Learners explore and build the core parts of a bass music project - the drums, the bass, and the space. The starter project is loaded with a handful of devices and clips to allow any user to start exploring the style. More experienced users will enjoy building upon the sample clips to make something of their own, while beginners can explore the genre through the provided content. Learners will walk away from this activity with a recorded arrangement all their own.
Learning: Programming | Bass sound design (Sub & Mid) | Space/FX | Arrangement
What’s needed: Live 12.0 Standard or higher | Headphones
What’s included: Learner Live Set with included Help View instructions (14.8 MB) | Teacher guide
Level: Beginner-Intermediate level understanding of navigating Live’s Session view
Author: Kaite Watson - aka Aimerie - Artist & Ableton Certified Trainer
Activity Overview
As beginning students dive into making music with Ableton Live, the power of Live’s Browser is often overlooked. That’s understandable—its deep functionality can feel overwhelming at first. But with a bit of knowledge and practice, the Browser becomes an invaluable tool in the music-making process.Features like Filtering and Tags can help students stay organized, find sounds faster, and stay in the creative flow. Mastering the Browser doesn’t just speed up workflow—it can also lead to morefocused and inspired results.
Learning: Browser | Filtering | Sound Similarity
What’s needed: Live 12.0 Intro or higher | Headphones
What’s included: Demonstration videos | Learner Live Set with built-in guide and links to demonstration videos on YouTube
Level: Beginner understanding of Session View and Clips
Author: Ian Gallagher - Artist/Educator, Ableton Certified Trainer
Activity Overview
Learning to perform a dub remix can help students understand Ableton Live’s Session View. In this classroom activity, students familiarise themselves with Live’s Session View by rehearsing and performing their own arrangements. Students experiment with techniques such as clip triggering, fader manipulation, and FX sends, developing the necessary skills to deliver engaging dub performances.
Learning: Arrangement | Effects | Genre
What’s needed: Live 12.0 Intro or higher | Headphones
What’s included: Demonstration videos | Learner Live Set with built-in guide and links to demonstration videos on YouTube | Resources on historical and contemporary context
Level: Beginner-level understanding of Session View
Author: Mel Uye-Parker - Artist/Educator, Ableton Certified Trainer, Professor of Electronic Music (Guildhall School of Music & Drama)
Activity Overview
Learning how to compose drum beats in different genres can help with understanding MIDI programming techniques as well as rhythmical fingerprints of specific styles. In this classroom activity learners develop their understanding of this by programming and editing from basic patterns into a fully developed beat that is influenced by the UK Garage style.
Learning: Rhythm | MIDI | Genre
What’s needed: Live 11.3 Intro or higher | Headphones
What’s included: Demonstration videos | Beat Design poster | Teacher Guide | Learner Live Set with built-in guide and links to demonstration videos on YouTube (15.8 MB)
Level: Beginner level understanding of Session View
Author: James Tuck - Ableton Certified Trainer, Secondary School Head of Music & Musical Futures Tech Champion from the UK
Activity Overview
With Ableton Live’s Warping feature musicians can easily manipulate audio recordings for creative and corrective purposes. One way it can be used is by shifting the timing of individual notes – whether to put them in (or out) of time as well as completely changing the rhythm. In this classroom activity learners create and move warp markers to alter the rhythm of a bass line to match the kick drum.
Learning: Warping Audio | Rhythm | Aural Skills
What’s needed: Live 11.3 Intro or higher | Headphones
What’s included: Learner Live Set with included Help View instructions (8.3 MB) | Teacher Live Set with activity already completed (11.6 MB) | Teacher guide | Drum rhythm worksheet Drum notation (PDF & Musescore 4) | Warp marker video
Level: Beginner level understanding of Session View & critical listening.
Author: James Tuck - Ableton Certified Trainer, Secondary School Head of Music & Musical Futures Tech Champion from the UK
Activity Overview
Risers are a staple of modern music production, whether that be in Electronic Dance Music styles, Pop or Rock. Whilst it is possible to use risers from sample libraries, it is always preferable to understand the process. In this classroom activity the learner engages with three techniques to program a white noise riser effect.
Learning: Effects | Automation | Modulation
What’s needed: Live 11.3 Intro or higher | Headphones
What’s included: Learner Live Set with included Help View instructions (8.1 MB) | Teacher guide | Learner demonstration videos
Level: Beginner level understanding of Session View.
Author: James Tuck - Ableton Certified Trainer, Secondary School Head of Music & MusicalFutures Tech Champion from the UK
Activity Overview
Creating original sounds from scratch using a synthesiser is a critical skill used in modern music production. This classroom activity allows for beginners and those with experience of sound design to develop and demonstrate their understanding of how sound can be shaped through synthesis using Ableton’s approachable and great sounding synthesiser, Drift.
Learning: Sound design | Critical listening | Synthesis
What’s needed: Live 11.3 Intro or higher | Headphones
What’s included: Teacher guide | Teacher Live Set (839 KB) | Learner Live Set with built-in guide (6.1 MB)
Level: Beginner-Intermediate level understanding of navigating Live’s Session view
Author: James Tuck - Ableton Certified Trainer, Secondary School Head of Music & Musical Futures Tech Champion from the UK
Activity Overview
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