MusicRadar

Live 8 is brimming with new features.

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The wait is over – Live 8 is available and being used in studios and on stages around the world.

If you haven't tried it yet, may we suggest you go and read the MusicRadar review to find out why you should, but if you're already in the thrall of Live 8, keep reading to find out how you can tap into more of its enormous potential.

Our 14 power tips come from an Ableton expert, and are designed to get you up to speed with the best of the new Live features as quickly as possible.

1. Raw loops

When you're browsing for and auditioning looped samples in the Browser window, Live will default to Re-Pitch warp mode and audition the sample at the current tempo. This will change the tuning of it, so if you want to double-check something at its original pitch, hit the Raw button to hear it unwarped.

2. Group channels

If you're performing a Live show with multiple channels used in each of your tracks, you no longer have to negotiate a vast Session view that requires scrolling through far more tracks than your screen can handle. Simply group all of the channels used in each song and minimise all but the currently required song into one group display channel – you can even trigger Scenes using this technique.

3. Sort out your zooming

Choose your interface zoom level wisely. When you're working in the studio, it's all very well opening up the Preferences and zooming in or out at your leisure, or leaning in and squinting myopically at the tiny typeface that results from having 30 simultaneously visible channels, but do you really want to do either of those things live on stage? (Clue: no, you don't.)

4. Use Looper with care

When using Looper, be careful not to fall into the trap of keeping your timing clinical or over-rigid. Like any instrument, it requires practice, but once you've used it for a while you'll strike the right balance between accurate timing and satisfying live feel.

5. Warp correctly

With so many warp modes now on offer, whenever you're importing a large collection of samples, be sure to go into the Preferences and alter the Default Warp Mode. If some of the samples are tonal and others are percussive, it's usually much quicker to import them in groups, altering the default for each group.

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