Ableton Q&A Videos related to DJ'ing

Here's a collection of some additional Ableton Live tutorial videos that I've put together for people doing DJ'ing and studio work, based on YouTube viewer questions and feedback.  You can find a complete collection of my Ableton tutorials here:

djbolivia.ca/ableton

Intermediate Warping Techniques in Ableton Live

Most of the tracks that I warped in my initial "Warping Tracks in Ableton Live" video were pretty simple to warp. In this video, I picked five EDM tracks of intermediate difficulty to warp, and gave some extra tips and tricks.





Using the Loop, Start, and End Indicators

Looping sections of existing tracks during a real-time DJ performance can add a lot of strength to your performance, and gives you the ability to be more versatile than simply playing other peoples' tracks back from start to finish. This video covers the Loop Indicators and when they can be useful, and also touches on the Start and End Indicators. The practice of looping through the use of the loop indicators should not be confused with a separate but similar-sounding practice in Ableton, namely that of importing and using "looped" audio clips.





DJ'ing with Songs in Non-Electronic Genres

I've had lots of questions about how to include tracks of significantly diverse tempos in your sets, such as hip hop, indie pop, and classic rock. This video explains my own approach to tracks in these genres.





Inserting a New Track in the Middle of Arrangement View

This one is pretty simple, to be honest. How do you insert a new track into the middle of an already-complete production in the arrangement view? This video is pretty short.





Automating Global Tempo in a Studio Production

Here's another short one, based on numerous viewer questions. Once you have a studio-produced DJ Mix set up in the arrangement view, you may want to vary the tempo as the mix plays back. This video shows you how.





Cutting Breakdowns out of Dance Music Tracks

Another very short video. If you've got a track with a quiet breakdown and you don't want your dance floor to lose energy and interest, it might be smart to use Ableton to just remove that breakdown from the song. It's very easy. However, having said that, you should also watch the next video in this post which shows you an alternative to cutting out a breakdown, namely, to keep it and enhance it.





Enhancing EDM Breakdowns with Simple Editing Techniques

As you probably expect, this video teaches you how to spice up an existing track by adding things like extra drums, extra bass notes, etc. This is a medium-length video, but I hope it opens your eyes to all sorts of production capabilities that you might want to start digging into.





Clarifying Warping and Global Tempo:

Many people didn't entirely understand how warped tracks would synchronize together, so this is a short video that aims simply to clarify how warped tracks are treated by Ableton, and how they are tied to the global tempo.

I'm Jonathan Clark, known online as DJ Bolivia.  Do you want to learn more about DJ'ing and music production?  If so, visit:

djbolivia.ca/training

If you happen to enjoy techno tracks, most of my tracks are available as free downloads from this link:

djbolivia.ca/tracks

Thanks so much for visit, and for your support!  I really appreciate the fan base that I've been able to build up over the years.

Also, if you want to visit any of my other sites, here are a few links:

    YouTube:  youtube.com/djbolivia

    SoundCloud:  soundcloud.com/djbolivia

    Blogger:  djbolivia.blogspot.com

    Main Site:  www.djbolivia.ca

Learn to DJ with Ableton Live (live real-time performances)

About a year ago, I made three videos to teach people how to produce DJ mixes using Ableton. About 250,000 views later between the three videos (and many more since then), I decided it was time to make more. After all, the original intent was that these were going to be part of a bigger series about how DJ's can use Ableton. You can see those first three videos (and many more related videos) here:  djbolivia.ca/ableton

Although those first three videos focused on studio-based aspects of DJ'ing and Ableton, I just finished up a second series which focuses specifically on live performance aspects of using Ableton. I hope that these are just as popular. Here are the links to those new videos. I



Live DJ'ing with Ableton, Part 1 of 4:

I start off with an overview of what you need to know about DJ'ing and what Ableton has to offer. We cover a review of beat-mixing and the need to understand "warping" in Ableton, a background on what you need to know/learn about audio mixers before you can go any further, and finally, a quick discussion of optional equipment and peripherals that can make your setup more powerful and flexible (ie. headphones, MIDI controllers, an audio mixer, and external soundcard).





Live DJ'ing with Ableton, Part 2 of 4:

This video covers basic navigation of the Ableton software, creating a project, importing tracks, adding effects, and doing simple DJ'ing without cue capabilities. If you know that your tracks are warped properly, and know your music well, the need to cue incoming tracks is minimized.





Live DJ'ing with Ableton, Part 3 of 4:

In this part of the series, we start getting into a proper setup. I cover external sound cards, audio mixers, and external MIDI controllers. I also start to talk about signal routing. Understanding proper signal routing is critical for using Ableton in a professional capacity.





Live DJ'ing with Ableton, Part 4 of 4:

This video covers advanced routing and signal flow ideas and examples, and also covers integrating Ableton with a professional piece of equipment, the Allen & Heath Xone 4D. I use the Xone 4D as an integrated component that contains an external sound card, an audio mixer, and a full-fledged MIDI controller all in one standalone unit.





Live DJ'ing with Ableton, Unofficial Part 5:

I really should have made the series a five-part series. Although technically speaking, I covered everything in the first four parts, this video definitely complements the rest of the series, especially the fourth part. In this video, I walk you through the steps of setting up a project with a slightly different approach than in part four, and then use that project to perform an hour-long set, which then became episode 155 of my weekly radio show, Subterranean Homesick Grooves. This video is produced completely from the DJ's perspective, ie. you'll hear the booth monitor output in your right channel, and the DJ's cue audio in your left channel, so you'll be able to understand exactly what I'm doing.





The Final Result, a Live Performance:

This is the companion video to the previous unofficial "part five" of the series. This shows the same view as the previous video, but this one only has audio for what the dance floor hears. So this is completely just an extra video that you can watch or listen to for fun. No learning here, this is just for relaxing after you've finished studying the other videos!





I have a lot more videos that help teach you about using Ableton Live for DJ'ing.  Find them at this link:

djbolivia.ca/ableton

If you happen to enjoy techno tracks, most of my tracks are available as free downloads from this link:

djbolivia.ca/tracks

Thanks so much for visit, and for your support!  I really appreciate the fan base that I've been able to build up over the years.

Also, if you want to visit any of my other sites, here are a few links:

    YouTube:  youtube.com/djbolivia

    SoundCloud:  soundcloud.com/djbolivia

    Blogger:  djbolivia.blogspot.com

    Main Site:  www.djbolivia.ca

Warping Tracks in Ableton Live, for DJ'ing

I just put together an hour-long tutorial video to teach people how to warp tracks in Ableton Live, for the purpose of either performing live, or for putting together DJ mixes. Here's the video:




Essentially, this is a very basic video, so as long as you have a bit of familiarity with any type of audio editing software out there, and a basic knowledge of dance music and DJ'ing, you should be able to understand exactly what I'm teaching. After that, a bit of practice with a few dozen songs, and you should know exactly how to set your tracks up in Ableton.

Once you have tracks that are warped, you'll probably want to either perform live, or use the technology to put together DJ mixes. For my weekly radio show, Subterranean Homesick Grooves, I usually take one of three approaches to putting together a show:

1. Perform live and record the mix, while playing on either pitch-controlled CD players (I have CDJ-2000's) or on vinyl with turntables (I have Technics SL-1200 M3D's). Of the three ways to put together a show, this approach is the most fun and takes the most skill, although sometimes I won't be happy with a mix the first time, and I'll re-record the entire thing.

2. Set up the tracks in Ableton, and then perform live using Ableton and a Xone 4D mixer, with effects set up in Ableton and the MIDI controls on the mixer tied in to the Ableton effects devices. This approach is also pretty fun, and good because it's impossible to screw up your beat-mixing.

3. Set up the track in Ableton, and then lay them out in the Arrangement view instead of performing live, and use automation to control all the effects and volumes and EQ'ing. This does not enhance your skills as a DJ, and it doesn't let you show off your live mixing abilities. However, I have to use this approach to put together a fair number of my radio shows, because when I'm on the road without equipment, I can use this approach to put together a show in a hotel room.

This warping video ONLY focuses on how to warp your tracks, because it's such as important part of using Ableton for DJ'ing. It needed to be a video of its own. However, this is just one step in learning to use Ableton effectively for DJ'ing.  I have about a dozen more videos on this topic, and you can find them all at this link:

djbolivia.ca/ableton

If you happen to enjoy techno tracks, most of my tracks are available as free downloads from this link:

djbolivia.ca/tracks

Thanks so much for visit, and for your support!  I really appreciate the fan base that I've been able to build up over the years.

Also, if you want to visit any of my other sites, here are a few links:

    YouTube:  youtube.com/djbolivia

    SoundCloud:  soundcloud.com/djbolivia

    Blogger:  djbolivia.blogspot.com

    Main Site:  www.djbolivia.ca