How to Import From a CD to Ableton Live 8

You can't import a CD directly into the Ableton Live program, only already imported sound files.

Ableton Live is a popular music program used by home recording enthusiasts, professional music producers, DJs and electronic music performers. The program touts its ability to create "on-the-fly editing" of sound files, but there is a catch --- the sound file has to already be imported onto your computer's hard drive. Unlike digital media player applications such as iTunes or the Windows Media Player, Ableton Live does not have a CD import function. However, as soon as the CD is imported, Ableton Live is compatible with a wide range of audio file formats.

Things You'll Need

• Computer
• Ableton Live
• CD importing program

Instructions

1. Insert the CD into your computer's CD drive.

2. Activate a CD importing program.

3. Import the CD.

4. Convert the audio file format of the imported CD's files if necessary to a format compatible with Ableton Live. This should not be a problem as most CD importing programs by default import the audio as a MP3, AIFF or WAV file, all of which are compatible with Ableton Live.

5. Find the location of the imported audio files on your computer, open them with Ableton Live and begin using them in the program.

Tips & Warnings

• Audio file formats that are compatible with Ableton Live include MP3, AAC, Ogg Vorbis, Ogg FLAC, FLAC, WAV, AIF, REX and Sound Designer II.

• Like most music production software, Ableton Live uses a lot of CPU while operating, so depending on your computer's capabilities it may be a good idea to import CDs before operating Ableton Live so the functionality of either program is not affected.

References

• Ableton: Downloads: Ableton reference manuals
• Ableton: Community: Artists: Daft Punk: Thomas Bangalter Finds Live at the Heart of the Machine

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish