What are dummy clips?
Dummy clips are either audio clips that do not send any audio or MIDI clips that don't send out any notes. The only thing that dummy clips do, is modulating the effects or instruments in the track.
You can draw envelopes in the clips for any available parameter in the envelopes section of the clip. This is useful for building your own palette of filter sweeps, fades, FX build-ups, etc.... Which can be cool to have around for your production needs and it especially kicks ass in Live sets. The purpose of audio dummy clips, is to be able to have an automated effect by triggering a clip. MIDI dummy clips can be used in the same way as audio dummy clips and are also used for complex sequencing and routings.
Audio dummy clips: Dry/Wet clips.
To make an audio dummy clip, you need one short sample, any sample, this may even be an empty audio file. And an audio track with effects on it. For this tip we'll use an effect that has a Dry/Wet parameter on it, like Ableton's Chorus, Flanger, Grain Delay, Phaser, Ping Pong Delay, Resonators, Reverb, Saturator or Simple Delay.
We will start of with making a dry clip and then a wet clip. A dry clip is the default state of an audio dummy clip, it means that no effects can be heard. All the audio that is passed thru that track, will not be affected when the dry clip is playing. A wet clip is the effect at 100%. Lets make these clips now!
• Open Live and start with 2 audio tracks.
• Put one of your favorite songs in track 1.
• Route the audio from track 1 to track 2. Set monitor to 'in' on track 2. And make sure that both tracks are not receiving any audio from hardware or other sources by setting audio from to 'No Input'.
• Put a sample in the first clip slot of track 2 and rename the clip to "Dry". This sample will be used for all our audio dummy clips. Notice that this clip does not output any sound when you trigger it. (Which would be obvious if you're using an empty sample like I previously suggested. But no audio will be outputted by any audio clip, while monitor on a track is set to 'in'. So it doesn't matter which audio file you use.
• Make sure that the sample you use for this clip has an even loop length. And that the loop button is turned on.
• Drag an Ableton resonators effect to track 2 and set the Dry/Wet parameter to 100%.
• Go to the envelopes editor of your dummy clip. Set the envelope of the resonators Dry/Wet parameter to 0% If you trigger your song in track 1 and the Dry dummy clip on track 2, you will hear no effect on the sound.
• Copy your Dry clip on track 2 to the second slot. Rename it to "Wet".
• Go to the envelopes editor of your dummy clip. Set the envelope of the resonators Dry/Wet parameter to 100% If you trigger your song in track 1 and the Wet dummy clip on track 2, you will hear the resonators at full force.
Note:
There are 2 types of clip envelopes that we need to cover. The first type are clip envelopes that go from 0% to 100% (see picture above) The envelope automation is relative to the parameter that you are automating. So you will need to put the parameter on the effect / instrument to 100% to have absolute control. The second type are clip envelopes that go from -50% to +50% (see picture below). To have absolute control over these parameters, you will need to put the parameter on the effect / instrument and the clip envelope to 0% (the middle).
Now that we covered the basics of automating an effect, you can start building your own palette of filter sweeps, FX build-ups, crazy modular effects, volume chops (automate the track volume envelope of the mixer), resonators sequences and anything else you can think off. I have made a little template to get you started: - Click here to download the example
