Applies to: All interfaces

Attached to this article is a template for Ableton for recording a microphone and guitar/instrument with a Scarlett interface. If you want to record your voice and guitar with Ableton then this article is a great starting point for you. 

The template is designed so it will work from all interfaces from the Scarlett Solo to our larger interfaces.

Scarlett Set Up

To use the attached template there are a few things you need to do first:

• Install Ableton Live 11 or Live Lite 11.
• Connect your Scarlett interface to your computer.
• On macOS, make sure Ableton can access your recording device.
• Make sure your Scarlett is set as the audio input/output device in audio preferences.
• Connect your microphone to input 1 of your Scarlett.
• Connect your guitar to input 2 of your Scarlett and turn on 'INST'.

Make sure you've turned the gain up on the front panel of your Scarlett, so the gain halo is flashing green when you sing or play the guitar.

Download the Template

You can download the session template linked at the bottom of the article named:

Scarlett Microphone and Guitar Ableton Recording Template.als

How the Template looks

When you open the Ableton template you will see a screen like this:

1. Click ▶︎ to playback your recording (you can also use your keyboard's spacebar to play/stop).
2. Click ● [Record button] to begin your recording.
3. Click this Record Arm button to enable the microphone input (input 1).
4. Adjust the blue sliders to change the level of the track or amount of Reverb (left slider) and Delay (right slider) on the microphone channel.
5. Click this Record Arm Button to enable the guitar/instrument input (input 2).
6. Adjust the blue sliders to change the level of the track or amount of Reverb (left slider) and Delay (right slider) on the guitar/instrument channel.
7. Hover your mouse over these coloured boxes to find out more about the channel in the 'Notes' section– see 8.
8. Here you can see 'Notes' we have added for each of the channels to help you use them, you can also hover over anything in Ableton to see a description of that feature in this box.

Using the Template

To use the template:

1. Make sure the Record Arm buttons [2/4] are enabled for the channels you want to record.
2. Click the Record button [2] to start the recording.
3. Sing/play your instrument and you will see the recorded waveforms in Ableton.
4. Press the spacebar on your keyboard to stop the recording. 

Once you've stopped the recording you can use the spacebar, or play button [1], to playback your recorded audio. You can use the level, reverb and delay sliders to mix your channels [4/6].

Further reading: Mixing and Exporting

For tutorials on mixing and recording in Ableton Live please see the:

'Mixing' section in the Ableton User Guide.

After you've mixed your track, you can export the audio using the File > Export. For more information on export settings in Ableton Live, please see:

'Exporting Audio and video' in the Ableton Live user guide.

The following Ableton Live Template is only compatible with Live 11+. You can update to Live 11 or Live Lite 11 from your Ableton account page.