Create a Finger-Drumming Rack in Ableton Live (Basics)
What you'll learn
- Gain knowledge on how to set up Ableton for live recording.
- Get to know how to create a session to record and process sounds with the help of simpler and drum rack.
- Take first steps in sound processing to create beats, percussive sounds, basses, leads and pads.
- Create a playable set of sounds to play it live on your controller or keyboard.
- Learn the basics of finger drumming!
- Have fun making some live music without spending money for instruments, software plugins or equipment!
Requirements
- You will need a computer with Ableton Live installed (the Demo version will do, there's no need to buy the full version). The course principles can easily be adapted to a different DAW for experienced users.
- An input source to record the sounds will be needed for some parts of the course. Any built-in mic, usb mic or external mic will do. If you don't have a microphone, you may download the samples I recorded in the course videos to use them.
- If you have a microphone at hand, you'll need some items you want to record, preferably from your kitchen, garden or garage!
- A pad controller would be handy, but is not mandatory. You can use your computer keyboard to play all the sounds as well.
Description
1200+ students enrolled, lifetime access and a 30 day money back guarantee in case you're not satisfied with the content!*
Please note: Free previews of 3 lectures available! Just scroll to the curriculum section to see where we start, how a kick drum sound is processed and what the possible result could sound like.
Latest Update: To help you getting started, my version of the Ableton Live Session can now be downloaded. Just look at the material of lecture "Setting Up The Live Session"!
Summary:
This course will teach beginners how to set up a session for recording in Ableton Live, records sounds created with items from your household and turn them into a finger-drumming rack.
You will learn to cut samples, process them with Simpler, shape sounds with envelope and filter and play them with your computer keyboard or a midi controller. With clever arrangement and some practice, you will be able to play the processed sounds with both hands simultaneously and create basic drum loops accompanied by simple melodic elements.
Therefore we will:
- set up a live session to work with
- set up your input source
- choose proper items to record
- shape drum- and percussion sounds
- process a bass sounds
- use looping techniques to get pads and lead sounds
- spice up the sounds with Simpler's built in audio fx and Ableton's midi fx
- arranging the sounds for playback on keyboard or midi controller
- play the rack!
Finger drumming is a fun way to develop simple rhythmical ideas and improve your coordination, even if you have never played an instrument. The recordings are made from items you'll find at home.
The course consists of video modules only. Some lectures have downloads available to help you in your process. Choose whatever items you like to use during the course. Watching and understanding the videos will take about 2 hours, but I recommend to execute all tasks show in the lessons directly after watching. Still, after you gathered your items and installed a version of Ableton, the course can be completed in about 3 to 4 hours without any problems.
If you're completely new to the topic, I recommend to watch the lectures once to understand the basic idea and then re-watch it to support you in settingup, recording, processing and playing, step by step.
No special equipment needed! You will most likely own everything needed to complete this course!
*May not be available for app-in purchases, please check conditions before buying.
Who this course is for:
- Students who are interested in sound design.
- Students who like to learn the basics of finger drumming.
- Students who are interested in recording and processing sounds in Ableton Live.
- Students who want to improve their hearing or coordination skills.
Instructor
![Marc "Selec" Zimmermann](data:image/svg+xml,%3Csvg xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" viewBox="0 0 64 64"%3E%3C/svg%3E){kind=avatar}
- 4.5 Instructor Rating
- 665 Reviews
- 8,398 Students
- 8 Courses
I'm a DJ, producer, remixer, radio host and music lover from Dortmund (Germany). I'm also a teacher and trainer for DJing and Music Production at the VibrA School of DJing, the largest association of DJ schools in Europe.
Teaching to me is more than just knowing technical facts and details about my field of expertise. It's about giving the student a feeling of "I can understand this!" or "I can do this too!" and talk to him in a way so he can really achieve the knowledge without being an expert before the training.
I took a long way: In 1995, I bought my first turntables and started my first steps as a DJ and amateur producer. I played countless club gigs all over Germany and I still host a weekly fm live radio show named “Schwarzmarkt" (german for “black market"), which is on air live since 2002, every Friday night on Dortmund's fm college radio “eldoradio*". Besides, I was engaged in producing, working with lots of artists and musicians and doing remixes for contests. Since 2006 I additionally work as teacher and trainer at Europe's biggest association of DJ-Schools, the “VibrA – School of Djing" in Dortmund (and Münster for the time it existed) to coach DJs and producers coming from all styles of music in the arts of mixing, scratching and producing.
Some things I did and achieved in the last years:
1995 - today: Club-DJ in various locations
2002 - 2022: Host and Radio-DJ at fm radio station eldoradio* in Dortmund with my own weekly live show
2006 - today: Teacher for DJing at the VibrA School of DJing in Dortmund
2012 - today: Teacher for Music Production at the VibrA School of DJing in Dortmund
2008 - 2010: Teacher for DJing at the VibrA School of DJing in Münster
I passed the test for the Teacher Certificate at the VibrA with "Sehr Gut" (best grade possible).
I planned and executed workshop, seminars and lectures, f.e. at the "Ruhrpuls Festival" in Bochum (2012), for the LfM (Landesanstalt für Medien, 2013) and as an expert for Music Production, DJing and Remixing I lectured at a academic high school (Q1 and Q2 am Gymnasium, 2014).
Being a producer and remixer, my work got (and will be) released on several labels since 2011, i.e. Renegade Media (Toronto, Canada), Dubstep Division (Berlin, Germany), Redlight Media Germany (Krefeld, Germany), UK Breakbeat (London, England), DivisionBass (Bristol, England), Boomrush Productions (Germany) and Deep In The Jungle Records (also England).
Additionally I am producer of the current mixtape series "Rootsstep To The World" for Rootstep Division Recordings (Berlin, Germany) with more than 20 issues within the last year.