There are four types of rack in Ableton Live: Audio and MIDI Effect Racks, Instrument Racks and Drum Racks. Racks allow you to combine multiple devices – also in parallel processing – while keeping the most important parameters easily accessible via mouse or MIDI controllers.
In the following video, we will look at 15 tips and tricks to help you build racks faster, resulting in leaner, more streamlined racks suitable for the studio or stage. As the Drum Rack works differently, with the chains essentially hardwired to the drum pads and their corresponding MIDI notes, we will focus mostly on the other types of rack in this video. However, most of the tips still apply to Drum Racks.
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Before you start building a rack, there are a few things you need to consider if you already know what you want to create. Firstly, since macros cannot be reordered via drag and drop like most things in Live, we need to decide which parameters we want to keep accessible. I find it much easier to make a quick note of all the parameters that I want to map to a macro, so that I can work out the right order beforehand and avoid having to remap them.
It’s also useful to think about what you want to create beforehand, as this determines the best and quickest workflow. Also, avoid overcomplicating things, as this will make the rack harder to understand or modify in the future. If you don’t need a rack inside a rack, keep it simple.
Now, on to the actual tips…
1. Single Chain Workflow
This is the best workflow if you intend to create a rack with a single chain by combining devices serially. Add and adjust all the devices on the track, then Shift-select and group them all together using Ctrl + G (Windows) or Cmd + G (Mac). To ungroup, i.e. to dissolve a rack, press Ctrl + Shift + G (Win) or Cmd + Shift + G (Mac).
2. Workflow for Multiple Similar Chains
If your rack is intended to have multiple chains that share some of the same devices, follow these steps. Add the devices for the first chain and adjust the parameters to your liking for the default settings. Then, group and duplicate the chain using Ctrl + D (Windows) or Cmd + D (Mac). You can also map the first chain’s devices before duplicating them if you know you want to map the same parameters from the extra chain(s).
3. “… All Siblings” Context Menu Entries
If you haven’t mapped the controls before duplicating the chain but want the same parameters mapped in both chains, don’t worry. You can right-click on a mapped parameter in the first chain and select ‘Map to All Siblings’. You can also use the command “Copy Value to All Siblings”. These commands can be particularly useful when mapping macros in Drum Racks or any other complex racks.
4. Workflow for Complex Racks
If you have a more complex rack in mind but are finding it difficult to keep track of all the devices in chains, try the following. You can use multiple tracks, each representing a chain, and even group the tracks so that the group track stands in for the rack. Once you are happy with the results, Shift-select all the devices in a track and group them into a rack. Create the number of additional chains you need, then Shift-select the devices in the next track and drag and drop them into the next chain, and so on.
5. Multimapping
Remember that macros can be mapped to multiple parameters, not just the same ones from the device on different chains. Experiment with different combinations of parameters and adjust the Min and Max as needed.
If you have a complex rack with lots of mappings, it can be easy to lose track of them all. To highlight a parameter in the Mapping Browser, simply select it in the device itself.
6. Invert Mapping Range
There is a hidden context menu entry in the Mapping Browser that allows you to invert the minimum and maximum values. Right-click anywhere on a mapped parameter’s row except the Min or Max, then select ‘Invert Range’.
7. Undo
There will be undos. To remove mappings, right-click the macro or mapped parameter and select ‘Remove Mapping to…’ or ‘Unmap from…’ respectively. I often find that right-clicking the macro is the fastest option. To reset parameters to their defaults, simply double-click them.
8. CPU Saving Mappings
While this is often unnecessary in the studio nowadays because computers are much more powerful than they were in the early days of Live, it can still be vital for a live performance setup to run smoothly. Map the Device Activator (also known as the on/off button) to the Dry/Wet mapped macros or similar parameters of devices, and set Min to 1 to turn them off completely when not in use.
9. Chains Workflow
If you want to mix or reorder, that’s easiest done in the Session View, but it only works for Instrument or Drum Racks. In MIDI or Audio Effect Racks, you can drag and drop the chains in the Chain List itself, as well as adjust the volume and panning there. A little arrow in a circle appears in the respective tracks with Instrument or Drum Racks that you can click to unfold all the chains. Alternatively, you can also use the + and – keys to unfold or fold the chains. You can use the mixer section of each chain to dial in the perfect volume and panning. To extract a chain from a Drum Rack, right-click on a chain’s track header and choose “Extract Chain”. If you select more than one chain, those will be extracted together into a new track.
10. Solo Chains
Since Live 12.4 we can finally also use S on selected chains to solo or unsolo them. If the Computer MIDI Keyboard is enabled, you need use Shift + S.
11. Morph between Instruments and Effects
Remember that you can morph between device chains in racks. This can produce some fascinating sound design results. Click on Chain in the Chain List area to open the Chain Select Editor. There, you can extend and spread out the zones and create fades between the chains.
12. Exclude Parameter Ranges (Macro Curves Trick)
To achieve non-linear behaviour with macros, we can use Shaper in Instrument and Audio Effect Racks. Shaper MIDI lacks the crucial function, so there’s no native workaround for MIDI Effect Racks.
Add Shaper to your rack, set it to Manual, map it to the desired parameter and then map Manual in Shaper to a macro in the rack. You then need to figure out the required shape to exclude the desired range. The parameters are essentially on the Y-axis, so you need a vertical section in your curve to bypass certain values.
13. Rename & Colour
The fastest way to rename macros is to do them all at once. Press Ctrl + R (Windows) or Cmd + R (Mac) on the first macro’s name, enter the new name and then press Tab to move to the next macro.
Using colours for the macros is a great way to differentiate between them quickly. This is especially useful during live performances. Right-click the macro to choose a colour.
14. Variations as Presets
When you need different preset of one effect or instrument, it can be useful to map the parameters that are changing to macros. 16 are usually enough. You can then recreate the various presets and save them as Variations. If there are one ore more parameters you want to be able to fully adjust manually, e.g. Volume, you can right-click on the respective macro and select “Exclude Macro from Variation”.
15. Randomise
Creating racks from single instruments and effects can also be amazing for sound design explorations. In Live 11, we got a Rand button that randomises the macro settings. Clicking it and checking the outcome repeatedly can yield a lot of new possibilities for unique and inspiring presets you can store as Variations. Right-click and choose “Exclude Macro from Randomisation” if there are parameters you’d want to stay at their current settings.
Let me know in the comments if you have any questions. Or maybe I forgot to mention something?
