Ableton Move & Ableton Note

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Ableton Move & Ableton Note

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Ableton Note (Ableton’s free iOS sketching app) and Ableton Move (Ableton’s standalone groovebox) are separate products from Ableton Live, and Kit Maker makes kits for them a different way.

There are two ways to get kits into Ableton Note. For most people, use the first one.

Ableton Move & Note format (recommended) #

This is the format most users should choose. It creates .ablpresetbundle files (a single file per kit with the samples packed inside), and the same files work in both Ableton Move and Ableton Note.

Transferring to Ableton Note:

  1. Share your .ablpresetbundle presets with your device using Cloud storage, or by sending them directly to your device with AirDrop.

  2. Use the iOS “Files” app on your device to access the presets. Opening a .ablpresetbundle will automatically add it to your kits in Ableton Note.

  3. Find your kits in Ableton Note by navigating the presets browser. Go back until you can choose between “Core Library” and “User Library,” then navigate to User Library > Drums.

Transferring to Ableton Move:

  1. Connect Ableton Move to your local Wi-Fi, or connect it with a USB-C cable.

  2. Open Move Manager on your computer by visiting move.local in your browser.

  3. Click the “Presets” tab of Move Manager and drag your .ablpresetbundle presets (or a folder containing them) into the space below.

  4. Find your kits in Ableton Move by scrolling to the bottom of the preset categories and choosing “User Presets.”

Keeping kits organized: because Ableton Note lists all your kits together in one folder (Drums), the Preferences option Include Expansion Name in Kits can prefix the Expansion or pack name to each kit’s name (for example, “Backyard Jams – Groove Kit”). This visually groups a pack’s kits together in the list. See Ableton Move & Note.

Ableton Note (folders) format (advanced) #

Kit Maker also has a separate “Ableton Note” format that organizes your kits into folders by pack or Expansion inside Note (for example, a “Backyard Jams” folder holding all its kits), instead of one long list. The kit presets are otherwise the same.

The trade-off is a more involved transfer process: the kits and samples are kept in separate folders that you connect your device over USB to copy across, then manually move into specific User Library locations on the device. This method is best for advanced users who want the folder organization.