ableton-quick-mix

name	Ableton Quick Mix
description	This skill should be used when the user asks to "rough mix", "balance the levels", "set track volumes/pans", "set up sends", "give me a starting mix", or wants a sensible starting balance applied across tracks in Ableton Live. Sets mixer volume, panning, and sends via the API.
version	0.1.0

Ableton Quick Mix

Apply a sensible starting balance across the Set's tracks — volumes, pans, and sends — via the mixer parameters (track.mixer.volume / panning / sends, all DeviceParameters with get/set). Not a mastering pass; a clean, musical starting point so the arrangement is immediately listenable.

When to use

Triggers: "rough mix", "balance levels", "set volumes/pans", "set up sends". For per-track tone use ableton-tone-recipes / ableton-fx-chain.

Process

1. Use ableton-live-runner for build/run/kill + scaffold.
2. Enumerate tracks (song.tracks) and classify by name/role (drums, bass, keys, lead, pad…).
3. Read each control's range first (param.min/param.max/getValue) — volume is not dB 0–1; discover the scale, then set relative to it. Don't hardcode blind.
4. Apply a balance by role (guidelines below): set mixer.volume, pan complementary parts apart, keep bass/kick/lead centered, route reverb-heavy parts to a return via sends.
5. Leave headroom — aim for a peaky-but-not-clipping balance; the user mixes finer by ear after.

Balance guidelines

Role	Level	Pan	Notes
Kick / bass	reference (loudest core)	center	the foundation; don't bury
Snare/clap	just under kick	center / slight	backbeat presence
Hats/percussion	quieter	spread L/R	width without clutter
Chords/keys	mid	slightly off-center	leave room for lead
Lead/vocal	sits on top, clear	center	the focal point
Pad/texture	low, supportive	wide	glue, not foreground

Code pattern

async function setRelative(param, frac) {           // frac 0..1 across the param's range
  await param.setValue(param.min + (param.max - param.min) * frac);
}
for (const t of song.tracks) {
  const m = t.mixer, n = t.name.toLowerCase();
  if (/bass|kick|drum/.test(n))      { await setRelative(m.volume, 0.82); await m.panning.setValue((m.panning.min+m.panning.max)/2); }
  else if (/lead|vocal|whistle/.test(n)) await setRelative(m.volume, 0.78);
  else if (/pad|texture/.test(n))    await setRelative(m.volume, 0.55);
  else                                await setRelative(m.volume, 0.7);
}

Limits

• No automation → this is a static balance, not moves over time.
• Sends require return tracks to already exist (song.returnTracks) — the SDK cannot create a return. Guard the call (m.sends[0]?.setValue(...)) and skip the send step if there are no returns, rather than silently no-op.
• Role classification relies on descriptive track names (which the producer skills set via makeTrack).

See ableton-fx-chain, ableton-tone-recipes.