Fixes

Start with the symptom, not a random settings reset

Ableton problems that look identical often come from different layers. Silence can begin at the audio driver, the track monitor, the device chain or the output route. A missing plug-in can be an unsupported format, a disabled source folder, an Apple Silicon mismatch or a stalled scan. Treating all of those as one generic “reset Live” problem wastes time and can destroy useful preferences.

This section is organised as a diagnostic desk. Each guide begins with the fastest reversible check, then branches by operating system, hardware state and the exact point where the signal stops. Destructive steps such as deleting preferences or rebuilding a database come later, with a backup path and a clear reason.

Choose the failure state

• Audio is unavailable: the engine is off, the device disappeared, or playback crackles.
• MIDI is silent: separate hardware detection from a track that receives notes but makes no sound.
• Live will not start: distinguish an application crash from a plug-in scan that never completes.
• A project behaves differently: compare routing, export and playback paths before touching the mix.

Every fix states the Live version and test boundary it applies to. Community reports are useful for identifying patterns, but menu paths and version-sensitive behavior are checked against Ableton documentation before they become instructions.