when working on our projects. One way to achieve this is by mastering keyboard shortcuts in our digital audio workstations (DAWs). If you’re an Ableton Live user, you’ll find that keyboard shortcuts can save you a lot of time and make your workflow more streamlined. In this article, we’ll go through the top 10 Ableton Live keyboard shortcuts for faster production.
- Tab Key – Switch Between Session and Arrangement View
The Tab key is one of the most useful keyboard shortcuts in Ableton Live. It allows you to quickly switch between Session View and Arrangement View, which is handy when you’re toggling between creating and arranging your music.
- Space Bar – Start and Stop Playback
The Space Bar is another crucial keyboard shortcut in Ableton Live. It starts and stops playback, allowing you to quickly audition your music without having to reach for the mouse.
- Command + Shift + T (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + T (Windows) – Create New Audio Track
When you’re in the middle of a creative flow, creating new audio tracks can be a bit of a hassle. The Command + Shift + T (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + T (Windows) keyboard shortcut allows you to quickly create new audio tracks without interrupting your workflow.
- Command + T (Mac) or Ctrl + T (Windows) – Create New MIDI Track
Similar to the previous shortcut, the Command + T (Mac) or Ctrl + T (Windows) keyboard shortcut creates a new MIDI track with ease.
- Command + D (Mac) or Ctrl + D (Windows) – Duplicate Selected Clip or Track
The Command + D (Mac) or Ctrl + D (Windows) shortcut duplicates your selected clip or track, making it easier to create variations of your musical ideas.
- Command + Shift + M (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + M (Windows) – Insert New MIDI Clip
If you’re a MIDI enthusiast, you’ll love this keyboard shortcut. The Command + Shift + M (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + M (Windows) shortcut inserts a new MIDI clip into your session view, allowing you to quickly start creating melodies, chords, and more.
- Command + Shift + L (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + L (Windows) – Quantize
Quantizing is an essential part of music production, and the Command + Shift + L (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + L (Windows) shortcut allows you to quickly apply a quantization setting to your selected MIDI notes.
- Command + E (Mac) or Ctrl + E (Windows) – Consolidate
Consolidating is the process of merging two or more clips or MIDI notes into one. The Command + E (Mac) or Ctrl + E (Windows) shortcut is an easy way to consolidate your ideas and make them more manageable.
- Command + Shift + M (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + M (Windows) – Insert New MIDI Track
If you need to quickly add a new MIDI track to your project, the Command + Shift + M (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + M (Windows) shortcut has you covered.
- Command + Shift + A (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + A (Windows) – Select All Clips
Finally, the Command + Shift + A (Mac) or Ctrl + Shift + A (Windows) shortcut is perfect for selecting all clips in your session view quickly.
In conclusion, mastering keyboard shortcuts is a great way to speed up your workflow in Ableton Live. The above shortcuts are just a few of the many available, but by using them, you’ll be able to produce your music faster and more efficiently.
