How To Export Multitracks In Ableton Live

If you’re sending an Ableton Live session off for mixing, the main thing you need is one clearly named audio file per track, exported in a format that will open cleanly and in sync when imported into the mix engineer's DAW.

Before exporting, make sure you have properly prepared your multitracks for mixing. If you need help with that first, read Preparing Your Multitracks For Mixing.

Table of Contents

  1. How To Export Your Multitracks

  2. What To Check Before Sending

  3. Upload Your Multitracks

    Unsure? Get in touch

How To Export Your Multitracks

1. Select the full section you want to export

In Arrangement View, highlight the full song range across the section you want to export.

This sets the render start and render length, and helps make sure all of the exported files line up properly when imported into another DAW.

2. Open the export window

Go to File > Export Audio/Video.

3. Set Rendered Track to All Individual Tracks

In the export window, set Rendered Track to All Individual Tracks.

This tells Ableton Live to create one separate audio file per track.

4. Choose your file format

Make sure Encode PCM is turned on, then set File Type to WAV or AIFF.

Either is fine for sending multitracks to a mix engineer.

5. Choose your bit depth

Select 32-bit.

Ableton recommends exporting stems at 32-bit so you avoid applying dither at this stage.

6. Leave the sample rate at the project’s native setting

This is usually 44.1 kHz or 48 kHz, but it can be other rates too, such as 96 kHz or even 192 kHz. The important thing is simply to export at whatever sample rate the project is already set to.

7. Leave ‘Include Return and Main Effects’ off in most cases

If you turn this on, Ableton will render each track with its return effects and main track effects included. If you are not sure what should stay on and what should come off before export, read Should I Leave Effects On When Exporting Multitracks?.

8. Leave ‘Convert to Mono’ off

For most exports, leave Convert to Mono off unless you specifically need mono files

9. Set Normalize to Off

Leave Normalize off so Ableton does not automatically change the level of your exported files.

10. Choose where to save the exported files

Pick a folder location you can easily find again, then click Export.

What To Check Before Sending

Once Ableton Live has exported the files, open the folder and give it a quick check.

Make sure:

  • The expected tracks are all there

  • The file names are clear

  • Everything starts from the same point

  • Nothing has been cut off

If you are sending the tracks to a mix engineer, it is also a good idea to include a rough mix alongside the exported files.

Upload Your Multitracks

Once you have finished your export, you can upload your multitracks on my file upload page and I’ll have a listen and get back to you with the next steps.

If you have any questions at all, feel free to send me a message via the contact page.