can, in some cases, take up to as much as ten times more CPU power to process than the other modes. It’s advisable, therefore, to freeze or re-record tracks that are using this mode to avoid CPU spikes and overloads.

Rex mode is not a mode that can be selected in the Clip Properties area, but one that is automatically engaged when a REX-format sound fi le is loaded into Live. All of the tempo and slice data embedded within the REX fi le will be visible in the Clip Properties, but options associated with other modes will be unavailable.

To keep things simple, the Beats mode has been used throughout the featured examples. If you feel that the material you are using for your sets requires another mode, try experimenting with different settings.

The warping process is performed in real time and is completely non-destructive – any edits you make to your audio can be changed on-the-fl y and saved for referring back to later. As with any other clip-based editing, edits will be saved within your Live sets, but if you want your changes to be associated with the fi le itself, ensure that you save it in the Sample View area.

Power Tip

Power Tip

When warping complex or challenging pieces, it is

When warping complex or challenging pieces, it is useful to have a reference to guide you. Instead of using a drum loop or kick drum, try using Live’s built-in metronome. You will find that this interferes much less with the program material and can be clearly heard in most situations. To achieve exactly the tempo you want, try using the tap tempo facility, which is located in the same area of the Live 7 environment.

live 7 makes in-depth editing of the warp markers a pretty straightforward affair .

Point to point Warp markers are at the heart of warping in Ableton Live. Once you have mastered editing them, you will fi nd it far easier to process your fi les. If you are lucky, the fi le you have chosen to warp will need only a little work – the warp markers may even fall into place immediately. Sometimes, however, a little more work is required. Luckily, though, when you do encounter a challenging track, Live 7 makes in-depth editing of the warp markers a fairly straightforward affair.

You’ll notice that any markers initially created by Live are not accessible for editing. If you fi nd that you need to move a marker, simply double-click on one of the numbered grid markers and drag the marker to another location. To delete a marker you can simply double-click again or hit the Delete key on your keyboard.

It’s also easy to copy warp marker information in Live – perhaps you have two different versions of a song that share the same structure and timing, but you don’t have the desire or time to set them up from scratch. You can copy the warp information from one fi le to another to save you time. Grab the required warp markers by holding down [Shift] as you select them, then simply copy and paste them to another clip. MTF

STEP-BY-STEP importing and warping non-sequenced material

1

After importing some material with more of an uneven groove, Live has placed its initial marker in the same position. The same alterations that you made in the previous example will bring this first marker nicely into line.

2

Navigate to the end of the file and you will see that the markers are, once again, out-of-sync and need some minor correction. Again, as in the first example, this is all you need to do to make sure that the entire file is warped correctly.

3

Checking the grid earlier on in the file reveals that the previous adjustment did not fully correct things (as was previously achieved). This could be due to a shuffle or groove throughout the piece as well as inaccurate editing.

4

Double-clicking warp markers at key positions in the song (after breakdowns, for example) and correcting their position will start to remedy the problem. These markers will act as anchors and will not move when other points are edited.

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5

Going through the file placing these anchors at regular intervals will ensure that the markers are constantly corrected. The placement of these markers is not an exact science and their frequency will vary depending on the timing of the track.

6

Looking at the track as a whole, you can clearly identify how many markers it took to ensure that the track sync’ed correctly across its entire length. Some tracks will require a lot of markers, especially if they are played live.

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