Sometimes it can be hard to find inspiration. Sometimes you want to learn to produce a new genre but have no idea how to structure it or how to create the style of sounds typically used in that genre. In this age of access to share creative processes, we get the chance to see what, and learn how to get the results we want through some high quality free ableton project files.
Sometimes it’s just fun to look at other people’s project files.
There is a so much to learn from when studying other producers work. Not to mention getting your hands on some free presets and samples.
I love to see how other producers do things differently. Doing this can help you to realize mistakes or flaws in your own process and help you to become a better producer.
Below I have compiled a list of high quality FREE Ableton Live project files and templates for you to get stuck into. They are arranged by genre for your convenience.
Here are the 20 best free Ableton Project Files and Templates:
- Jauz Goodies – Project File on Splice (Tech House)
- Julien Earle – Fisher Style Tech House Project File (Tech House)
- Logic Templates – Free Tech House Ableton Live Project Template (Tech House)
- Keep It Sample – Glitchy Tech House Ableton Project File (Tech House)
- FOMO – Hey Mr DJ Ableton Project File (Tech House)
- CMatheuz – Free Tech House Project File ALS (Tech House)
- Basic Wavez – Beginner Deep House Template (Deep House)
- Jules – Never Thought Project File (Deep House)
- Timekube – Deep House Project File (Deep House)
- Template128 – Jauz Style Bass House Template (Bass House)
- EDM Templates JAUZ/GHASTLY Style Bass House Project File (Bass House)
- FOMO – “Mercy” Ableton Project File (G House)
- deadmau5 – Let Go feat. Grabbitz on Splice (Progressive House)
- Stephan Bodzin Style Ableton Live Template by 7even up (Techno)
- EDM Tips – Boris Brejcha Style Techno Ableton Project File (Techno)
- Above & Beyond – My Own Hymn Remake | Ableton Project File by Bound to Divide (Trance)
- WA Production – FREE Ableton Progressive Trance Project Template (Trance)
- Antidote Audio – Trap and Heavy Drum & Bass Ableton Project File (Trap / Drum & Bass)
- Nasko – Free Dubstep Project File (Dubstep)
- Antidote Shorts – Flumed Inspired Ableton Project (Future Bass)
Conclusion
My favourite free ableton project files have to be Jauz – Goodies, and deadmau5 – Let Go feat. Grabbitz. It’s not every day you get to download and go through the real professional project files created by artists this big in the industry. I love these songs and going through each project file to break them down and see how they were created was insightful. These are amongst the best free Ableton project files, however Goodies has to be my favorite.
I love the bassline of this track. It has a really strong groove with the constant pitch bending and bounce created by his use of LFOTool/Volumeshaper. If you have serum you get to open his presets and see how they were made. Hint: they are super simple sine/saw waves with lots of saturation and a low pass filter on them.
The simplicity of it is what always amazes me. You can see how Jauz uses very few instruments at any given time which makes for a very clean and focused mix. The complexity and interest comes with lots of automation and slight variations to how the vocal is chopped and sequenced.
I love how he left all the unused ideas in there so you can see what made it to the final track and what didn’t. For example, there’s a brass motif in the intro which was disabled, when enabled you can quickly hear why it never made it to the final cut – it’s a fun little melody but it overpowers and fights with the vocal.
There’s also a grand piano in the breakdown with an unfinished chord progression on it. I guess it didn’t really fit the vibe of the track and started taking it in a different direction to what was intended – who knows? It’s also great to see how it was mixed and mastered. There’s very little processing in the way of the mix.
The sounds he chooses just work well together without needing to be processed heavily. And as a bonus you can download his mastering chain which is labelled “NGHTMRE Master 3”. Obviously it shouldn’t be used with the current settings as they won’t fit your track, but it’s handy to have a chain of plugins all laid out, mapped, and ready to be used .
How to use project files and templates
Some common uses include:
- Access to the samples and presets used in the template.
- To study and learn about song structure, music theory, mixing, and mastering.
- To learn how to produce new styles and genres.
- To gain inspiration from seeing different workflows and methods to your usual ones.
What to do if the project files don’t open or Ableton crashes
- This is likely due to an issue with one of the plugins. Make sure to check which plugins are required and what versions they are on You can also change the VST Custom Plug-In Folder in Preferences > Plug-ins, to an empty folder and try to re-open the project file. If it loads then you know it’s an issue with a plugin. You can then try adding plugins one by one back to the new folder until you see the issue again. This way you’ll know which plugin is causing the crash.
- Check what version of Ableton the template is on. If yours is on a lower version you will need to update Ableton. You can do this on the Ableton Website.
- Try moving all samples from the project folder into a new folder, then when the project file loads you can point Ableton to the new folder.
We also have a similar list for FL Studio users. Get some FL Studio project files for free here!
Got a project file you would like to add to the list?
Simply drop a comment below and we will check it out, if we like it then it will be added to the list!
New to Music Production?
Check out our other helpful articles and guides.
Basic Wavez Ultimate Guide to Professional Mixdowns
The Basics Of Sound Design – Learning Synthesis (With Examples)
A Complete Guide To Compression – Electronic Music Production (With Examples)
