How to create MIDI clips
Learn to effortlessly create and record MIDI clips in Ableton Live. Master basic MIDI recording, drawing notes, and quantization for your productions.
MIDI & Instruments · intermediate level
Steps
Create a New MIDI Track
In Ableton Live's Session View or Arrangement View, go to the 'Create' menu and select 'Insert MIDI Track' (Ctrl+Shift+T / Cmd+Shift+T). This will add a new MIDI track to your project, ready for clip creation.
Record MIDI into a Clip
Arm the MIDI track for recording by clicking its 'Arm Recording' button (the red circle). Then, click the 'Session Record' button (the red circle with a dot) in the Master track to start recording MIDI from your connected controller into a new clip.
Draw Notes in a MIDI Clip
Double-click an empty MIDI clip slot in Session View or a blank area on a MIDI track in Arrangement View to create a new, empty MIDI clip. Use the pencil tool (B) to draw notes directly into the MIDI Note Editor, specifying pitch, position, and duration.
Edit and Quantize MIDI Notes
Select notes within the MIDI Note Editor by clicking and dragging. Use the 'Quantize' function from the 'Edit' menu (Ctrl+U / Cmd+U) to align notes to the grid, improving rhythmic precision. Adjust velocity, pitch bend, and other MIDI parameters in the Device View below.