# What am I doing wrong...



## SalimD (Dec 20, 2022)

So I've been using Live forever now but never found the proper way to import a video file and work smoothly. After deepdiving into YT tuto vids and forums for advice, I contacted Ableton support. After a long discussion we only found a workaround. Followed all the website and tech guy's advice on codecs and formats to import but it's always such a pain to deal with...

My current ridiculous timewasting workaround whenever I receive a cut (mp4) is to:
- download it and open VLC
- open OBS and screen cap VLC playing the video (this is stupid but remove this step and it never works)
- Load that into Handbrake and encode it

Only THEN can I import it into Live with no issues but this is not sustainable. Someone please end my suffering.


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## 3DC (Dec 20, 2022)

SalimD said:


> Someone please end my suffering.


One relatively simple option would be to use DaVinci Resolve video editor and included Fairlight DAW. You can use Live for sound design, audio and midi editing but then arrange directly in Fairlight. Fairlight and Davinci Resolve are free to use. There is a studio version but mostly used for additional professional video codecs.

See this video for more information. It might help you in your workflow.


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## gamma-ut (Dec 20, 2022)

What format do the problematic videos turn up in? Or is it anything?

I don't use video with Live but I've seen a similar issue in a different context and it came down to some video-editing software preferring to save H.265 streams but the target software could only handle H.264. To be honest, I'd expect Handbrake to do that conversion cleanly but maybe there's some embedded formatting that trips up Live that Handbrake keeps – which is why you need to basically cook a new video using screen capture.


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## Xabierus Music (Dec 20, 2022)

SalimD said:


> So I've been using Live forever now but never found the proper way to import a video file and work smoothly. After deepdiving into YT tuto vids and forums for advice, I contacted Ableton support. After a long discussion we only found a workaround. Followed all the website and tech guy's advice on codecs and formats to import but it's always such a pain to deal with...
> 
> My current ridiculous timewasting workaround whenever I receive a cut (mp4) is to:
> - download it and open VLC
> ...


I had the same problem using ableton live when importing videos, the solution is to download a codec pack that is missing in live, i dont remember the codecs right now but i can assure you that the right video codec will solve any trouble when importing video and playing it back in the project, the support guy seems to be right 

Edit: i found it https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/articles/209773125-Using-Video


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## SalimD (Dec 20, 2022)

gamma-ut said:


> What format do the problematic videos turn up in? Or is it anything?
> 
> I don't use video with Live but I've seen a similar issue in a different context and it came down to some video-editing software preferring to save H.265 streams but the target software could only handle H.264. To be honest, I'd expect Handbrake to do that conversion cleanly but maybe there's some embedded formatting that trips up Live that Handbrake keeps – which is why you need to basically cook a new video using screen capture.


I've had the issue with most of the videos I import. You're right regarding encoders, OBS is set to record in NVENC H.264 which Ableton recommends to use. 


Xabierus Music said:


> I had the same problem using ableton live when importing videos, the solution is to download a codec pack that is missing in live, i dont remember the codecs right now but i can assure you that the right video codec will solve any trouble when importing video and playing it back in the project, the support guy seems to be right
> 
> Edit: i found it https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/articles/209773125-Using-Video


Thanks Xabierus, did all that when I had got in touch with the tech support guy, it worked for few of the videos but the rest I had to do all that tralala to make them work. Seemed random so I just do all that process now every time. Any ideas what else I'm missing ?



3DC said:


> One relatively simple option would be to use DaVinci Resolve video editor and included Fairlight DAW. You can use Live for sound design, audio and midi editing but then arrange directly in Fairlight. Fairlight and Davinci Resolve are free to use. There is a studio version but mostly used for additional professional video codecs.
> 
> See this video for more information. It might help you in your workflow.



Thanks for the suggestion. You mean write and export in Live then edit and arrange in Davinci? If so then that would break my workflow and bouncing between two softwares not being able to write realtime on picture is a big turn off... Would've been perfect if both softwares had a LINK feature.


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## antanasb (Dec 24, 2022)

Although not extremely helpful, but I would suggest taking a look at other daws if working with video is important. I have suffered trying to get video to work in Live myself, but upon switching to Cubase all problems are gone. No more black video, hanging after importing, or straight up crashing. In general, Cubase video features are way more robust with a possibility to get DNxHD decoder, which helps further with processing power issues (if decoding video overwhelms the machine and cripples audio performance).

Now video in Live may have been improved after I jumped ship at Live 9, but I somehow doubt that it compares to Cubase or Logic...


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## SalimD (Dec 24, 2022)

antanasb said:


> Although not extremely helpful, but I would suggest taking a look at other daws if working with video is important. I have suffered trying to get video to work in Live myself, but upon switching to Cubase all problems are gone. No more black video, hanging after importing, or straight up crashing. In general, Cubase video features are way more robust with a possibility to get DNxHD decoder, which helps further with processing power issues (if decoding video overwhelms the machine and cripples audio performance).
> 
> Now video in Live may have been improved after I jumped ship at Live 9, but I somehow doubt that it compares to Cubase or Logic...


I have the same experience, worked on a short film last year and I just had to look for an alternative to Live so went with the competitive crossgrade to Cubase. I find it to be a much better environment for midi but man is it a pain to work with audio in Cubase. I often have to do some sound design too that's why I'm still going back to Live.


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## antanasb (Dec 24, 2022)

SalimD said:


> I have the same experience, worked on a short film last year and I just had to look for an alternative to Live so went with the competitive crossgrade to Cubase. I find it to be a much better environment for midi but man is it a pain to work with audio in Cubase. I often have to do some sound design too that's why I'm still going back to Live.


What is it so painful with audio about it? The only thing easier for me in Live was audio warping. But I worked on my chops, so I need that less, hehe!

Oh, and I quite miss the Simpler. As I have only Standard 9, I had no other goodies, so nothing lost there.

But then I start to remember the quirks, like being able to see the inserts only for one track (even in mixer), the weird transport controls, the fact that it had still no comping by then and many more, and I remember why I jumped ship...

I dove head first to Cubase and never looked back.


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