Skip to main content
Music Radar MusicRadar The No.1 website for musicians
Sign in
  • View Profile
  • Sign out
  • Guitar Amps
  • Plugin Week 25
  • Guitar Pedals
  • Synths
  • Guitars
  • Artist news
  • Keyboards & Pianos
  • Controllers
  • Software & Apps
  • Drums
  • More
    • Recording
    • DJ Gear
    • Acoustic Guitars
    • Bass Guitars
    • Tech
    • Tutorials
    • Reviews
    • Buying Guides
    • About Us
More
  • Plugin Week A-Z
  • You Oughta Know
  • Fake AI band
  • 95k+ free music samples
  • Wrecking Crew
Recommended reading
soundflow
Tech If you're an Ableton Live user, SoundFlow could save you hours of time by replacing complex workflows with the touch of a button
Best beginner DAWs: Cockos Reaper 6
Music Production Tutorials New to making tracks? Start here
ableton
Music Production Tutorials 8 things you can do with Ableton Live's updated Auto Filter device
Reference tracks
Tech Reference tracks can be your secret weapon when mixing - but be mindful of replicating other artists' choices too much
renoise
Tech I tried a music tracker and it rewired my brain (in a good way)
Woman playing on a digital piano with headphones on
Music Theory And Songwriting Technically capable, but struggle to make your tunes sound musical? 5 simple music theory hacks to make your tracks stand out
Plugins
Plugins How to get famous sounds and effects using only Logic’s stock plugins
  1. Tutorials
  2. Music Production Tutorials

How to warp a full track in Ableton Live 8

Tuition
By Computer Music Specials published 21 September 2009

When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. Here’s how it works.

Warp this way

Warp this way

Step 1: There are a number of warping techniques in Ableton Live 8, but the first, and the most different from previous versions, involves warping long material. So, start by creating a new Live project and adding the file Live 8 demo (right-click to download) Live automatically warps the file and adds numerous transient markers.

• For many more Ableton Live guides go to our massive learning hub: Learn Ableton Live and Ableton Push: music production tips and tutorials

Page 1 of 8
Page 1 of 8
Markers

Markers

Step 2: Zoom in on a marker and have a look at it. You can see that it’s been placed near a transient point in the audio material. A quick look at the timeline will also reveal a number of smaller, grey markers. Double-click one of these to create another warp marker.

Page 2 of 8
Page 2 of 8
Moving markers

Moving markers

Step 3: Sometimes you might want to manually adjust the location of a transient marker. Hold Shift, click on the marker and move the mouse from side to side. This will slide the audio along the marker. Now, release Shift, get hold of the marker and drag it along the timeline, pulling the audio.

Page 3 of 8
Page 3 of 8
Warping options

Warping options

Step 4: So far, all of this assumes that you have Auto-Warp Long Samples engaged, but depending on how you usually use Live, this might not be the best option for you. Open Preferences, go to the Warp section and switch this option off now, then delete the clip Live 8 demo and add it again. You’ll see that no warp markers are added.

Page 4 of 8
Page 4 of 8
No Auto-Warp

No Auto-Warp

Step 5: If you’re a DJ using electronic material, you’ll almost certainly want to leave Auto-Warp disengaged. This is because the type of material you frequently add will be at a consistent tempo, with no wavering at all, whereas the location of the transient markers Live adds will often vary from kick to kick, depending on other layered sounds.

Page 5 of 8
Page 5 of 8
Warp from here

Warp from here

Step 6: For the last time, delete the current clip, set the Preferences to Auto-Warp Long Samples again and re-import the Live 8 demo file. Create a transient marker on the first beat of the track, right-click and select Set 1.1.1 here, then select Warp from here (Straight) from the same menu.

Page 6 of 8
Page 6 of 8
Lining up

Lining up

Step 7: Live should have calculated the tempo accurately, so the beats should be very close to correctly placed. All you need to do now is line up a beat towards the end, just as you would have done in previous versions of Live. Go to a beat near the end of the track, create a marker on it and nudge it to the nearby beat.

Page 7 of 8
Page 7 of 8
Re-Pitch mode

Re-Pitch mode

Step 8: One thing to be careful of when warping tracks in Re-Pitch mode (arguably the best option for DJ mixing) is that setting warp markers less than eight bars apart can cause audible changes in pitch. Try this now by adding two warp markers about one bar apart, then moving one of them in closer to the other and having a listen.

Page 8 of 8
Page 8 of 8
Computer Music Specials
Read more
soundflow
If you're an Ableton Live user, SoundFlow could save you hours of time by replacing complex workflows with the touch of a button
Best beginner DAWs: Cockos Reaper 6
New to making tracks? Start here
ableton
8 things you can do with Ableton Live's updated Auto Filter device
Reference tracks
Reference tracks can be your secret weapon when mixing - but be mindful of replicating other artists' choices too much
renoise
I tried a music tracker and it rewired my brain (in a good way)
Woman playing on a digital piano with headphones on
Technically capable, but struggle to make your tunes sound musical? 5 simple music theory hacks to make your tracks stand out
Latest in Music Production Tutorials
ableton
8 things you can do with Ableton Live's updated Auto Filter device
API
Our pick of the very best VCA compressor software emulation plugins for any music project
Native Instruments Raum
How to use reverb to build impressive-sounding filters, reverses, risers and pads
Uvi Phasor
How modulation effects work and how to use them
bon iver
"It’s simple enough to create the perfect hard-tuned and harmonised effects within our DAW, providing you have the right software": How to harness hard-tuned vocals
Plugins Future owns
Our resident platinum award-winning mixer and producer shares 10 of his go-to plugins
Latest in Tuition
Plugins
How to get famous sounds and effects using only Logic’s stock plugins
Plugin Chains
How to emulate a classic analogue recording system entirely with plugins
Odin 2
Fantastic (free) plugins and how to use them: The Wave Warden Odin 2
ableton
8 things you can do with Ableton Live's updated Auto Filter device
Native Instruments Raum
How to use reverb to build impressive-sounding filters, reverses, risers and pads
mixing desk
“Learning how to mix is almost as important as hitting on your original musical idea”: New to the mixing process? Start here

MusicRadar is part of Future plc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Visit our corporate site.

  • About Us
  • Contact Future's experts
  • Terms and conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Cookies policy
  • Advertise with us
  • Accessibility Statement
  • Careers

© Future Publishing Limited Quay House, The Ambury, Bath BA1 1UA. All rights reserved. England and Wales company registration number 2008885.

Please login or signup to comment

Please wait...