Great informative article from Ableton featuring Anna Disclaim (Anna Lakatos). She is such a talented young lady.
Ableton folder locations and file formats - quick info
I wasted a lot of time trying to find the locations of Ableton folders and files, and wondering what exactly is an Ableton .asd file or a .ask file. Where is the Ableton default Template stored? To save myself time I decided to create a reference list. I hope you will also find it useful.
Folder locations
These are the default locations
The Core Library - Windows: C:\ProgramData\Ableton\Live 10\Resources\Core Library
The User Library
Windows: \Users\[username]\Documents\Ableton\User Library
Mac: Macintosh HD/Users/[username]/Music/Ableton/User Library
Instead of the default location, you can set a custom path to your User Library. It can be stored in any local folder or on an external drive. In Live's Preferences' Library tab click the 'Browse' button and choose your preferred location
Mine is D:\Sound\User Library\
Max For Live
Mine is D:\Sound\User Library\Presets\
Audio Effects\Max Audio Effect\
Instruments\Max Instrument\
MIDI Effects\Max MIDI Effect\
Packs - Windows: \Users\[username]\Documents\Factory Packs
Ableton Template is \Users\[username]\AppData\Roaming\Ableton\Live x.x.x\Preferences\Template.als
File Formats
.als - Ableton Live Set
This one you'll encounter first as it's the file that you're working on in Ableton Live when you're producing your tracks. It's what you get when you press save. It contains the layout of a set, such as tracks, devices and clips. This file type is also used for the template sets
.alp - Ableton Live Pack
Ableton Live Packs can be downloaded or purchased from Ableton's website, like the Factory Packs. These are self-installing. Most of the packs from other providers are packed Live Sets that you can create yourself with Live's File Manager
.asd - Ableton Analysis File
This file type is created whenever you import an audio file into Ableton Live and it contains specific information about analysed audio data like the warp marker positions, pitch, automatic tempo detection, ensuring the optimal stretching quality and a fast display of the waveform. When you save clip settings with the Save button under Clip View of a clip, these are stored in the .asd file as well
.ask - Ableton Skin
This kind of file can be used to change the colours of the graphical user interface. So when you choose the Disco skin instead of the Default one, there's an .ask file being swapped out in the backend
.adg - Ableton Device Rack Preset
This is the file type for all the different rack presets in Ableton Live that you can find in the browser. All the four rack types use this file ending, Instrument Racks, Drum Racks as well as Audio and MIDI Effect. So if you save a rack, it will be saved as an .adg file
.adv - Ableton Device Preset
Individual device presets have the file ending .adv. So this goes for all presets of MIDI instruments, audio effects and MIDI affects you encounter in Live's browser. Saving any presets yourself also results in an .adv file
.alc - Ableton Live Clip
These are files that save all the clip and envelope settings of an audio or MIDI clip in Live as well as the original track’s devices. While the MIDI data is stored within the .alc, audio Live Clips only contain references to the original sample rather than the audio data itself. This means they're very small
.agr - Ableton Groove File
The timing and “feel” of a clip in Ableton Live can be changed with so called grooves. The ones shipped with Live can be found in the Groove Pool. They also have their own file type which is .agr, because they can be extracted from clips and saved for later use
.ams = Ableton Meta Sound
If you have Operator, then you can create your own waveforms with the synth through micro-tonal, additive synthesis. These are stored in the .ams file format
.amxd = Ableton Max for Live Device
All Max for Live devices have the .amxd file ending, whether you get them from Ableton, maxforlive.com, third-party providers or create it yourself. They can be edited and modified with Max when opened from Ableton Live
Spatial Awareness in Theatre Sound Effects: A Comprehensive Guide
Introduction
The use of sound effects in theatre is essential for creating a realistic and immersive experience for the audience. One crucial aspect of theatre sound design is spatial awareness. Spatial awareness refers to the ability to perceive and manipulate sound sources in space, creating a sense of depth and directionality. In this article, we will explore the importance of spatial awareness in theatre sound effects and provide practical tips for achieving it.
Section 1: Understanding Spatial Awareness
What is spatial awareness in theatre sound effects?
Spatial awareness refers to the ability to perceive and manipulate sound sources in space. In theatre sound design, it involves creating a sense of depth and directionality so that the audience can experience sounds as if they were coming from specific locations on stage.
Why is spatial awareness important?
Spatial awareness is essential for creating a realistic and immersive experience for the audience. It allows sound designers to place sounds in specific locations on stage, creating a sense of realism and adding dimension to the performance.
How does spatial awareness contribute to the overall theatrical experience?
When done correctly, spatial awareness can transport the audience into another world. It can create a sense of atmosphere, convey emotions, and immerse the audience in the story being told on stage. For example, if a character is walking through a forest, sounds of leaves crunching underfoot and birds chirping can be placed around the stage so that they appear to be coming from different directions. This creates an immersive experience that helps to bring the scene to life.
Section 2: Techniques for Achieving Spatial Awareness
Choosing the right speakers and amplifiers
The quality of your speakers and amplifiers plays a significant role in achieving spatial awareness in theatre sound effects. Look for speakers that can reproduce a wide range of frequencies and have a high frequency response rate. Amplifiers should be powerful enough to drive the speakers without distortion or clipping.
Positioning speakers for optimal coverage
The placement of your speakers is crucial for creating a sense of directionality in theatre sound effects. Place speakers around the stage to create an immersive soundscape that envelops the audience. Consider using front, side, and rear speakers to create a multi-dimensional soundstage.
Creating a multi-channel setup
Multi-channel setups use multiple speakers to create a 3D soundscape that surrounds the audience. This technique involves using discrete channels to place sounds at specific locations on stage. For example, you can use front left and right channels, centre channel, surround left and right channels, and overhead channels to create an immersive experience.
Using panning and EQ techniques
Panning involves placing sounds between two or more audio channels to create a sense of directionality. This technique is useful for placing sounds at specific locations on stage or creating movement effects such as sounds moving from left to right or vice versa. EQ techniques involve adjusting the frequency response of individual audio channels to achieve optimal balance across all channels.
Incorporating reverb and delay effects
Reverb and delay effects can help to simulate real-world acoustic environments such as concert halls or outdoor spaces. These effects can be used creatively to add depth and dimensionality to theatre sound effects by simulating distances between sound sources.
Section 3: Best Practices for Spatial Awareness in Theatre Sound Effects
Balancing volume levels
It is essential to balance the volume levels of all sound sources in a theatre sound design. This ensures that no single sound source overpowers another and that the audience can hear everything clearly. Use a sound level meter to measure the volume levels of each sound source and adjust them accordingly.
Monitoring sound quality throughout the performance
Sound quality can change throughout a performance due to factors such as temperature changes or microphone feedback. It is crucial to monitor the quality of the sound throughout the performance and make any necessary adjustments on-the-fly.
Testing your setup before opening night
Ensure that you test your setup thoroughly before opening night to identify any issues or potential problems. Conduct a complete run-through of all the sounds and effects to ensure that they are working correctly and that there are no technical issues.
Proper speaker placement
Proper speaker placement is essential for achieving spatial awareness in theatre sound effects. Ensure that all speakers are placed correctly, with good coverage across all areas of the theatre, including front, middle, and back of house
Using rehearsal time wisely
Use rehearsal time wisely by creating different scenarios where you can test your spatial awareness techniques. This will help you anticipate potential problems and make adjustments as necessary before opening night.
Conclusion
Achieving spatial awareness in theatre sound effects is crucial for creating an immersive experience that transports audiences into another world. By understanding the concepts involved and implementing best practices, you can take your theatrical productions to the next level.
Extra information
Classical stage positions are specific locations on the stage that have been used in theatre for centuries to create a sense of directionality and spatial awareness. These positions can be used to represent sound effects and are an excellent tool for achieving spatial awareness in theatre sound design.
There are nine classical stage positions, which include:
Here are the classical stage positions you need to represent when applying sound effects
Centre Stage
Stage Right
Stage Left
Downstage Centre
Downstage Right
Downstage Left
Upstage Centre
Upstage Right
Upstage Left
Each of these positions has its unique characteristics and can be used to represent different sound sources on stage.
For example, if you want to represent a character walking from left to right across the stage, you could use the Downstage Left and Downstage Right positions to place sound effects at different locations as the character moves across the stage.
Alternatively, if you want to create a sense of distance between two characters having a conversation on opposite sides of the stage, you could place their respective microphones at the Upstage Left and Upstage Right positions.
By using classical stage positions in your theatre sound design, you can create a sense of directionality that helps to immerse the audience in the performance.
It's important to note that while classical stage positions can be an effective tool for achieving spatial awareness in theatre sound design, it's not necessary to adhere strictly to these conventions. Sound designers should use their creativity and judgement when deciding how best to represent sound sources on stage.
In conclusion, classical stage positions are an essential tool for representing sound effects in theatre and achieving spatial awareness in theatre sound design. By utilizing these positions creatively, sound designers can create immersive experiences that transport audiences into another world.
Distance
The next point to consider is how far away the item should sound to the audience. Does it fit with what they see on stage? If the action takes place in a small room, clearly the SFX must not sound like it comes from within a cavern (comic effect excepted). Fit the reverberation to the physical space and keep all SFX consistent within that space.
Dampening high frequencies is a technique that can be used to create a sense of distance between sound sources in theatre sound design. When a person speaks, their voice generates sound waves that travel through the air and reach the audience's ears. The speed at which these waves travel and the distance they have to cover before reaching the listener's ear affects how we perceive the sound.
In general, high-frequency sounds tend to dissipate more quickly than low-frequency sounds as they encounter more air resistance along their path. This means that if you dampen high frequencies in a sound source, it can create an impression that the source is further away from the listener.
For example, if you want to create the impression of a character speaking from a distance, you could use EQ adjustments on their microphone to dampen the high frequencies in their voice. This would make their voice sound duller or muffled, simulating the effect of being further away from the listener. So when you want to push one of your SFX back into the distance, you have to dampen the high frequencies. You can do that by putting a low-pass filter on the part you want to push back. For a natural effect, try a gentle slope (like 12 dB/octave, which is a 2-pole filter). Try setting it at a frequency somewhere in the range of 3000 - 15,000 Hz, depending on the SFX and how far you want to push it back.
Similarly, if you want to create an echo effect, you could use reverb or delay effects with dampened high frequencies. The reverb or delay will simulate reflections off surfaces as if they were further away and dampening high frequencies will make it seem like it's bouncing off surfaces.
It should be noted that while this technique can be useful for creating spatial awareness in theatre sound design, it should be used carefully and selectively. Overuse of this technique can result in muddled or unclear audio quality and may detract from the overall experience for listeners.
In conclusion, dampening high frequencies can be an effective technique for creating spatial awareness in theatre sound design by simulating distance between sound sources. Sound designers should use this technique selectively and creatively to achieve optimal results without compromising audio quality.
Using Ableton drum rack
Using Ableton Drum Rack to trigger sound effects using a MIDI trigger in a theatre situation is a popular approach that provides flexibility, precision, and control over the sound design. Here's how it works:
Ableton Drum Rack is a virtual instrument within the Ableton Live software that allows you to create drum kits by arranging samples across multiple MIDI notes. In theatre sound design, this functionality can be used to assign sound effects to specific MIDI notes, which can then be triggered using a MIDI controller.
The first step in using Ableton Drum Rack for theatre sound design is to select or create a drum kit that will serve as the basis for your sound effects. This could be an existing kit within Ableton Live or a custom kit that you have created by importing your own samples.
Using the Ableton Drum Rack to trigger (sound effects) SFX from a midi trigger, such as a keyboard, you also need to consider the pan position of each SFX as shown above.
The pan should represent where the audience expects the SFX to come from. In our example if a duck is seen upstage right, the pan position should be set as shown.
Once you have your drum kit set up, you can assign individual sound effects to specific MIDI notes within the Drum Rack. For example, you might assign a gunshot sound effect to MIDI note C1 and an explosion effect to MIDI note D1.
To trigger these sounds during a performance, you would need to use a MIDI controller that is connected to your computer running Ableton Live. This could be any type of controller that sends MIDI messages such as a keyboard or drum pad controller.
During the performance, when you need to trigger a particular sound effect, you would simply press the corresponding button or pad on your MIDI controller. This would send a MIDI message to Ableton Live, which would trigger the corresponding sample within your Drum Rack.
One of the advantages of using Ableton Drum Rack for theatre sound design is its flexibility and precision. With Drum Rack, you can adjust parameters such as volume and panning for each individual sample and even apply effects such as reverb or delay in real-time.
Applying Reverb and Delay
If you want to push a SFX backwards, do all of above stuff in this article, and then send that drum to an aux/send track with a reverb effect on it. There are lots of different kinds of reverbs, and there’s more than one way you could use reverb to push your SFX back, but a hall reverb is a good place to start for creating a sense of depth.
You can add sends to your drum rack by clicking the 'R' icon to show/hide your Drum Rack return chains.
Clicking the 'S' icon will show/hide the send level amounts for each SFX in your Drum Rack
Additionally, because each sample is assigned its own specific MIDI note, it's easy to quickly locate and trigger the desired effect without having to search through complex audio files or folders.
In conclusion, using Ableton Drum Rack to trigger sound effects using a MIDI trigger in a theatre situation can provide a powerful and flexible tool for sound designers. By assigning individual sound effects to specific MIDI notes within the Drum Rack, you can quickly and accurately trigger the desired effect during a performance, providing an immersive and engaging experience for the audience.
How to always choose notes from the key you are working in
When creating melodies, bass runs or chords you will probably want to choose notes that fit the key you are working in.
If, like me, key theory doesn't come naturally to you here is a quick way to be sure that you can only choose notes which come from the key you are working in.
This makes it a snip to focus on the creative work without having to stop and consider key theory.
Take the 'C minor' Midi file (or any other scale that you want to use) from Keys and chords and place it in the Session View.
Next select all the Midi notes and move them up or down until the Tonic (lowest note) matches the Key that you want to work in. For example moving to A# (Bb) will give you a key of Bb minor
Press 'Fold' to collapse all the notes. Select all the notes and use Shift up/down arrow to select a suitable range for your song.
Now delete all the notes and you are left with a grid which contains only the notes of the scale that you have chosen.
Now every note that you place in your song will be musically in-tune with your chosen scale.
Great for writing chords too.
Free pack from Ableton
Break Selection is a collection of Vintage Drum Breaks including 175 drum loops produced by Sample Magic.
It contains drum kit and hi-hat loops recorded in the very best high-end studios with rare mics, pre-amps and vintage outboard equipment.
The grooves have been meticulously laid down by some of the industry's top players for an authentic feel and vibe across the board. Modern and retro combinations of equipment, mic placements and mixing techniques have been utilized to re-create the very best drum sounds from the decades. This pack is free; you must own Live 9 to use it.
Using Ableton Live in theatre situations
Ableton Live in the theatre
Ableton Live is immensely useful for theatre performance. I do a lot of the electronic sound effects in Ableton Live where I'm using an Akai APC40 and keyboards to trigger things in Ableton. The sounds have plug-ins applied and are bounced down in advance to avoid CPU load during the live performance. Ableton is also used to trigger video cues and projector shows plus triggering steam jets and smoke machines.
One advantage that handling sound design for a theatre offers is that it is at a fixed location, unlike touring with a band, where venues can differ significantly one from another. However, mixing a live band is one thing but a theatrical performance - especially one so dependent on special effects, with infinite potential for timing changes and pratfalls (both literal and metaphorical) - calls for extreme adaptability and great watchfulness. There's no way the show can be put on a memory stick and left more or less on autopilot. Timing the show and all the special effects to the performers' actual movements needs to be done quite literally footstep by footstep.
This year the Secret Panto Society (SPS) are working on a production of Cinderella and I have four main categories of sound which have to be provided. These are as follows:
Songs
Dances
Atmospherics
Sound Effects (SFX)
Songs, dances, atmospherics
The show has recorded music running pretty much continuously throughout, but especially with pantomime, the performers are working off the audience's reactions so sequences never last the same amount of time and musical climaxes are very hard to nail down.
Songs and dances don't present any real problems as the performers follow the music with little scope for ad lib variation; for the atmospherics it is a different matter as the performances change each night and are very dependent on audience reaction. This is particularly noticeable here in the south of France where we have a multi-cultural spread of people and we find that the audience during some performances may be predominantly German or French or Spanish, whilst the last performance is almost exclusively British in make up. The reactions and music timings vary enormously with these different audiences.
Here you can see my Ableton Live project with tracks to cover songs, dances and atmospherics.
I often split the music into sections, a mix of holding loops and transitional bits of music. Over the course of one scene I may cycle through 5 pieces of music, vamping sections as needed, then moving into the next bit of transitional music leading into another holding loop, and so on.
Ableton Live can easily handle all that vamping and changing with minimal programming and does it in a musical way. I use an Akai professional APC40 connected to Ableton with each APC40 Scene relating to a scene in the pantomime and the APC40 tracks used for songs, dances and atmospherics. Using the faders on the APC40 I can respond to the dynamics in the piece of music and the dynamics of the performance, simultaneously, and make the music complement the performance by riding the music up and down, and fading it out in a musical performance-responsive manner. If required I can also programme in volume automation, filter sweeps, xfade to reverb, complex audio effects processing simply by sending MIDI control change information from the APC40.
SFX
In addition to running the music side of things, Ableton is also taking care of some of the spot sound effects. This is done from a midi keyboard connected to Ableton and triggering a Drum rack. Each drum position can hold a specific SFX which may also have it's own complex audio effects. The outputs are sent to different outputs on my audio interface allowing me to control exactly where in the theatre the sounds should appear i.e. outputs 1&2 are routed to FOH L&R, 3&4 to Upstage L&R, etc.
Triggering a sound effect using Simpler
Ableton is an immensely powerful tool for creating sound designs - DAWs like PT and Logic are only just beginning to catch up with Ableton in terms of pitch/time manipulation. It is also particularly useful for sitting in rehearsals and throwing in SFX which can be fixed more permanently for performances.
How to use Ableton Templates to speed your workflow
I’m sure that like me, you want to spend your time creatively, rather than drowning in the technical aspects of your chosen DAW, then anything that helps speed up your workflow is important.
In Ableton Live, using templates is one of the biggest time savers when starting a new project. Ableton comes ready loaded with a set of templates which you can use. Look under the Live 8 Library and you will find the Ableton Master Template folder. Double-click any of these templates to load them.
However, that’s only the start as you can add your own Audio and Midi tracks with your preferred devices and effects and save this as your own template.
Use ‘File/Save Live Set as‘ and place it in Ableton’s Template folder in the Ableton Library. As an example, you may choose to add an EQ 8 and Compressor to each Audio track and a Simpler to each Midi track.
Note : the default template used when you create a new set, resides in Live’s Preferences folder rather than in the Library, so If you want your template to be the default one each time you open Ableton use ‘Options/Preferences/File Folder‘ and click the ‘Save Current Set as Default‘ option.
Personalize
The tracks you want in your Template will depend on your workflow and the instruments you have. The default contents for each audio / midi channel will also be your personal choice, however, you might imagine to add a Compressor to drum tracks and a Reverb to Hi-Hats for example.
A good tip is if you add many instruments and effects to your tracks, switch them off to save computing power. De-activated devices in Ableton use no power so you can add as many as you may need – only switch them on when you need them.
Think of it like walking into a fully equipped recording studio with all the instruments laid out ready for you to start creating.
Here is the Arrangement View from my Template
Some highlights are:
Colour your tracks to help speed navigation
Set the devices and effects you want in your Audio tracks – I have an SSL Channel strip
Set the devices and effects you want for each Midi track – I have a Simpler
I have a ‘Master Mix’ track for Mastering to
I have a ‘Faders Up’ track for rough mixes that I can export audio from to listen on other systems e.g. in the car the following day
Next is a ‘Reference’ track containing commercial track excerpts that I can reference against split into instrument types with the tonal balance you’re looking for – ideally something that hasn’t been totally decimated in mastering
The Session View of my Template
Crazy English Halcyon
My mashup of Faithless (Crazy English Summer) vs. Orbital (Halcyon) featuring the beautiful vocals of Zoe Johnston. The bass gave me grief, DX came good, 127 bpm in AMaj
Zoe Johnstone
Getting the vocals warped correctly took me hours and hours – great learning experience. Struggled to get a good bass sound for all the notes. Some gave a hollow phased sound. Doubled the bass and offset by 5ms (Haas effect) to try to thicken the sound – partially successful. I now know that bass should never be treated in this way – keep it mono – always.