If you've been using Ableton for any amount of time, you are probably aware that it is designed to keep you "in the flow" so that you can quickly capture inspiration without getting bogged down by technology.

As part of the release of Ableton Live 12, on March 5, 2024, the Ableton team has thoughtfully come up with intuitive keyboard shortcuts to help speed up your workflow so that you don't need to think very much in order to see your ideas come to life.

I would highly encourage you to open up Ableton Live 12 and try each shortcut in this blog post for yourself. This will build up your muscle memory to the point that they become second nature for you.

1. Toggle Mixer: ⌘+Alt+M (Ctrl+Alt+M)

In Live 12, Ableton added the ability to access the mixer in the Arrangement View. While this feature was previously only available in certain DAWs like Logic Pro, Ableton users can now use this shortcut to bring up the mixer in Ableton Live 12.

Having access to the mixer in arrangement view is a game-changer. You can adjust parameters and monitor levels for a specific section of your arrangement. This allows remain focused and not switch contexts.

2. Toggle Inputs and Outputs: ⌘+Alt+I (Ctrl+Alt+I)

Inputs and outputs can often be one of those "set and forget" parts of Ableton Live workflow. Your inputs and outputs certainly don't require precious space on your screen at all times. This is especially true when you have the browser, your device chain, clip view and the mixer, all competing for the same space.

Use this shortcut to toggle the presence of inputs and outputs in the mixer. Note that this works in both Arrangement View and Session View

3. Toggle Sends: ⌘+Alt+S (Ctrl+Alt+S)

Use this shortcut to toggle the presence of your sends in the mixer in both Arrangement View and Session View.

4. Open/Close Live's Second Window: ⌘+Shift+W (Ctrl+Shift+W)

If you are working with a multiple monitor setup, it can be helpful to have different views of the project on each screen. For example, you can view the project in Session View for a dedicated mixing window in one monitor, while viewing the arrangement in your other monitor.

Use the same shortcut to close the second window when it is not in use.

5. Toggle Browser: ⌘+Alt+B (Ctrl+Alt+B)

You'll often need to use your browser to find a plugin or to search for a particular sample for your track. But after you've found what you are looking for, the browser doesn't need to be occupying the left section of the screen. It can be kind of a "drag" to have to open or dismiss the browser with your mouse on such occasions (no pun intended).

Use this shortcut to quickly show or hide the browser as needed.

6. Play Selection: Alt+Space (Ctrl+Space)

Experienced producers are aware of their natural tendency to over-listen to the good parts of their track. They know how this is detrimental to progress. Focus is a limited resource and you want to spend your time in a session on what needs to get done, not on what is already done.

That is why this shortcut is a great way to narrow your focus to the section of the song that needs attention. Maybe it's a transition, the second verse, or the bridge. With this shortcut, once the selected section is played, the playhead comes to a stop. This allows you to make the next move without getting sucked into listening to your drop for the fourteenth time.

7. Freeze/Unfreeze selected tracks: ⌘+Alt+Shift+F (Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F)

Ableton 12 introduced a shortcut to a very popular Live function, the ability to freeze a track or a selection of tracks. Freezing a track can be a great way to free up memory that was used to power the plugins in the track's device chain. Freezing can be done to both audio or midi tracks alike.

Use this shortcut when you are happy with how a track sounds and you are ready to commit it to audio. You can always unfreeze it later to change something if necessary. Use the same shortcut to unfreeze a frozen track or a selection of frozen tracks.

8. Enable/Disable Metronome: O

Use this shortcut to toggle Live's metronome ON or OFF

9. Toggle Expanded Clip View: ⌘+Alt+E (Ctrl+Alt+E)

Use this shortcut expand Live's Clip View.

You can use the same shortcut to revert back to the small clip view once you are done making edits to your clip.

10. View Notes Panel: Alt+Shift+1

Use this shortcut to jump to the Notes panel within Clip View.

This panel contains settings pertaining to how Live plays a MIDI clip, as well as a collection of tools for transforming the notes within the clip.

11. View Envelopes Panel: Alt+Shift+2

Use this shortcut to jump to the Envelope Editor in Clip View

From this panel you can automate or modulate the track's effects, mixer, and clip or MIDI controls.

12. View MPE Panel: Alt+Shift+3

Use this shortcut to jump to the Clip View's MPE Editor

From this panel, you can view and edit MIDI Polyphonic Expression (MPE) for each note in a clip. More details here.

13. Join MIDI Notes: ⌘+J (Ctrl+J)

Live 12 allows you to combine multiple MIDI notes played at different times into a single MIDI note. This can come in handy when experimenting with rhythmic or melodic ideas.

14. Chop Notes: ⌘+E (Ctrl+E)

Similar to joining separate MIDI notes into a single note, your creative flow might lead you to want to separate a note or a chord into one or more instances. Use this shortcut to accomplish this.

15. Fit Notes to Time Range: ⌘+Alt+J (Ctrl+Alt+J)

With this shortcut, you no longer need to drag the ends of notes to set their length. You can just select the region and use this shortcut to make any notes that fall within the region to conform to the region's length.

16. Group MIDI Notes: ⌘+G (Ctrl+G)

If you need to operate on only a specific set of midi notes, now you can group them so that any change to one note is also applied to all members of a group.

This comes in handy when editing velocities, probabilities or other midi clip parameters

17. Ungroup MIDI Notes: ⌘+Shift+G (Ctrl+Shift+G)

If you need to ungroup a set of grouped midi notes, this is the shortcut to use.

18. Invert Note Selection: ⌘+Shift+A (Ctrl+Shift+A)

Perhaps you know you want to operate on all MIDI notes except a few specific ones. With this shortcut, you can select the few notes you do not want to edit, and then use this shortcut to select the inverse.

19. Adjust Note Velocity: ⌘+↑/↓ (Alt+↑/↓)

Say you recorded some piano, but you played a little too loud. This shortcut allows you to preserve your performance by reducing the velocity for just the selected notes. The difference in velocity between notes will still be preserved.

20. Adjust Velocity Deviation: ⌘+Shift+↑/↓ (Alt+Shift+↑/↓)

Live 11 introduced velocity deviation, which is the ability for Live to generate random velocities for notes within a specified velocity range, thereby making the performance sound more alive and spontaneous every time.

This shortcut allows you to introduce positive or negative velocity deviation to a selected group of notes

21. Adjust Note Chance: ⌘+Alt+↑/↓ (Ctrl+Alt+↑/↓)

Similar to velocity and velocity deviation, this shortcut allows you to introduce note probability. By default, new notes in a clip have a 100% probability of firing, but with this shortcut, you can introduce or change a notes probability of firing within a clip.

Final Thoughts on these New Ableton 12 Shortcuts

If you made it this far, congrats! You now understand the power of Ableton's newest keyboard shortcuts and can apply them to your workflow.

I recommend adopting one shortcut at a time. Keep a cheat sheet on your desk or put a sticky note on your monitor. Then move on to the next shortcut, and then the next, until you don’t have to think about it anymore.

Eventually, you will impress your artist friends with your lightning production speed. Not to mention all of the awesome musical ideas you will be creating too.

These Might Also Interest You:

If you find that you are looking for help improving the quality of your music but don't know where to begin, check out the The Hyperbits Masterclass.

If you are already confident in your skills as a producer and are ready to start growing a fanbase on SoundCloud, check out Artist Management.