Working with Samples in Note

There are two main ways to work with samples in Ableton Note. You can record audio directly into a Drum Rack or Melodic Sampler device, or you can import, load, or swap pre-existing audio files. 

Recording samples
Resampling audio
Importing samples
Loading, saving and swapping samples
Sample storage locations

Recording samples

Samples can be added to Note tracks containing a Drum Rack or a Sampler instrument. To record samples directly into Note:

1. From a Note Set, tap a track-header icon to select a track.
2. Tap the name of the current Preset in the upper menu bar, tap Presets to see the full list of available instrument categories, select either Drum Rack or Sampler, and tap Done.
3. In a Drum Rack, tap the pad into which you want to record the sample, then tap Record to start recording. In Sampler, tap Record Sample.
4. If prompted, enable the device's microphone in iOS Settings.
5. The recording indicator, a small red square, will appear in the top right corner of the waveform window. To stop recording, tap the red square.

Resampling audio

In addition to recording samples, you can resample audio output from Note.

1. With other clips playing in a Set, open an empty Sampler or Drum Rack.
2. Long-press the microphone icon in the Sample View of a Drum Rack pad or Sampler device to access the Resample Output recording option.
3. Press Record Sample to record Note's output. You can see the waveform of the audio being recorded, and set the desired volume of the recording.
4. Tap the red square to stop recording and add the audio file to the Drum Rack or Sampler.

Importing samples

You can import samples into Note using AirDrop to load files from another device, or Share to... from other apps. Currently, you can import WAV, AIFF, M4A and MP3 files into Note. M4A and MP3 files are converted to WAV upon import.

Samples can be added to tracks containing a Drum Rack or a Sampler instrument. To add a sample to an empty Drum Rack pad, add a Drum Rack to a track, then select a pad and tap Load Sample.

To AirDrop samples into Note:

1. On the source device, open AirDrop, and drag in the audio file.
2. When prompted whether you would like to share [filename], press Accept.
3. On the iOS device to which you are transferring the file, when prompted to select an app, choose Ableton Note.
4. When Note is opened, choose Yes to import the sample.

Note: Some file sharing services may automatically convert audio files to a non-supported format such as M4A. Additionally, on certain platforms, MP3 files may be incorrectly displayed as WAV. If a specific audio file can't be opened in Note, check that the file is a supported type. 

Loading, saving, and swapping samples

You can load samples into Note's Drum Rack or Melodic Sampler from several sources:

• The Core Library
• Samples previously recorded and saved in Note
• Audio files from another app
• Samples recorded into the current Note Set

To load a sample, select Drum Rack or Sampler (Melodic Sampler) and tap Done.

1. • In Sampler, tap Load to access the browser and navigate to the folder containing the desired sample.
   • In Drum Rack, select the desired pad, then tap Load to access the browser and navigate to the relevant folder.

To swap a Sample onto a pad, whether originating from the Core Library, recorded and saved in Note, imported from another app, or recorded into the current Set:

1. With the desired pad selected, tap the name of the sample at the top of the screen.
2. Navigate to the relevant folder:
   • Libraries → User Library → Imported / Recordings
   • Libraries → Core Library
   • Libraries → Current Set
3. Select the desired sample. 

Audio recorded in a Note Set is saved into a folder accessible from that Set. To access a sample recorded in the same Set:

1. With the desired pad selected, tap the name of the sample at the top of the screen to access the browser.
2. Navigate to Libraries → Current Set → Recordings, and choose the desired sample.

To allow samples to be accessed in a different Set, you must first save them:

1. Tap the name of the sample at the top of the screen to access the browser, then tap the Save button.
2. Enter a name for the sample and tap OK. 

Sample storage locations

On your iOS device, imported and recorded samples can be found in the Files folder at the following paths:

• Files → On My iPhone / iPad → Ableton Note → User Library → Imported
• Files → On My iPhone /  iPad > Ableton Note → User Library → Recordings

In Note, the locations of samples are shown when swapping or loading audio files:

Imported samples:
Libraries → User Library → Imported

Unsaved samples recorded in the current Note Set:
Libraries → Current Set → Recordings

Saved samples, recorded using Drum Rack in Note:
Libraries → User Library → Recordings → Drum Sampler

Saved samples, recorded using Sampler in Note:
Libraries → User Library → Recordings → Melodic Sampler