Showing and Hiding Views
Nov 21, 2018 Ableton Live 10 is a power house of a DAW. Using it can be quite difficult when you're just getting started. That's why shortcuts exist.
⇥⇥Toggle Session/Arrangement View
DDToggle Drum Rack/last selected Pad
⌘ ⌥ B⌃ Alt BHide/Show Browser
⌘ ⌥ I⌃ Alt IHide/Show In/Out
⌘ ⌥ M⌃ Alt MHide/Show Mixer
⎋⎋Close Window/Dialog
Adjusting Values
⌘⌃Finer Resolution for Dragging
0 - 90 - 9Type In Value
⎋⎋Abort Value Entry
Browsing
↓ ↑↓ ↑Scroll Down/Up
↩↩Set Selected Folder as Browser Root
⌘ ⇧ F⌃ ⇧ FSearch in Browser
Transport
␣␣Play from Start Marker/Stop
⌥ ␣⌃ ␣Play Arrangement View Selection
F9F9Record
fn F1 - F8F1 - F8Activate/Deactivate Track 1..8
Editing
⌘ C⌃ CCopy
⌘ D⌃ DDuplicate
⌘ Z⌃ ZUndo
⌘ R⌃ RRename
Loop Brace and Start/End Markers
← →← →Nudge Loop Left/Right
⌘ ↑ ↓⌃ ↑ ↓Halve/Double Loop Length
⌘ ⇧ L⌃ ⇧ LSelect Material in Loop
Session View Commands
← → ↓ ↑← → ↓ ↑Select Neighbouring Clip/Slot
⌘ E⌃ EAdd/Remove Stop Button
⌘ ⇧ I⌃ ⇧ IInsert Captured Scene
⌘ ↓ ↑⌃ ↓ ↑Move Nonadjacent Scenes Without Collapsing
Arrangement View Commands
⌘ E⌃ ESplit Clip at Selection
⌘ ⌥ F⌃ Alt FCreate Fade/Crossfade
⌘ ⌥⌃ AltPan Left/Right of Selection
Commands for Tracks
⌘ T⌃ TInsert Audio Track
⌘ ⌥ T⌃ Alt TInsert Return Track
⇥⇥While Renaming, Go to next Track
⌘ ⇧ G⌃ ⇧ GUngroup Tracks
--Hide Grouped Tracks
⌘ ↑ ↓ ← →⌃ ↑ ↓ ← →Move Nonadjacent Tracks Without Collapsing
Key/MIDI Map Mode
⌘ K⌃ KToggle Key Map Mode
Zooming, Display and Selections
⇧ =⇧ =Zoom In
⇧⇧Drag/Click to Append to a Selection
⇧⇧Click to Add Adjacent Clips/Tracks/Scenes to Multi-Selection
Ableton Live 9 Keyboard Shortcuts Pdf
⌘⌃Click to Add Nonadjacent Ctrl Clips/Tracks/Scenes to a
⌘ ⌥⌃ AltPan Left/Right of Selection
Clip View Sample Display
⌘ ⇧ U⌃ ⇧ UQuantize Settings…
⌘ ← →⌃ ← →Select Warp Marker
⇧ ← →⇧ ← →Move Clip Region with Start Marker
Clip View MIDI Editor
⌘ ⇧ U⌃ ⇧ UQuantize Settings…
⌘ fn ↑ ↓⌃ page↑ page↓Scroll Editor Horizontally
fn →EndMove Insert Marker to End
⇧ ← →⇧ ← →Move Clip Region with Start Marker
Grid Snapping and Drawing
⌘ 1⌃ 1Narrow Grid
⌘ 3⌃ 3Triplet Grid
⌘ 5⌃ 5Fixed/Zoom-Adaptive Grid
Global Quantization
⌘ 6⌃ 6Sixteenth-Note Quantization
⌘ 8⌃ 8Quarter-Note Quantization
Ableton Shortcuts Pdf
⌘ 0⌃ 0Quantization Off
Working with Sets and the Program
⌘ O⌃ OOpen Live Set
⌘ S⌃ SSave Live Set
⌘ Q⌃ QQuit Live
⌘ ⇧ R⌃ ⇧ RExport Audio/Video
Ableton 9 Shortcuts
Working with Plug-Ins and Devices
⌘ ⌥ P⌃ Alt PShow/Hide Plug-In Windows
⌘⌃Open Second/Multiple Windows with Ctrl Plug-In Edit Button
Ableton 9 Shortcuts Mac Desktop
⇧⇧Open Mac Keystroke Plug-In Window with Plug-In Edit Button
⇧⇧Click to Append Devices to a Selected Device
Mastering the keyboard shortcuts for Ableton Live is an essential skill to make your writing and production sessions more fluid, maintaining creative flow and more effortlessly executing your ideas as they come to mind (and to hand).
For beginners, this list and PDF is also a great resource to learn key features of Ableton Live.
For advanced producers, we’d added in bold the new shortcuts added in Live 10.
Ableton 10 Shortcuts Pdf
Ableton Live 10 Keyboard Shortcuts
Bold = new or updated in Live 10
FLIPPABLE VIEWS | ||
| tab | tab | Toggle Session/Arrangement view |
| ⇧ tab | ⇧ tab | Toggle Device/Clip view |
COLLAPSIBLE VIEWS | ||
| (Remember it: ‘SLIMBORG’) | ||
| ⌘⌥ S | CTRL–ALT–S | Sends |
| ⌘⌥ L | CTRL-ALT-L | Lower section (aka Detail View) |
| ⌘⌥ I | CTRL-ALT-I | Input/output routing panel |
| ⌘⌥ M | CTRL-ALT-M | Mixer |
| ⌘⌥ B | CTRL-ALT-B | Browser |
| ⌘⌥ O | CTRL-ALT-O | Overview |
| ⌘⌥ R | CTRL-ALT-R | Returns |
| ⌘⌥ G | CTRL-ALT-G | Groove Pool |
FLOATING WINDOWS | ||
| ⇧⌘W | ⇧CTRL-W | Launch a second window |
| ⌘⌥ P | CTRL-ALT-P | Plug-in window (for non-Ableton plug-ins) – hides/shows selected device |
| ⌘⌥ V | CTRL-ALT-V | Video window (there must be a video on arrangement view timeline first) |
| ⌘, | CTRL-, | Preferences |
BROWSE | ||
| ⌘ F | CTRL-F | Search in browser |
| → | → | Preview selected browser item |
| Esc | Esc | Stop previewing selected browser item |
| Return | Return | Load selected browser item onto track |
| Q | Q | Hot swap the selected device (when device is on a track). Hit Q again after loading |
| 1,2,3…7 | 1,2,3…7 | Assign colour to selected browser item (adds item to a “collection”) |
| 0 | 0 | Remove all colours from selected browser item (removes item from all “collections”) |
PLAYBACK and RECORD | ||
| Fn ← | Home | Move insert marker to beginning of arrangement timeline |
| Space | Space | Play (from start, or from insert marker, or from start of selection) |
| Space | Space | Pause |
| ⇧ Space | ⇧ Space | Un-pause |
| ⌥ Space | ALT-Space | Play selected time only, then pause |
| ⌘⇧ F | CTRL⇧ F | Scroll display to follow playback |
| F9 | F9 | Record to arrangement |
| F10 | F10 | Back to arrangement |
ZOOMING | ||
| + | + | Zoom in |
| – | – | Zoom out |
| Z | Z | Zoom to selected clip/time |
| ⇧ Z | ⇧ Z | Zoom out from selected clip/time. Do this again to zoom all the way out |
| ⌥ scroll | ALT-scroll | Zoom height of selected track (arrangement view) |
| S | S | Fold height of all tracks (arrangement view) |
ALL THE SINGLE-LETTER COMMANDS | ||
| Remember it: BRAS ZOMQ | ||
| B | B | Toggle draw mode (for programming within MIDI Clips or drawing automation) |
| R | R | Reverse selected audio – in arrangement view only |
| A | A | Automation (hide / show) – in arrangement view only |
| S | S | Fold height of all tracks (arrangement view) |
| Z | Z | Zoom to selected clip/time (then ⇧ Z to zoom out) in arrangement view or detail view |
| 0 (zero) | 0 (zero) | Deactivate (clips, tracks, devices, & notes) |
| M | M | Toggle computer MIDI keyboard |
| Q | Q | Hot swap the selected device (when device is on a track). Then arrows, Return, Q |
PARAMETER MAPPING | ||
| ⌘ M | CTRL-M | MIDI map mode – assign a MIDI controller to any purple-shaded parameter |
| ⌘ K | CTRL-K | Key map mode – assign a QWERTY key to any orange-shaded parameter |
CREATE AND CAPTURE | ||
| ⌘ T | CTRL-T | Insert new audio track |
| ⌘⇧ T | CTRL⇧ T | Insert new MIDI track |
| ⌘ I | CTRL-I | Insert new scene (in session view) |
| ⌘⌥ T | CTRL-ALT-T | Insert new return track |
| d-click | d-click | Create new MIDI clip (in session view clip slot or on arrangement view timeline) |
| ⌘⇧ I | CTRL-ALT-I | “Capture and Insert scene” Creates new scene from currently playing clips |
| ⌘⇧ C | CTRL⇧ C | Capture MIDI (if you forgot to hit record while jamming) |
| ⌘⇧ S | CTRL⇧ S | Save Live Set As… (new name and / or version number) |
| ⌘⇧ R | CTRL⇧ R | Export your song or selection. Choose to export as audio file, mp3 and / or video |
ARRANGEMENT VIEW | ||
| ← → | ← → | Move selected clip left/right |
| ⇧ ←→ | ⇧ ←→ | Nudge selected clip left/right |
| Hold ⌘ | Hold CTRL | Finer resolution when dragging clips |
| R | R | Reverse selected audio |
| ⇧ | ⇧ | Hold shift and drag the edge of a warped audio clip to stretch it |
ARRANGEMENT TIMELINE EDITING | ||
| ⌘⇧ del | CTRL⇧ del | Delete time |
| ⌘⇧ V | CTRL⇧ V | Paste time |
| ⌘⇧ X | CTRL⇧ V | Cut time |
| ⌘ I | CTRL-I | Insert silence |
| ⌘ J | CTRL-J | Consolidate selection into clip |
| ⌘ E | CTRL-E | Split clip at selection |
| ⌘⇧ D | CTRL⇧ D | Insert duplicated time |
| ⌘ L | CTRL-L | Loop the current timeline selection |
MIXER AND DEVICE PARAMETER EDITING | ||
| del | del | Return value to default (on selected parameter). Double-clicking also works |
| Hold ⇧ | Hold ⇧ | While moving parameters, moves in finer increments |
| r-click | r-click | Show automation or Show modulation |
AUTOMATION | ||
| A | A | Toggle automation mode |
| B | B | Draw stepped automation |
| Hold ⌥ | Hold alt | Curve the automation |
| ⌘ del | CTRL-del | Delete automation (on automated parameter) |
| Hold ⇧ | Hold ⇧ | For finer increments |
| Hold ⇧ | Hold ⇧ | To restrict automation movements to either horizontal or vertical |
| Hold ⌘ | Hold CTRL | When drawing: freehand lines | When moving: overrides grid snapping |
GROUP TRACKS and RACKS | ||
| ⌘ G | CTRL-G | Tracks: Group selected tracks | Devices: Create rack from selected device/s |
| – | – | Tracks: Hide grouped tracks | Devices: Collapse device |
| + | + | Tracks: Unfold grouped tracks | Devices: Expand device if collapsed |
MIDI EDITING | ||
| B | B | Draw mode |
| ⌘ U | CTRL-U | Quantize |
| ⌘⇧ U | CTRL⇧ U | Quantize settings |
| ←→↓ ↑ | ←→↓ ↑ | Move selected notes left/right/up/down |
| ⇧ ↓ ↑ | ⇧ ↓ ↑ | Transpose MIDI notes up / down in octaves |
| ⌘ ←→ | CTRL ←→ | Nudge MIDI notes |
| ⇧ ←→ | ⇧ ←→ | Lengthen / Shorten MIDI note |
| ⌘⇧ D | CTRL⇧ D | Insert duplicated time |
COMPUTER MIDI KEYBOARD | ||
| M | M | Toggle computer MIDI keyboard |
| A to L | A to L | This row triggers white notes from C (the A key). |
| W to O | W to O | This row triggers black notes from C# (the W key). Actual keys are: WE – TYU – O |
| Z | Z | Octave down |
| X | X | Octave up |
| C | C | Decrease note velocity |
| V | V | Increase note velocity |
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