By Digital Larry
Mon Dec 22, 2025 8:15 pm
I'm using Live Suite 11. I actually got a usable if not perfect result, which was nice as I was starting to think it would be way more difficult.
By way of starters, I am using a multi-row Clip Array where I just trigger the rows one at a time (they also have Follow Actions->Next enabled). I do not trigger clips from different rows even though I know you can do it.
First problem - if you export MIDI as MIDI, and you have some audio tracks as well, it will hang in the save process. You can cancel out of it, at which point you get one of those "Recovered from serious error" screens. Nothing is destroyed in the project fortunately. The Save to folder is created but the process doesn't complete.
So, forget that for now, export MIDI as Audio. Also I did not bother to export the arrangement as clips. Actually I did initially but as there is a problem recording rows to arrangement with "Set Tempo" enabled in Scene Settings (audio "recording" stops at tempo changes), I am not creating the arrangement on the MPC. I think that even if you do have an arrangement on the MPC, it is not transferred to Live.
At that point you can read the ALS file into Live. The clip array reproduces in Session mode. No tempo changes are marked anywhere. The tempo is whatever the global MPC tempo was when you saved the file.
Supposedly you should be able to change tempo in live by putting the desired tempo in the Scene name, but I have not made this work yet, even for a freshly created project not imported from MPC. I recall it working some time back so need to investigate that. In any case, it seems that MPC "Save to Ableton" doesn't try to implement tempo changes.
The audio clips that came from MIDI came over correctly and would stretch and adapt to tempo changes. There was something wrong with imported audio clips (wrong tempo/blank space at the end), but by changing the clip tempo and trimming the loop points I was able to make them work properly as well. I've forgotten the details so I'll try to nail it down next time I do it.
I recorded from Session view into Arrangement view as usual.
The only thing remaining to do is to draw tempo automation in the Master channel in arrangement view. This works fine too.
Anyone else tried this yet?
TL;DR
It mostly works but
a) you have to export MIDI as Audio if you have any audio tracks,
b) It seems like Ableton audio clips which came from MPC Audio tracks need tempo/bar adjustment
c) No tempo change information is preserved.
DL
By way of starters, I am using a multi-row Clip Array where I just trigger the rows one at a time (they also have Follow Actions->Next enabled). I do not trigger clips from different rows even though I know you can do it.
First problem - if you export MIDI as MIDI, and you have some audio tracks as well, it will hang in the save process. You can cancel out of it, at which point you get one of those "Recovered from serious error" screens. Nothing is destroyed in the project fortunately. The Save to folder is created but the process doesn't complete.
So, forget that for now, export MIDI as Audio. Also I did not bother to export the arrangement as clips. Actually I did initially but as there is a problem recording rows to arrangement with "Set Tempo" enabled in Scene Settings (audio "recording" stops at tempo changes), I am not creating the arrangement on the MPC. I think that even if you do have an arrangement on the MPC, it is not transferred to Live.
At that point you can read the ALS file into Live. The clip array reproduces in Session mode. No tempo changes are marked anywhere. The tempo is whatever the global MPC tempo was when you saved the file.
Supposedly you should be able to change tempo in live by putting the desired tempo in the Scene name, but I have not made this work yet, even for a freshly created project not imported from MPC. I recall it working some time back so need to investigate that. In any case, it seems that MPC "Save to Ableton" doesn't try to implement tempo changes.
The audio clips that came from MIDI came over correctly and would stretch and adapt to tempo changes. There was something wrong with imported audio clips (wrong tempo/blank space at the end), but by changing the clip tempo and trimming the loop points I was able to make them work properly as well. I've forgotten the details so I'll try to nail it down next time I do it.
I recorded from Session view into Arrangement view as usual.
The only thing remaining to do is to draw tempo automation in the Master channel in arrangement view. This works fine too.
Anyone else tried this yet?
TL;DR
It mostly works but
a) you have to export MIDI as Audio if you have any audio tracks,
b) It seems like Ableton audio clips which came from MPC Audio tracks need tempo/bar adjustment
c) No tempo change information is preserved.
DL