Everything I Know About Optimizing Ableton Live For Apple Silicon

Рет қаралды 7,704

Күн бұрын

Follow these steps to have the best experience with Ableton Live on your Apple Silicon Mac.
I’ve been using an Apple Silicon M1 Mac Mini since launch, and I love it. But… I’ve discovered a few key things that allow Ableton Live to run without issues and properly on Apple Silicon.
In this tutorial, I share everything I know about optimizing Ableton on Apple Silicon, and explain “why” things are a bit different.
If you’re using an Apple Silicon computer on stage, DO NOT miss this tutorial. It’ll save your butt.
#ableton #buttsaver #m1mac
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00:00 - Introduction to optimizing Ableton Live on Apple Silicon Mac
00:29 - Set buffer size to 256 or lower for best performance
01:29 - Use Ableton Live 11.2 or open files on 11.3 and resave
05:13 - Always use "Collect All and Save" to organize files
06:44 - Save and reopen set after adding locators to avoid audio dropouts
08:20 - Use the three-part framework for using tracks on stage
09:11 - Stop stressing about CPU usage
10:04 - Adding locators may cause disk overload, save and reopen set
12:43 - CPU metering is more sensitive on Apple Silicon Mac/Live 11
15:23 - Disable current CPU metering and focus on average usage
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Пікірлер: 45

@faeriepalace 7 ай бұрын

my mind is blown by the buffer size tip alone cuz i always just had mine at the highest until i had to record stuff ... ahhhh this video is so great thank u

@Richard_P_James 11 ай бұрын

As the locators are fairly small in Live, I tend to create an empty MIDI track at the top of my session and add separate MIDI clips with a colour code for each section of my track. Visually at least, it’s far easier to see what’s going on than using the standard locators.

@caintheperson 11 ай бұрын

I wonder if that would push the CPU a little? Especially in a large arrangements are filled with multiple songs?

@fromstudiotostage 11 ай бұрын

yeah a markers track is the best way to keep track of your song sections. Don't sleep on locators also, as it's the secret sauce that let's you repeat. Check out the content on the channel to learn how!

@fromstudiotostage 11 ай бұрын

Cain-great question. Thankfully locators and a markers track have ZERO impact on CPU, so add away!

@thomaslthomas1506 11 ай бұрын

Good idea, I’ve been working with some long pieces . I’m gonna try this.

@crisprieto1545 4 ай бұрын

Sick advice!!! Will do this!

@goo9637 7 ай бұрын

This video is GENIUS ! I just changed my buffer size from 512 to 256 and voila ! it lowered my cpu usage from 39% to a blowing 13%... Thanks for the info ! :-)

@user-km6eh3ox9h 8 күн бұрын

Thanks a lot bro 🙏

@DamonZenDrummer 11 ай бұрын

Great video Will ! Love the community you founded!

@fromstudiotostage 11 ай бұрын

Thanks Damon and thanks for watching!!

@robowser 4 ай бұрын

Would have never thought to lower buffer for better performance, been doing the opposite forever (PC's, Intel Macs). Why is this not in Ableton docs?! Thanks - you're the man!

@enriquesuarez2214 7 ай бұрын

Amazing video, thank you so much!

@fromstudiotostage 7 ай бұрын

Glad you liked it!

@h20sports434 Ай бұрын

lmao my cpu usage went from 30% to 6& thank u so much man! God bless!

@jimmyrigs 11 ай бұрын

This was such a valuable video! I had been wondering why i was having disk error messages and dropouts after having added locators. Collect all and save on everything has also worked flawlessly for me. Using an M1 Max MBP 16”

@fromstudiotostage 11 ай бұрын

Glad it helped!

@merihakaboogie 10 ай бұрын

You have a lot of valuable info and a great channel, keep up the good work! Respectfully, I disagree with the part that says to set the cpu metering on average. If our goal is to have zero dropouts, then current cpu is all that matters. Once you go beyond 100% even as a momentary spike you will have a buffer error. This can be easily tested by creating an artificial heavy cpu load in a single point of time. For example, playing a lot of voices simultaneously on a VST like Serum with high unison count while using a low buffer size. The transient will crackle, even though the average meter stays within safe limits.

@fromstudiotostage 10 ай бұрын

I would do what you feel most confident in :)

@merihakaboogie 10 ай бұрын

@@fromstudiotostageI dont see what confidence has to do with cpu metering or dropouts, as I understand how buffering works in daws. But if it makes you happier then go ahead and average ;)

@billweir1745 Ай бұрын

Did you ever make a video about how many tracks you can have in a set? Or how many songs you can have in a whole set?

@Opd351 9 ай бұрын

this is legit the best youtube channel for ableton anything thank you youre a treasure Will

@fromstudiotostage 8 ай бұрын

I appreciate that!

@Opd351 8 ай бұрын

i did MASTERTRACK 2019 with Electronic Creatives and Laura Escude and your channel by far is the best for keeping my playback skills sharp and fresh, youre a great explainer of something that can be so complicated (playback) on the surface@@fromstudiotostage

@jeffthompson6162 11 ай бұрын

I still run live 10 on an intel based mac. rock solid. want to make the switch to apple silicon and live 11 soon. thanks for the info!

@fromstudiotostage 11 ай бұрын

Awesome! Glad to help, thanks for watching

@IlianaBeilis 3 ай бұрын

Hey man! you really blow my mind by the buffer size... I recently buy a Mac Studio M2 Max and it's been HEEEELLL!!! I don't know why Ableton 12 doesn't work with plugins (and I assure you that I've payed for them!) so I don't know what to do. In my old Macbookpro I used to use AU but now I read that it's better if I use VST3 but no matter what I do, my session crashed at minimal use. I'm using Ableton with Rosseta by the way... PLEASE CAN YOU HELP ME??!!!

@ChrisUlrich 6 ай бұрын

Any word on using Apple Silicon and Paralells/Bootcamp for Ableton?

@wildekek 9 ай бұрын

Both the Locators and Collect all and Save issues should not make any performance difference in theory and really sound like nasty bugs in Live. Any feedback on this from the Ableton folks?

@Okamiiee 2 ай бұрын

I thought it was supposed to be lower than 512.. I feel like lower than 256 will definitively cause popping

@johnaroj 11 ай бұрын

what about m2 pro chips that uses more effeciency cores than performance core?

@fromstudiotostage 11 ай бұрын

Applies to ALL Apple Silicon

@slippyg 3 ай бұрын

I think this might be the opposite on Live 12, because if I go to 32 samples, i get 72% and when I go 256 samples, I get 32% CPU.

@MrDalpe 2 ай бұрын

Hi, I'm doing MIDI zoning via Ableton with my Yamaha MODX and I'm getting MIDI hangs. Have a M2 Pro. Do you have a solution for that? If you have, that would be a great help.

@MrDalpe 2 ай бұрын

Also happens when playing VSTs in multiple instrument racks.

@donlakakwaaijazz5220 11 ай бұрын

That sorted my problems i couldn't run NI and Keyscape whilst running tracks and now i an doing it without problems...thanks a million ,great information.

@fromstudiotostage 11 ай бұрын

Awesome!! Glad it helped

@SebastianMateo 8 ай бұрын

Sadly, whenever I drop my sample rate lower than 512, it lags... i have the M1 Pro with 10 cpu cores, might be that I have the 11.3 version?

@fromstudiotostage 8 ай бұрын

i'd have to see your set to see what you mean by "lag", but don't miss the step that you HAVE to be at 256 or less, and then we can optimize further from there. 512 or higher will 100% cause issues.

@SebastianMateo 8 ай бұрын

@@fromstudiotostage Thanks a lot for your reply! By 'lag' I meant the audio almost completely breaks (both in Ableton and from other apps like Chrome or Discord) as soon as I set it to 256.

@SebastianContreras-dr3id 8 ай бұрын

I just upgraded from the i7 to an M1, @256 so far with a 40 track project and 4/7active plugins, and its cpu is between 10-35, but between breaks or pauses w the bar it chops up to 70/100, popped every-time I hit the space so if under 256 is the principal then idk lol 512 Samples works like a dream so far but Im trying to warm her up and see what happens

@loopingleo 4 ай бұрын

I am having the same issue :( M1 MBP running Ableton Live 11.3 (wasn’t better with 11.2) and it’s crackling all the time - so much that I am not able to make music and just get annoyed. I realized as I run Output’s Arcade this seems to substantially increase issues.