I attempt to explain all of Ableton's built-in Audio Effects // Music Production for Beginners 

Oh boy, I went in over my head on this one! In this video I decided to explain what all of Ableton's build-in audio effects do & how they can help improve your tracks. This tutorial is perfect for newer music producers out there looking to improve their work! Also as a side note, I am very excited to say I have some unique & fun content coming soon unlike anything I've ever done before. I'm going out on a bit of a ledge here and I hope the response will be positive because if so, that'll change what I make for a long time (I think you will love it) Thanks for the support as always!

Audio Effect Time Stamps 2:26 Amp 2:42 Audio Effect Rack 3:01 Auto Filter 3:43 Auto Pan 4:07 Beat Repeat 4:41 Cabinet 5:31 Chorus 6:05 Compressor 6:55 Corpus 7:30 Dynamic Tube 8:04 EQ Eight 9:25 EQ Three 10:32 Erosion 11:19 External Audio Effect 11:36 Filter Delay 12:29 Flanger 13:15 Frequncey Shifter 14:07 Gate 15:08 Glue Compressor 16:07 Grain Delay 16:49 Limiter 17:40 Looper 18:16 Multi Band Dynamics 19:53 Over Drive 20:25 Phaser 21:27 Ping-Pong Delay 22:36 Redux 23:20 Resonators 23:47 Reverb 25:23 Saturator 25:47 Simple Delay 26:15 Spectrum 27:38 Tuner 28:36 Utility 29:16 Vinyl Distortion 29:46 Vocoder PLEASE PIN THIS

A basic summary in dot points: AMP Guitar Amp simulation AUDIO EFFECT RACK Drop and drag folder to hold all your effects in AUTO FILTER Isolate certain frequencies (low pass/high pass/band) Automate high pass/low pass through recording TIP: add LFO to create a more unique sound AUTO PAN Pan sound from left to right back and forth BEAT REPEAT Allows to add repetitions of a sound of your track Designate a certain interval, which determines over what time period you want the sound to be repeated, and for how long Offset/Variation adds randomness to your sound CABINET Create a more authentic sounds (create an illusion of what sort of room you might be in) Speaker - how many speakers in the room Microphone - in which position/left/right/far away/close by CHORUS Adds different voices to your track To: thicken sound/ replicate a choir Modulation/Effect/Dry/Wet/Feedback/Delay COMPRESSOR Change the amount of gain of sound Louder and punchier sound Changes output and gain Can be used for SIDE-CHAINING CORPUS Again replicate authentic sound Choosing from authentic sounds to replicate, then adjust parameters and adjust to personal liking DYNAMIC TUBE Adds Saturation with dry/wet knob Output/drive main knobs to add saturation EQ 8 Isolate/Amplify/Isolate certain sounds/frequencies Q nob -determines how much of the effect affects the overall sound EQ 3 Simpler then EQ 8 - only 3 nobs Low frequency/high frequency boundaries with knobs now wave EROSION Way of degrading sounds by adding in certain noises to track eg. noise, white noise and Sine Wave Pick a frequency and choose amount you want it to be effected Change width to determine how much of other frequencies this encompasses EXTERNAL AUDIO EFFECT Route output of an external effect maker you have plugged into your computer and choose where you want it to apply FILTER DELAY Allows you to add a small delay to your track - on up to 3 parts of your track based on what frequency range you want to add the delay on Change width and time of delay Can also change feedback and panning FLANGER Unique sound - modulates frequency and adds higher frequencies Change delay, feedback, high pass filter to make the sound more unique FREQUENCY SHIFTER Allows to change frequency to your sound Frequency - modulate frequency range ADD Can modulate sound - or de-tune GATE Only pass certain sounds that surpass certain frequencies Tweak to whatever frequency you want EG Remove weird background sounds GLUE COMPRESSOR Modelled an 80’s audio effect MAIN JOB - add to a group of tracks/sounds - in order to create 1 smooth sound the a series of sounds together - a cohesive unit Also works as a compressor and with side chaining GRAIN DELAY Chops tracks/audio into “grains” that are randomly delayed Sounds cool if done correctly LIMITER Cap off certain volume like a “Gate” Lowers dial = lowers sound Heightens dial = eg 4 db = prevents any audio from surpassing 4db NOT RAISE IT Good to prevent peaks in tracks LOOPER Allows to play instruments in a live setting - and loop it to the BPM of the sound Like a loop pedal MULTIBAND DYNAMICS Allows to alter dynamic ranges of certain frequencies in your track Adjust split between high/mid and low range - knobs alter input/output Crunching it together to have a unifying sound Can slo solo high/mid/lows to hear what they sound like OVERDRIVE Adds drive/punch/tone Left to right - Low to High EQ Dry = how much distortion Tone = the higher, the more highs are pronounced PHASER Phase shift to sound to have more voices OR to dull sound down Change frequency/feedback Poles changes effect PING PONG DELAY Pick a frequency range and pick a delay time - 16 being the longest Dry/Wet and feedback dials create unique delay Redux Distorts audio and gives a retro feel Way of adding an 8 bit sound Weird/cool effect for intro/outro songs RESONATORS Adds certain notes to certain tracks - to add another note/pitch - to create a layered effect REVERB Allows to add echo/wetness to track Decay time determines how long the sound takes to decrease LOTS OF ROOM PRESETS SATURATOR Adds colour to your sound Little goes a long way SIMPLE DELAY Determining the decay time left versus right stereo SPECTRUM Visual representation of hertz Works with other effects like EQ if added after Spectrum BUT can also be done in EQ 8 if want to see the frequency and adjust real time - spectrum is just more complex/detailed TUNER Shows notes being played - even in live settings Can be used with Frequency shifter - to get in key UTILITY KEY Mute incoming audio Change gain Pan sound/ or keep in centre Change width of sound - 0% is mono (for something like a sub bass) - 100% is stereo (best range to keep things at) - 200% is an 180 degree phase shift of your inputted audio audio VINYL DISTORTION Replicates vinyl noises - with frequency ranges Add crackles VOCODER Way to modulate the sound based on your personal perimeter EG Daft Punk robotic sound Change bands - that choose frequencies and also can add a carrier eg like a external sound Super unique results/sounds

Don’t let it fool you. The Audio Effect Rack is the best effect within Live.

even as an advanced user i still watch this, there's always something you may have missed no matter how long you've been producing for

I realllyyy like this and I’m advanced in Ableton already. Just refreshing on some ideas.

Confusion on High pass vs Low pass. It's always what frequencies are kept. High pass allows the HIGHS to PASS and low pass lets the LOWS to PASS. You can also call them cuts which then describes what frequencies are removed. A low cut removes the lows and a High cut removes the highs. A filter in the real world allows something to go through it and blocks another substance. Air filters let air pass and removes dust and contaminants. A water filter lets water pass and removes minerals. Audio filters behave the same way.

Just a heads up RE: Limiter The gain knob doesn't set the absolute max db (ceiling) for your incoming audio, and raising the gain above the default ceiling of -0.30 db will result in compression of your audio. Limiters are generally placed at the end of a mastering chain to prevent transient information from peaking over 0 db.

23:19 yes. I've jump scared myself multiple times with that thing.

whats with all that extra audio in the background when your talking it will drive a person crazy.

I just love watching these, I started watching your tutorials when I first got a launchpad for my 12th birthday, only a couple months passed! And I understand most of the features in Ableton, Thany you InspirAspir 👍🏽

Nice video, but that dubsteb in the background is f****** annoying

"reverb adds echo" woah that must be a crime !!!

Thank you so much! Great explained. Definitely worths a sub

Bro... seriously..u can write a book on music production 🔥🔥🔥🔥...and I am serious about that😍😍😍..keep it up brother...keep making music and inspiring others for same and keep spreading your knowledge❤️

Your explain is good but your melody is very very annoying

I hardly ever comment but this was such a good video. No bs, it was straight to the point.

21:27 there was a glitch in the matrix.

One cool tip - you can use beat repeat to easily make drum rolls every few bars rather than having to write them in!

The most popular use of vocoder IMO is to use the human voice to shape a sound, so your mouth does the talking/singing and (for example) a synthesizer will supply the tone. eg. the beginning of Autobahn by Kraftwerk. In ableton the setup is similar to sidechaining but the 'side chain' is referred to as formant ie. you send a vocal from one track to the vocoder on another via a synth sound then the human voice is provided by that synth and the vocal will shape it.

I've been using Ableton for a hot minute already and still learned a ton here. Thanks a mil for this!

8:40 it is a High pass filter not a low pass

I have also good tips. Just ask. But making music or sound is really a crazy way of unending methods. People like me think they know something. But still everyday you learn and think... Wtf. I know nothing😂

You confused low pass and high pass filter. Low pass means you are letting the lows pass through and NOT affecting them. If you're REMOVING the lows, you're using a HIGH pass filter.

I just switched fl to ableton. The fact that live actually comes with stuff you can use to make quality sounds and samples of your own…I have my issues with live when it come to making quantised midi notes sound natural seeing as I have been pampered by FLs "swing“ knob in that regard. Even then I have never looked back. Just by using ableton my songs stopped being beats and actually became songs. Could be due to the daw or just me resonating with said daw much more.

Thank you very much! You manage very good to fokus on the Important Facts and you are an awesome Explainer! Greetings!

You consistently said low pass and high pass wrong, but other than that, good job :) A low PASS filter lets low frequencies pass - filtering out the highs. A high PASS filter lets high frequencies pass - filtering out the lows.

Hello there mista, Thanks for explaining all those effects, even though i make a living (to some degree) from music producing/composing and etc. I don't know all of them, neither how they work, all i did was tweaked some knobs until it sounded good, but now since i know some more about the whole deal...i'll continue doing the same :) Thanks tho

Thank you for the video. The music playing in the background when you are talking is distracting FYI. :)

Why don't you set the pan yourself? I've just setting those to sound. Like in mai tai, I run my Strat into my marshall into the interface and mai tai and mojito are stacked/set as a temp for guitar tracking or whatever really I've been getting into studio one the last couple months. So I'm really curious about peoples modulation preferences🤨 how far back ya keep the envelopes from velocities? Oscillator temp rates? LFO tempo rates? Signal shaping consistcies throughout the modulations? So I've had a genuine concern about the auto sync buttons. For real though, mai tai and mojito delivers the spankings on the lofi neo soul tone. Dropped the bridge-v and just use the first and third positions and when I want it sound heavy or give it more bark to it, I just adjust the marshal. I'm already gonna use the same amp in amplitube to and between studio one, analog lab 5, amplitube, then all the everything else I have running my shit crashes so its easier to use the amp. But um you got any words or wisdom on how to workflow all this stuff more efficiently? Thanks

shit! i don't have time to view right now but will with MANY THANKS for doing this laborious video! i'd be interested to find out which ones are if not garbage, you'd rule out using (some of the reverbs, etc., not that many are poor. a few.) can't wait to watch, busy recording right now.) oh?! which effect creates the most mangling of a sample right out of the box?

Cabinet does not emulate your position, but position of microphone placement and how the sound would sound when recorded with that particular placement.LFO explained very poorly. Sorry

12:43 Do you really have to add that crazy ass music in the background while you're teaching me Ableton audio effects? I can't hear you, I can only hear the music.

Great explanations thanks. I think the vocoder is another effect that could have its own video. I use it to get a Peter Frampton type effect by using vocals as the input and distorted guitar as the carrier. Great fun, do you feel like I do?

Very helpful video! As someone dabbling in a bit of music production from time to time, your explanations give a very relatable sort of insight for each effect and helped me understand a few different concepts a lot better.

I don.t want to be a dick. But the thing you say about sound in stereo is not true right? It's verry important to know what os stereo and what is not! 😅 But i like the video

Frequency shifter rocks at tuning samples that don't quite gel.

I've subscribed for your words hello my inspirations

Please don't use background sound when doing a tutorial video it's distracting

This is the best explanation on RU-vid! Thank you so much!

The manual breaks them down..but it's mental what you can get.

But what if I want to use one effect and change it progressively (with the mouse for example) during just a few bars? For example as a DJ would do manually during a set. Should I record the whole thing? Is there a function to do that? Or just apply these effects in the vocals of the song for example

Is this is an amazing, and I'm just learning to use Ableton and I found this SO useful. Thank you

Hey nice tutorial however I noticed u said that reverb adds echo instead of room. These are two different terms.

This is the best tutorial on the audio effects in Ableton that I've seen. However, the near-constant background noise does nothing but detract tremendously from the great value of this video.

Very useful video. Thanks for this!

What's the discord name or new link?

Thank you so much for this video!! just started using ableton and your videos help me a lor bro!!

Amazing! You have an awesome voice, thanks for the video

Again, I’m a total knumbskull and probably unteachable but I ha Abelton lite I’m trying to install SD3 onto Abelton. Need step one tel three etc. Not one vid on the internet that explains this process

8:39 You mean 'High' pass filter?

Thanks for this rundown... what would you recommend for adding volume/power/clarity to a composition during mastering...EQ? My track sound fine in headphones but doesn't have enough umf when I play it through speakers... I'm experimenting with clariphonic VST but not sure if it helps. I'm producing D&B.

an ability to automate a filter doesn' turn it into an autofilter. LFO does

nice can u also do it with the midi effects etc.?

Is it just me or some of these effects are very similar to each other

oof my guy you really do not understand the guitar effects

Thanks so much for this great video!

I think the like to dislike ratio speaks for itself in terms of how great this video is.

Invaluable material, thank you!

Audio Effect Racks could also be used for parallel effects, right? (I kinda forgot what the term was. Parallel Processing? Maybe?)

auto filter is the beta male version of eq8 but with an lfo

Is this Jake Roper’s alt account

The background audio is very distracting each time you switch to the mentioned list of effects. I thought it was a nasty feedback. But I couldn't finish watching this.

Keep it up ..... 👍 Nice Tutorial 👨‍🏫📓

"Reverb allows you to add ECHO to your track"????? Do you even know what you have said there?? lol

yeah pretty sure limiter is a bit more than that...

Great video! I recorded my Handdrum and still looking for a filter to enhance a bit more clarity. Any thoughts from you experience what I should be looking for? Big help! Thanks

Audio Effect Rack is way more useful as a parallel processing rack. Dunno why you didn't mention that lol.

Informative video. Pity about the annoying sound behind his voice narration. Sounds like he recorded this in a shopping centre. Maybe he could have considered using some Ableton effects to clean up his track?

saying that analogy is bad doesn't make it good

I use ableton for almost 2 decades

Awesome video. Super useful and rich content. Thank you !

Can't believe you went through every one of them! excellent work my friend.

Fl studios audio effects or abletons?

It's absolutely awesome what you've done here, but what bothers me is that you continuously refer to high pass as low pass and vice versa. Aside from that, you've done an amazing service here.

Best taught video for beginners, on how to use audio/music. software. Thank you.

M/S isn't for Mono Stereo, it's for Middle Sides

awesome job! still getting the hang of recording guitar tracks. this vid def helped..a lot.

Is multi band dynamic OTT?

Thanks for all the help, bro ! This is amazing ! Just a sugestion : change your resolution so the plugins and effects can be bigger to see :D

Wow, I get why people like Ableton. Some of these default effects are insanely useful.

Great. Job done! thanks

awesome, tnx lady :>

Anyone else getting 2+ minute unskippable ads? Come on now...

I've BEEN searching for this haha 😍❤❤thank you so much

Cool You really help me Well done!

thanks man that was helpful

Mvch Love for this vid Man

Would be nice to have an updated version, chorus became chorus-ensemble

You're fucking awesome. Thank you for this

His explanation for the limiter is a bit off. The gain does in fact lower or boost the entire sound. The control in charge of limiting or setting the threshold where the audio will cap of is the ceiling.

thank you for this

Whats the song at 28:43?

This guy is a great teacher.

I WISH ABLETON DEVELOPERS DEVELOP SOME TOOL SIMILAR LIKE VARI AUDIO 3 IN CUBASE PRO

👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍 👍

You missed the perfect chance to make a migos pun 4:20 lol, great video ✨

Great video!!!

Interesting 🤔

I believe the vocoder is for vocal / instrument projects.