Sending an Ableton project to someone else? The most common problem I encounter is when opening projects clients send to me, there are often missing samples and plug-ins.
Ableton’s normal save option only stores links to your files, but not the files themselves. Plug-ins never travel with a project at all by the way (after all, they live in your computer’s plug-in folder, not your project!). So with that reasoning, you know the plug-ins themselves must be installed on each computer for full use.
But there is an answer that will let you have your cake and eat it, whether the other party has the plug-ins or not, and it’s super cool… ahem… FREEZING cold. Pun intended! By freezing parts (or all) of the project, you can simultaneously provide a fully accessible project for your collab/production partner AND preserve the full project audio. The best bit is, they don’t even have to own the plug-ins you use to be able to continue using the audio!*
This is the exact process I ask every mixing, mastering and Studio Day client to follow. It’s also the same process I would use for any of my Four Candles productions. Once you get in the habit of doing this, it will become second nature…
1. Open the project and Save As a new copy
Select and open the project you want to send (obviously!). Then Save As a new project and title it something like ‘Project Name [Pre_Collab]’. Save it to a new location, perhaps your Desktop for access. Make sure you know where it is saved.
2. Freeze ALL of your channels
Right click on each channel’s name/header and click Freeze Track.
Why? Freezing renders all of the tracks’ MIDI, instruments and effects into audio. Frozen tracks play on any computer running Live, even if the other person doesn’t own your plug-ins. You won’t need to ‘flatten’ them, as long as you carry out Step 3, next!
Using hardware? Tracks running through Ableton’s External Instrument or External Effect devices can’t be frozen, as they rely on a live signal. Record those parts to audio first.
*Of course, if the other party decides they want to edit the plug-in at their end, but they do not have the plug-in, they would need to purchase it before unfreezing said channel. That said, another workaround I will often do (depending on what I want to achieve) is to bounce the audio, and then edit the audio itself.
3. File > Collect All and Save
Go to File > Collect All and Save. This copies every sample and audio file the project uses into the project folder, including the frozen audio, so nothing is left behind.
4. Zip the whole project FOLDER
Send the full Ableton folder, not just the .als file. The folder contains everything: your samples, the frozen audio and the .als file.
- Mac: right click the folder > Compress
- Windows: right click > Send to > Compressed (zipped) folder
5. Upload and send
Upload the zip to whichever link or service your collaborator uses. Google Drive, Dropbox and WeTransfer all work.
Bonus: it’s the best way to archive your projects too!
This is a whole other topic, but something you should really consider if you are serious about your productions.
The same steps also make a project future-proof. ‘Collect All and Save’ gathers every file into one folder, so nothing breaks if you move or delete samples later. Freezing protects you if a plug-in is updated, discontinued or stops working after a system update. Zip the folder and store it on a backup drive or in the cloud, and the project will still open years from now.
If you don’t do this, you’ll end up learning the hard way (trust me, I was guilty of this for years!)
Okay Kris, but what if I’m collaborating with someone on a different DAW?
Well, an Ableton project only opens in Ableton. If your collaborator uses something else, you have three options, each with limits:
1. Audio stems (works everywhere)
Export each track or group as a WAV, all starting from bar 1 and running the full length of the track, so they line up when imported. Put the tempo (BPM) in the file names.
Limit: audio only. Your collaborator can’t edit the notes, plug-ins or automation behind each sound.
2. Stems plus MIDI files
Export the MIDI clips as well, so your collaborator can edit the parts.
Limit: MIDI carries the notes, not the sounds. They’ll need to choose their own instruments, or use your stem as a guide.
3. DAWproject files
An open format that carries tracks, MIDI and automation between Bitwig, Studio One and Cubase.
Limit: Ableton Live and Logic Pro don’t support it, so it only helps when neither of you is on those.
Whichever route you take, plug-in settings never transfer between DAWs. Note down any key settings, or bounce the sound to audio.
Quick checklist
- Saved as a new copy
- All channels frozen (hardware recorded to audio)
- Collect All and Save done
- Whole folder zipped, not just the .als
- Uploaded
- Different DAW? Stems from bar 1, BPM in the file names
