Tuning Systems FAQ
Ableton Live's Tuning Systems allow you to work outside the 12-tone equal temperament system. Tunings work with most Live devices and MPE-capable plug-ins.
- In Live, visit Help > Built-in Lessons > What’s New in Live > Tuning Systems.
- For tips on most features, type [?] to show Info View, then hover your cursor over the relevant feature. For in-depth explanations, visit the Live Manual.
Finding and accessing Tuning Systems
Tunings with MIDI
Tunings with devices
About Tuning Systems
Finding and accessing Tuning Systems
How do I know if a Tuning System is active?
When a Tuning System is activated, it will be displayed in the Tuning view, below Live’s Browser sidebar.
How is the list of available tunings organized?
Available tunings are sorted numerically and alphabetically.
Why is my specific tuning system not available?
The Tuning Systems included represent only a small subset of possible tunings. You can also import your system of choice, or a self-created system. Live will support any valid Scala file in the original format (.scl) or Ableton's format (.ascl).
Can I import or create my own Tuning Systems files?
Any existing Scala (.scl) file can be loaded into Live. Simply drag and drop the file into the Tuning section under Live’s Browser. You can also create and edit Scala files in our interactive Scala editor. Head to https://tuning.ableton.com/ to learn more.
Can Tuning Systems be hot-swapped?
It's not possible to hot-swap Tuning Systems, but they are quick to load. Just double-click a Tuning System in the Browser, or select it and press Enter.
Tunings with MIDI
What happens when I export a MIDI Clip?
What you see in the piano roll will be exported as part of the MIDI Clip, but information about what tuning it was created with will not be included. For example, an instance of note number 45 will be exported as note number 45, regardless of what pitch this may have yielded with a tuning applied.
How do I preserve the sound of my MIDI Clip?
The same MIDI Clip, created in one tuning, may sound very different if loaded with a different tuning applied, or if loaded in software that doesn’t support tunings. To export a MIDI Clip for use in a context that does not support tunings and have it sound as close as possible to the original, in Live’s Options menu enable “Retune Set on Loading Tuning Systems,” select the tuning “12-TET(EDO),” then export the Clip. Then use Undo to return to your desired tuning.
Are microtonal sharps and flats exported with the MIDI file for use in notation programs?
MPE information for microtonal retuning is not included in MIDI file export.
What happens to MIDI notes when I load or remove a tuning system? What does the option “Retune Set on loading Tuning Systems” do?
When the Tuning System of a Live Set is deleted or changed, existing MIDI notes won't produce the same pitch. Live has two options to deal with this situation. When the Option menu setting "Retune Set on loading Tuning Systems" is enabled, MIDI notes in existing clips will be moved to the tuned note that is nearest in pitch, or deleted. As this is a destructive action, a pop-up will warn you about it.
With "Retune Set on loading Tuning Systems" disabled, MIDI notes will retain the same note index in the new tuning as in the previous one. This change is non-destructive, so there is no pop-up. However, the notes likely won't play the same pitches as before.
What does Bypass Tuning do?
When the Bypass Tuning toggle in the track In/Out section is enabled, MIDI instruments and plug-ins receive the original MIDI without any retuning. This is important for instruments like Drum Rack, where the MIDI note number is typically used to select which drum to play, as opposed to instruments where the MIDI note is traditionally used to decide which pitch to play.
Can I adjust how my MIDI controller maps to notes in an activated Tuning System?
With a Tuning System loaded, MIDI tracks will have a drop down in the track In/Out section showing "All keys". Select a layout to determine how MIDI controllers map to the loaded tuning system for this track or create a Custom Controller Layout.
Tunings with devices
What Live Instruments do Tuning Systems work with?
All software Instruments native to Live, except Drum Synths, work with tunings.
Do tuning systems apply to external hardware?
Tuning systems can be applied to external hardware if Live is configured to output MPE and the instrument supports it. Make sure MPE is enabled on the device and the per-note pitch bend range is set to ±48. Learn more about Live's MIDI Preferences.
Does the Tuner device follow Tuning Systems?
Live’s Tuner device does not follow the loaded tuning system. It follows the diatonic scale, as in previous versions of Live.
Can tuning systems be used with third-party plug-ins or Max for Live devices?
Tuning Systems apply to VST2, VST3 and AU devices if they are MPE-compatible, as well as to MPE-compatible Max for Live devices. Make sure MPE is enabled on the relevant device, and that the device’s per-note pitch bend range is set to ±48.
Why is MPE pitch bend not following the loaded Tuning System?
Currently MPE pitch bend follows the standard equal temperament tuning (12-TET). For example, using Note Pitch Bend to the next note will be equal to 1st in the 12-TET tuning system, even if this note has a different pitch in the loaded tuning.
About Tuning Systems
What is the purpose of Tuning Systems? Do I have to use them?
You are welcome to use Live without exploring tunings. We encourage you to follow your own preferred tuning system, and to try different ones. Tuning Systems is an optional feature for expanding available pitch possibilities, to include a range of conventions and approaches.
Can the reference pitch be changed when using standard equal temperament tunings?
The reference pitch can only be changed once a Tuning System is loaded. The Core Library includes the tuning 12-TET(EDO), which matches Live's standard equal temperament tunings, however it does not work with the existing scales functions.
Is the loaded Tuning System saved with the Live Set?
When saving a Live Set, the loaded Tuning System will be saved within the Live Set file (.als file). To export a loaded tuning to your User Library as an .ascl file, click the Save button in the Tuning section.
Why doesn't my .scl file produce the tuning I expect in Live?
A .scl file defines a tuning system as a set of intervals, rather than determining the absolute frequencies of notes in the system. This means it defines the distance of each note in the system from some base pitch, which must be set via a “reference pitch” before note frequencies can be calculated. For example, in 12TET (twelve tone equal temperament tuning), the reference pitch A3 (the note A in the third octave) is typically defined with a frequency of 440Hz. Applying a different value, such as 432 Hz, results in different frequencies being calculated for all notes, even though the tuning system is still 12TET.
A basic .scl file contains no reference pitch. In some cases, this can be supplied with a paired .kbm file. However, many software tools that import .scl files don’t support .kbm files. In this case, the software using the .scl file must apply a reference pitch, which can either be configurable via the tool’s UI or hardcoded. Live does not support .kbm files, but the .ascl files shipped with Live, unlike basic .scl files, do include a reference pitch.
When a .scl file without a reference pitch is loaded, Live generates a reference pitch, in order to determine frequencies for all the notes in the tuning system, by assigning the frequency 440 Hz to a note near the middle of the 0-127 MIDI range. The remaining notes in the system are then derived from this reference. If you have a .scl file you’ve used previously in some other tool, it may sound different in Live, since that tool may have used a different strategy to determine the reference pitch.
To correct this, you can try to determine the reference pitch used by that tool and adjust the reference pitch used in Live via the tuning UI. You can also do this “by ear”, and simply tweak the reference pitch in Live until it matches the tuning in the other tool. Once you’ve corrected the reference pitch, you can export your tuning from Live as a .ascl file so that you don’t need to repeat these steps every time you use that tuning in Live – the tuning will be exported as a .ascl file containing the custom reference pitch you set. Just click the Save icon in the tuning UI.
Where can I learn more about Live’s Tuning Systems?
Click the right-most button in Live’s Tuning section to access Ableton’s Tuning website. If more information about the loaded Tuning System is available, it will directly be displayed there.