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Guide · 2 min read

DreamSampler in Ableton Live

Load the DreamSampler instrument on a track in Ableton Live, play the live buffer, and record what you play.

Install DreamSampler first

Add DreamSampler to a track

  1. 1In the Plugin Browser, find DreamSampler under VST3.
  2. 2Drag it onto a MIDI track, or double-click to add it to the selected track.
  3. 3Click Sign in and finish in your browser if you haven't yet, then load a source and click Connect. Once the live buffer fills, its waveform appears and the pads are playable.

Play it

  1. 1In Slice mode (the default), trigger slices from the on-screen pads, the z x c v … / a s d f … keyboard rows, or MIDI notes from C1.
  2. 2Switch to Classic or 1-Shot to play the whole buffer chromatically or as one-shots — both are MIDI-driven, so feed the track a MIDI clip or your controller.

Record the output

  1. 1Add a second, empty Audio track to your Set.
  2. 2On the second track, set Audio From to the DreamSampler track and the input to Post FX, and set Monitor to In.
  3. 3Arm the second track and hit Record — Ableton captures what you play as a new audio clip.
  4. 4When done, set Monitor back to Off.
The buffer stays essentially the same until parameters change — a replayed MIDI clip sounds the same as long as you leave the controls alone. Once you tweak the prompt or a control, the buffer regenerates and the old audio is gone, so record takes you want to keep.