Strip silence in Ableton without rendering? Finally.
Tonight's session: you've got a vocal take with dead air. Normally you'd bounce, slice, re-import. The new Ableton Extensions beta (12.4.5) just gave us a strip silence tool that works in-place, no rendering. Also in the roundup: a massive GR-MEGA firmware, some legit rack tricks, and a free drum machine that runs on your iPad.
published today
Snorkel Audio Little: drum machine with a musical randomizer, runs on iPad too(free)
32 samples across 8 drums, each with 4 variants, and a randomize button that keeps things musical—kicks stay kicks, snares land where they should. Sends MIDI per channel. 20 presets included. A no-brainer for sketching ideas on the couch.
◢ learn
Ableton Extensions beta: strip silence that works in place, no bouncing
The Extensions system is live in the 12.4.5 beta (Suite only). The Strip Silence PT tool removes silence from clips without creating new audio files—just right-click and clean up. If you edit vocals, this saves real time.
15 rack tricks that'll make your Ableton sessions faster
Covers grouping, mapping macros to multiple parameters, saving CPU by mapping Device Activator, and using Variations. The standout: you can't reorder macros by dragging, but you can color them and rename fast with Ctrl+R+Tab. A dense set of muscle-memory builders.
▶ Ableton's MIDI tools: Seed, clip-level scales, and why you should turn off Auto
Seed can generate notes in a clip's scale, but leaving Auto on leads to chaos. This tutorial shows how to set polyphony, velocity ranges, and use a kick clip as a rhythmic reference. A smarter way to get melodic ideas when you're stuck.
◢ free & gear
Tasty Chips GR-MEGA firmware 1.7: 30% more polyphony, new resonator, and patch spray
The biggest update for the hardware granular synth adds a 48-band resonator, a granular filter, and a patch spray for layering grains. Free for existing users. The saturation and master EQ are welcome—the box was already deep, now it's even more self-contained.
◢ the word
9 Logic Pro workflow tips: Smart Tempo, Quick Sampler Optimize, and audio recall
SEIDS covers the stuff you forget: how to stop imported samples from changing your project tempo, using Shift+R to capture that ghost performance, and mapping melodic samples to the right key instantly. One of those 'watch once, save hours' sessions.
Techno drum pattern generation with Rhythm, Seed, and Similarity Search
Using Rhythm and Seed to build grooves and fills, then cycling through kits with Similarity Search. Add stereo movement in Simpler. A practical starter for anyone who wants to use the generative tools beyond the default presets.
Mall Grab — Liverpool Street
the filtered piano stab that flips at the second drop · pairs with the strip silence tip for cleaning up vocal chops
🔮 Producer Horoscope (for fun) — Your kick and bass will fight; let the sidechain mediate.
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covered in this issue: ableton live