Ableton- Can't record audio track while drum track is playing

toneranger

New member
Hi All,

So I've got a drums sample into my third track "EZdrummer" (see pic attached) and when I have the red button at the bottom of the track on, I can hear the playback through my headphones.

I now want to record a bass line in "Audio 1" but when I arm this track, it automatically disarms my EZdrummer track.

How do I get the drums track to run so I can lay down my bass line to it?

Thanks,
TR
 

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OK, you can't run MIDI recording and Audio recording at the same time. First, unless you have a drum pad or something recording the MIDI, turn the record arm off. If you want to play the drum pattern, go to EZ, find grooves, select you variation and drag it to cell. (In your pic, the one you have highlighted). Make sure it is on loop and just play the drum loop (for more complex playing, I go to arrangement view so I can put in a pattern, verse, chorus, verse or whatever combination.

Once you have the drums playing the loop, now go to the audio channel 1, make sure you have channel 1 or 2 selected (for a mono recording). Select where you want that to record to, Arm the record, hit record at the top and it should arm that cell. It should start recording.
 
DM60,

Thank you! I could only get it to work by making having the red button on (red music note sign, see pic) in the EZDrummer clip slot and holding down the CTRL key when arming my Audio 1 track to lay down the bass. Is that normal? Or should I still be able to do it the way you described? The only way I could get the drum track to play was to have that red button engaged on the EZDrummer track, otherwise I couldn't hear anything through my headphones.
 
DM60,

Thank you! I could only get it to work by making having the red button on (red music note sign, see pic) in the EZDrummer clip slot and holding down the CTRL key when arming my Audio 1 track to lay down the bass. Is that normal? Or should I still be able to do it the way you described? The only way I could get the drum track to play was to have that red button engaged on the EZDrummer track, otherwise I couldn't hear anything through my headphones.

If you want EZ to play in the background, just select in. Then it will pass the sound through without it having to be armed.

I will need to double check my first recommendation. The side bar remarks might be right. There should be no reason why analog and MIDI can't record together.

I will follow up after get a chance to try it. Since I solo I haven't really done that, so I may have given bad advice.
 
Last edited:
I did give bad advice.

First, I was able to play EZ and hit the record but Ableton didn't record anything because it did not receive any MIDI signals, but it played. If you were playing the EZ and you were wanting to play around with a guitar (mic or some analog input), then you would either hit record (with auto) or just IN which is "pass through" that way you can play to the drums with EZ (without a clip) and play with plugins, to get a sound you are looking for. Mainly I use it for starting my setup or to experiment what sound I want, which influences how I play.

When you are ready to record (In session view), select record with auto selected, pick the clip area you want to record to and it should count you in. Now that is recording a clip in the are you selected.

Arrangement view works more like those "other" DAWs work. Ya know, in a straight boring line. But you can take your clips in Session view and select the various clips and record to the arrangement view. That is mainly for people who are doing some kind of live performance with a controller and they want to save the performance to play back. But that is a totally different topic. Just letting the other people know. :P
 
i never used midi "per say" however while using session drummer in Sonar 8.5 producer ( i can still use it ) i would normally get my tempo (BPS ) figured out and select a useable drum pattern for the style or genre... i would then record a "scratch acoustic /vocal track" then lay down a good bass line...then go back and choose a drum part and create a drum kit and fills where i needed them from the material that would play in my head ( i usually can hear the whole compostion in my head for some reason )...anyway that is one way i would do it...if i liked the kick or snare per say i would go back and "mute" the kit except the intrument i.e. kick, snare, tom hits etc... and export as a wave and bring it back in as a recorded track...another way you can do it is export your midi as a wave file and then import the whole thing as a wave as well and then arm your bass channel and there ya have it! when i finally switch from Sonar i will keep it so i can use session drummer as a plug in for what ever DAW i choose ( leaning towards presonus studio one pro and motu Digital performer 9.5 ):guitar:
 
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