Move to Live guide:
From a sketch to a first track.

Treat the Move Set as editable material, the Live Arrangement as the song timeline, and the exported WAV as the listening copy. A useful first finish is a clear beginning, a main section, one change and an ending. That structure is a creative suggestion, not a required Ableton format. Transfer the Set as .ablbundle, arrange its clips in Live, save the editable project and render the song.

1. Keep the original Move Set and check the version handoff before downloading its .ablbundle with Move Manager.
2. Open the bundle in Live 12.4 and save a working .als. Rehearse clips and scenes in Session View, then record that performance into Arrangement or place clips there directly.
3. Return playback to Arrangement, review the beginning and ending, save and collect needed files, then export the Main output over the intended song range.

An editable Set, a performance on a timeline and a rendered audio file are three different results. Merely opening the Set does not finish or export a song.

This guide targets Move 2.1.1 and the Live 12.4 handoff. Ableton lists Move 2.1.1 on 15 September 2026. Its Move 2.0 release notes require Live 12.4 for correct Set import; the audio-track FAQ explicitly requires Live 12.4 or later for Sets containing audio tracks. Older generic help paragraphs about Live 11 or early Live 12 do not establish correct import for these newer Sets.

1. On Move, open Setup with Shift and Step 2, then inspect Update > Current Version. Check the installed Live version before opening the bundle.
2. Use the documented Live 12.4 workflow for this guide; do not rely on an older Live installation just because it recognizes the file extension. If your versions differ, consult their release notes before following these procedures.

Recognizing .ablbundle is not proof that an older Live release preserves newer Move content. Later release-specific changes are not established here.

For a MIDI instrument or Drum Rack track in Standalone Mode, choose the target clip before recording. An empty slot creates a new take; an existing clip receives overdubbed notes. In Note Mode the track is automatically armed. Record begins after the count-in; Record ends recording while playback continues, whereas Play stops the transport too. This procedure does not describe recording an audio-track clip.

1. In Move Session Mode, select an empty clip slot on the intended MIDI track. Switch to Note Mode with its track button or the Note/Session toggle.
2. Press Record, wait for the count-in, then play the pads. To finish, press Record again; press Play instead if you also want playback to stop.
3. Audition the resulting clip. Move saves Sets automatically as you work and when entering Set Overview; use Shift and Step 1 to return there.

Selecting an existing clip instead of an empty slot adds to that clip rather than protecting the first take.

Move Capture can turn recent played notes or encoder automation into clip material without starting Record first. It is not a promise to recover arbitrary earlier audio. For a new MIDI clip, play in an empty slot in Note Mode and press Capture; the created clip starts playing. When transport was stopped, Move can propose tempo estimates. An existing clip instead receives captured material as an overdub.

1. Choose an empty slot on a MIDI track in Session Mode, switch to Note Mode, play the idea and then press Capture.
2. Listen to the new loop. If tempo estimates appear, choose the estimate that represents your phrase; manually changing tempo is a different action. Stop playback with Play when finished.
3. Keep the original take while checking its loop. Move saves the Set automatically; do not clear Capture input or change tracks expecting uncommitted input to remain recoverable.

Capture notes is different from Sampling or recording an audio-track clip. Switching tracks or starting and stopping transport can clear pending Capture input.

This branch requires an existing audio track and an empty intended clip slot. Unlike MIDI Capture, it records an input signal into an audio clip. Sampling arms the track; it is preparation, not the recording start. The Record button or clip starts recording, and pressing it again stops. Ableton’s audio-track FAQ gives a maximum loop recording length of 16 bars; an automatic limit can end the take before a manual stop.

1. Select the existing audio track and intended empty slot. Press Sampling to arm, then press the wheel to choose Mic or Line In for an already connected source. USB-C input setup is outside this guide.
2. Press Record, or the intended clip, to begin recording. Perform the audio, then press Record or the clip again to stop; do not assume pressing Sampling alone recorded anything.
3. Audition the audio clip before transferring the Set. Move automatically saves the Set, but Capture is not an audio-recovery substitute.

Do not apply the MIDI Note Mode recording procedure to an audio track or assume an unseen input is selected.

A clip variation is another clip slot on the same track, not a second simultaneous layer from that track. Copy into an empty slot before editing or overdubbing so the original remains an alternative. Move Session Mode allows a copy onto an occupied slot, but that replaces its existing clip. This note concerns preserving a deliberate working variation, not recovering deleted material.

1. Open Session Mode. Hold Copy and press the source clip pad, then press an empty destination pad on the intended track to paste.
2. Select the copied clip before entering Note Mode to edit or overdub it. Finish any recording with Record, or Play to stop transport as well.
3. Return to Session Mode and audition both versions separately. Move saves the Set automatically.

Pasting over an occupied slot overwrites that clip. Launching another clip on a track replaces that track’s current clip.

In Move Standalone Session Mode, each horizontal pad row holds one track’s clips and each vertical column is a scene. A scene is a combination of clips across the four tracks. While transport is running, newly launched clips wait for the next bar. These combinations help rehearse contrasting sections, but the scene grid itself is not a fixed-length song timeline.

1. Use the Note/Session toggle to enter Session Mode. Press a clip pad to choose and launch it; use Play to start the selected combination.
2. While transport runs, slide a finger vertically across a scene column to launch its combination. Check what starts and what stops; an empty slot stops that track’s playing clip.
3. Rehearse the order you want, then press Play to stop. Move saves the clips and Set, but this guide records the final section order later in Live Arrangement.

A column on Move is a scene; in Live Session View scenes are horizontal rows. Do not transpose hardware gestures into mouse instructions.

Move Manager is a browser file-management tool, not the Live arrangement recorder. Connect the computer and Move through USB-C or the same Wi-Fi network, then use the hostname shown by your own unit. Its name may differ from move.local. Initial browser authentication needs the code shown on Move and can only be completed in Standalone Mode.

1. Turn Move on in Standalone Mode. Connect its USB-C port to the computer, or ensure both devices use the same Wi-Fi network.
2. Open Setup with Shift and Step 2. In Move Manager > How to access?, read the unit’s hostname and enter it in a supported browser.
3. Enter the confirmation code displayed on Move when prompted. After authentication, open the Sets page to confirm the expected Set is listed.

Connecting the cable does not import a Set into Live. A guessed hostname may point at the wrong Move.

Use the Set download icon for an editable .ablbundle handoff. Export as Audio instead produces a rendered WAV or MP3. Move Manager’s audio export includes clips ordered left to right; it is not a record of an arbitrary live scene performance. Keep the original Set and use the bundle when you want to continue its track and clip work in Live.

1. After authenticating Move Manager, open Sets and identify the correct Set. Click its download icon, not Export as Audio.
2. Wait for the .ablbundle download to finish and retain that file. Move 2.1.1 fixes a Safari download issue that previously produced an unusable .zip instead.
3. Open the completed bundle in the documented Live version, then save a separate .als for the computer-based work.

An audio export cannot restore the Move Set’s editable notes and devices. Do not assume a .zip from an earlier download is a valid bundle just by renaming it.

Opening the downloaded .ablbundle creates a new Live Set that can be saved as .als. It is a project handoff, not an audio recording over USB and not an instruction to merge arbitrary Sets. Use Live 12.4 for this versioned route. Inspect the imported clips and sounds before arranging; recognition of the file alone does not prove identical playback.

1. Keep the original bundle. With Live 12.4 available, double-click the .ablbundle or drag it from the computer’s folder into Live. If double-click opens another installed Live version, open the intended Live version and use the drag method.
2. Inspect the loaded Set in Session View and audition the relevant clips. Stop playback before saving the working copy.
3. Use File > Save Live Set As to name a separate .als in your chosen working location. Keep this Live project distinct from the original Move Set.

A Live .als is not a renamed .ablbundle. The resulting .als cannot be transferred back to Move as the edited hardware Set.

Ableton states that once a Move Set is transferred to Live and saved as .als, that Set cannot be transferred back to Move. Move Manager accepting .ablbundle uploads does not make it a general .als importer. Keep the original Move Set or downloaded bundle as the hardware branch, and treat the Live project as the finishing branch.

1. Retain the original Move Set and downloaded .ablbundle before extending the music in Live.
2. Save the computer work as its own .als project. Continue arranging and exporting that branch in Live rather than trying to upload or rename the .als for Move.

Changing a file extension does not convert a Live arrangement into a Move Set. This guide provides no Live-to-Move roundtrip procedure.

Live Session View places tracks in columns and scenes in horizontal rows. Launching a scene launches its clips together subject to launch timing. A track plays only one Session clip at a time. An empty slot with a Stop button can stop that track when its scene launches; a slot with its Stop button removed lets the earlier clip continue. A scene is a playable combination, not a predetermined section duration.

1. Drag related clips into a scene row and inspect empty slots. Select and name the row as a recognizable section using Live’s Rename command.
2. Use the scene launch button to audition the combination. For a track that should continue through an otherwise empty slot, use Edit > Add/Remove Stop Button on that slot.
3. Rehearse your section changes and stop transport when done. Save the Set before recording a performance into Arrangement.

A blank-looking slot may still stop a track. Do not infer its stop state without inspecting it.

Live’s clip launch quantization aligns a trigger with a musical boundary. Global makes a clip use the Control Bar’s Global Quantization; an explicit clip value overrides that choice, and None removes launch timing correction. This is launch timing, not quantizing the notes inside a MIDI clip. A queued launch is not necessarily a failed click.

1. Double-click the Session clip, then open its launch-settings panel using the Clip Launch icon. Check the Clip Quantization chooser.
2. Choose Global if it should follow the Control Bar value; set the desired Global Quantization there, such as one bar for a simple rehearsal.
3. Trigger the clip during playback, observe when it starts, and stop transport after checking the transition. Save the Set.

Do not diagnose a late scene from a guessed global setting; individual clip overrides matter.

Arrangement Record captures launched Session clips and their performance into the song timeline. It is different from recording new input into armed tracks and different from Capture MIDI. Set the starting position deliberately. The Start Playback with Record preference determines whether enabling Arrangement Record also starts transport; if not, start Play or launch a Session clip. End recording explicitly, then review the timeline rather than judging only the currently playing Session.

1. Save a working copy. Stop transport, set the Arrangement insertion marker to the intended song start, and ensure loop or punch settings will not restrict the pass. Disarm tracks if you do not intend to record new incoming audio or MIDI.
2. Return to Session View and activate the Control Bar’s Arrangement Record button. If transport has not started, press Play or launch the first clip/scene. Perform the section changes while recording runs.
3. At the intended ending, press Arrangement Record again or stop playback to finish. Open Arrangement View, click Back to Arrangement if Session playback overrides it, audition the result and save the .als.

Session Record creates or overdubs Session clips; it does not replace Arrangement Record for capturing this song performance. Arm buttons concern new input, not simply selecting which existing Session clips to launch.

Capture MIDI retrieves recently played MIDI notes from armed or input-monitored MIDI tracks. It does not reconstruct the elapsed order of Session scene launches as a song. In an existing Set it uses the current tempo rather than redetecting it. Capture and Insert Scene is a third function: it stores copies of currently running clips as one new scene, not the earlier performance timeline.

1. For the intended song performance, enable Arrangement Record before launching the sections, then end recording with Arrangement Record again or Stop.
2. If you only want to preserve the currently running clip combination, use Create > Capture and Insert Scene; it inserts and launches a new scene. Save the Set.
3. For an already configured MIDI input, Capture MIDI can keep newly played notes on an armed or input-monitored track; inspect the resulting clip and loop before saving. Do not substitute it for Arrangement recording.

A phrase capture, a snapshot of current clips and a recorded timeline are different operations. None promises recovery of an unrecorded scene performance.

Session and Arrangement share tracks, but a track plays only one of those clip sources at a time. Launching a Session clip overrides that track’s Arrangement playback. Stopping the Session clip can leave silence rather than automatically restoring the timeline. Back to Arrangement tells Live to resume the recorded Arrangement; merely switching the visible view does not change the playback source.

1. Finish recording and stop transport. Use Back to Arrangement to restore timeline playback for overridden tracks.
2. Set the intended start position and press Play to audition the song. Avoid launching more Session clips during this check; stop when finished.
3. Save the Set, then export only after confirming that the Arrangement, not an unintended live Session combination, is what you hear.

An Arrangement visible on screen is not proof that it is the active source. Export can include active Session overrides too.

You can copy, paste or drag clips between Session and Arrangement instead of performing their launches. This gives you explicit positions and durations on a timeline. Drag over the Arrangement view selector to reveal the target view, then drop at the intended track and song position. The clips remain editable; this action is not an audio mixdown.

1. Save a working copy and select the intended Session clip or clips. Drag them over the Arrangement selector, then drop on the intended tracks and start position.
2. Move a placed clip using its clip bar; drag an edge to change its Arrangement length. Check its loop state before extending it, rather than assuming every edge drag creates repetitions.
3. Click Back to Arrangement if Session overrides are active, audition the placed sections, stop playback and save the Set.

Changing views is navigation. It does not place clips, record a performance or restore overridden Arrangement playback by itself.

Ordinary clip edits affect the selected material; Time commands insert or remove time across the Arrangement. Duplicate Time repeats a selected span and lengthens the song, while Delete Time removes the span and closes the gap across tracks. Split divides a clip into editable pieces without being an export. Work on a saved version so a structural experiment can be compared with the earlier song.

1. Save a working version and make a deliberate Arrangement time selection for the section. Use Duplicate Time to repeat that span or Delete Time to remove it and shift later material together.
2. For a local clip edit instead, select the point or region inside the clip and use Split from its context menu. Move the resulting clip pieces by their clip bars.
3. Play from before the edit through the following section. Check transitions across every affected track, stop playback and save the version you want.

A clip deletion that leaves silence is not the same as deleting time. Time commands also affect time-signature markers in the selected region.

Automation is a control’s movement over musical time. During direct Arrangement recording, Automation Arm controls whether manual parameter changes are written. During Session-to-Arrangement performance, Session automation is copied and manual changes on tracks playing from Session are recorded. Turning an automated control while not recording can override the saved movement; Re-Enable Automation restores it.

1. For a separate automation pass, save the existing Arrangement, disarm tracks if you do not want new input clips, and enable Automation Arm. Set the starting position and enable Arrangement Record; start playback if the recording preference has not started it.
2. Move the intended control during playback. Finish by switching Arrangement Record off or stopping transport.
3. Replay the section from Arrangement. If a later manual tweak has overridden the movement, click Re-Enable Automation, then verify the pass and save the Set.

Back to Arrangement restores the clip source; Re-Enable Automation restores overridden control movements. One is not a substitute for the other.

Save Live Set preserves the Set’s clips, positions, devices and settings as an editable .als. Export Audio/Video writes a separate listening file. Use Save Live Set As for the first computer-based working name or a distinct version. Samples can still be referenced outside the project, so saving the .als alone is not the same as collecting its dependencies.

1. Use File > Save Live Set As, choose a new working folder outside another existing Live Project when you want a separate project, give the Set a name and confirm saving.
2. After arranging and editing, use File > Save Live Set to keep the current version. Keep named versions when comparing structural changes.
3. Collect needed external files before moving the project. Export the finished audio separately; retain both the editable project and the listening copy.

A WAV does not retain the Arrangement’s editable MIDI, clips and device settings. An .als by itself may still depend on files elsewhere.

Collect All and Save copies selected external dependencies into the current Project. Saving an .als does not necessarily copy every referenced sample. Collection helps prevent broken paths when files move, but it is not proof that an already missing file has been recovered. This guide covers collecting available files, not repairing a damaged project or recreating missing audio.

1. Save the Set in its intended Project first. Choose File > Collect All and Save.
2. In the dialog, choose the file locations whose dependencies you need included, then click OK to perform the copy. For a portable working copy, include the external sources you rely on rather than assuming their old locations will exist on the destination.
3. Keep the entire resulting Project folder with its .als and collected files. Reopen and audition the saved Set before relying on the copy.

Copying only the .als or only the exported WAV does not preserve the same editable project. Collecting available dependencies cannot invent missing ones.

Export renders the currently active audio, not whichever view happens to be visible. Restore Arrangement playback first. Main renders the mixed post-fader output; Render Start and Render Length define the file’s span. Include space for the intended effect decay. Render as Loop wraps a tail into the start, so it is a different choice from a complete song with a natural ending. Saving the editable Set remains a separate step.

1. Stop recording, use Back to Arrangement where needed, and audition the intended song including the ending. Save the .als. Select its time range in Arrangement, including the tail you intend to hear.
2. Choose File > Export Audio/Video. Set Rendered Track to Main and verify Render Start and Render Length. For a stereo WAV, enable Encode PCM, choose WAV, leave Convert to Mono off, and choose the sample rate and bit depth needed by the recipient. Keep Render as Loop off for this song-length export.
3. Click Export, choose the file name and save location, and wait for rendering to finish. Open the rendered file in an audio player and check the beginning, ending, duration and section order before sharing it.

An active Session override can change the render, and a range ending at the last clip can cut off an effect tail. Export is not a promise of mastering or a replacement for the saved project.