Ableton Extension: elevenlabs-ableton

Bring ElevenLabs API integration into Ableton Live — text-to-speech dialogue, sound effects generation, music generation, voice transformation, transcription, stem separation, voice cloning, batch processing, and more — directly from Live context menus.

Current release: v0.6.0 · Changelog · Contents · License (GPL-3.0+)

Field	Value
Extension version	0.6.0 — 19 context-menu features
Ableton Extensions API	1.0.0 (minimumApiVersion in manifest.json)
Ableton SDK	@ableton-extensions/sdk 1.0.0-beta.0
ElevenLabs SDK	@elevenlabs/elevenlabs-js ^2.51.0
Live requirement	Live 12.4 Alpha/Beta (Centercode) with Extensions enabled
Node.js (dev/build only)	≥ 24.14.1

Extensions are not available in retail Live builds today. You need a Live 12.4 program build with Extensions support. End users install a packaged .ablx from Releases; developers use npm start with Developer Mode (see Getting started).

Overview

Screenshots

Context menus and generation modals in Live 12.4 (Extensions):

Feature	Screenshot
Extension context menus
Generate Text-to-Speech
Generate Sound Effects
Generate Music
Generate Dialogue
Generate Drum Rack SFX

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ElevenLabs API Ableton Extension

Current Capabilities

Right-click clips, tracks, slots, devices, or selections in Live to access ElevenLabs workflows. Generated audio is imported into your Live Set automatically.

Category	Actions	Where
Generate	TTS, SFX, Music, Dialogue — modals with sliders, models, loops, variants (see below)	Clip slot, arrangement selection
Batch	TTS to multiple session slots	Multi-selected clip slots
Transform	Voice changer, vocal isolation (arrangement + Session clips/slots)	Arrangement selection, audio clip, audio clip slot
Stems	Separate into 2 or 6 stems → new tracks	Audio clip, arrangement selection
Transcribe	Scribe STT (text modal)	Audio clip, arrangement selection
Lyrics → MIDI	Scribe word timestamps → MIDI markers	Audio clip, arrangement selection
Align lyrics	Forced alignment with your transcript → MIDI	Audio clip, arrangement selection
Samples	TTS / SFX into Simpler	Simpler device
Drums	SFX into drum rack — seven pad slots, Build entire kit, Sequential or GM mapping	Drum rack, MIDI clip slot
Voice	Library picker in modals	TTS, voice changer, dialogue
Clone voice	Instant voice clone from audio	Audio clip, arrangement selection
Pronunciation	Custom word pronunciation for TTS	Audio track (any)

v0.5.0 Session Isolate Voice on audio clip slots and clips replaces the clip in place and preserves loop settings.

v0.4.0 arrangement TTS also applies light post-import FX (track volume + reverb mix when available).

SFX, Music & Drum Rack modals

Generation modals share the extension’s dark theme, Randomize prompt button, and progress feedback. Options below apply to Generate SFX, Generate Music, and Drum Rack SFX unless noted.

Sound effects (Generate SFX)

Right-click a clip slot, arrangement selection, or Simpler → Generate SFX (ElevenLabs).

Control	Description
Randomize	Fills the prompt with a random descriptive phrase (word banks + templates; loop adds a seamless-loop suffix).
Duration	Slider 0.5–30 s, or Auto duration (on by default). Toggle sits above the slider.
Variants	Slider 1–10. Session View: each variant loads into the selected clip slot and consecutive slots below (no picker). Arrangement / Simpler: variant picker when > 1.
Prompt influence	Slider 0–1 (default 0.3).
Negative prompt	Optional terms to avoid; appended to the text prompt as an “Avoid: …” clause.
Auto duration	On by default — omits length so the API guesses from the prompt (0.5–30 s).
Quality	MP3 bitrates, PCM, or Opus. MP3 192 / PCM need Creator or Pro.
Seamless Loop	Enables loop generation (SFX v2).

Imported clips respect the loop toggle (Session clip Loop is set in Live when enabled).

Music (Generate Music)

Right-click an audio clip slot or arrangement selection → Generate Music (ElevenLabs). Requires a paid ElevenLabs plan.

Control	Description
Duration	Auto duration off by default. Manual slider 3–600 s (default 30 s when auto is off).
Description	Free-text prompt; optional if at least one genre is selected.
Randomize	Random rich music prompt (genres, instruments, mood, production, cinematic flavor).
Variants	Slider 1–10. Session View: each variant loads into the selected clip slot and consecutive slots below on the same track (no picker). Arrangement: multi-variant still uses the variant picker.
Genres	Single grid: electronic (Trap, House, Techno, …), cinematic styles (Epic, Horror, Sci-Fi, Bollywood, …), and styles such as Jazz, Folk, 80s Retro, Acoustic, etc.
Mood toggles	Folded into Genres (Dark, Lo-fi, Instrumental, etc.). Instrumental also sets API force_instrumental.
Set tempo	On by default; slider starts at Live’s set tempo and adds BPM to the prompt. When enabled, generate also sets song.tempo in the Live Set.
Prompt influence	Slider 0–1 (default 0.3).
Negative prompt	Optional comma-separated styles to avoid (e.g. vocals, distortion). Uses a composition plan with negative_global_styles instead of plain prompt mode.
Auto duration	Off by default — sends music_length_ms from the duration slider (default 30 s). Check to let the API pick length from the prompt.
Quality	MP3 bitrates, PCM, or Opus (output_format). MP3 192 / PCM need Creator or Pro.
Model	Music v1 (default) or Music v2 — inline row, half-width dropdown. v2 may need API early access.
Seamless Loop	Uses API loop generation mode; clip Loop is set in Live on import.

The composed prompt merges selected genres, optional tempo, and your description before calling the music API (direct /v1/music POST for v2 / loop support).

Drum Rack SFX (Drum Rack / MIDI clip slot context menu)

Right-click a Drum Rack or a MIDI clip slot → Generate Drum Rack SFX (ElevenLabs). On an empty MIDI track (no devices), an empty Drum Rack is inserted automatically. Modal title: Drum Rack SFX. Seven pad slots, each with:

Control	Description
Enable	Default: only Pad 1 enabled (not persisted).
Type	Kick, Snare, Open Hat, Closed Hat, Rimshot, Perc, Clap, Other.
Style phrase	Randomizable mood/style text; 20 phrases per type.
Characteristics	Editable sound character (delivery rules added automatically at generation).
Duration + Auto	Per-pad duration slider or API auto-duration (default on).

Build entire drum kit enables all 7 pads, presets types, and randomizes style phrases. Root C selects the anchor note (C-2 through C3, default C1). Pad mapping is Sequential (consecutive from root C) or General MIDI (GM offsets by drum type). Kick key and Snare key apply optional pitch character. Overwrite occupied replaces pads that already have samples. Uses SFX v2 only. Missing Simplers are created automatically. Last pad layout (except enable state) is remembered in elevenlabs-config.json.

Each enabled pad is a separate ElevenLabs API call (uses credits accordingly).

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Prerequisites

1. ElevenLabs account with API access — elevenlabs.io
2. Live 12.4 Alpha/Beta with extensions enabled
3. An API key (see below)

Storage directory & API key

The extension needs an ElevenLabs API key and a storage directory — a folder on disk that Live’s Extension Host can read and write. That folder holds your key (optional file-based setup) and persisted extension settings.

Where to keep api-key.txt

Create a folder outside the extension git repo (do not commit secrets). Put a single-line file named api-key.txt in that folder:

C:\Users\You\Documents\ElevenLabs\api-key.txt     # Windows example
/Users/you/Documents/ElevenLabs/api-key.txt       # macOS example

The file should contain only your API key (one line, no quotes, no extra spaces). Example:

sk_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

You can use any path you prefer — e.g. ~/ElevenLabs/, a cloud-synced folder, or a parent folder next to your clone when developing. What matters is that the same folder is passed as --storage-directory (or via .env) when you launch the extension.

How to configure the storage directory

Tell the Extension Host which folder to use:

How you run the extension	What to set
npm start (development)	ELEVENLABS_STORAGE_DIRECTORY in project .env (see Getting started)
extensions-cli run	--storage-directory /path/to/your/folder
Either	Environment variable ELEVENLABS_STORAGE_DIRECTORY (absolute path recommended)

Example .env in the project root (gitignored):

EXTENSION_HOST_PATH=C:\Path\To\Live\...\ExtensionHostNodeModule.node
ELEVENLABS_STORAGE_DIRECTORY=C:\Users\You\Documents\ElevenLabs
# Optional — defaults to {storage}/.elevenlabs-temp
# ELEVENLABS_TEMP_DIRECTORY=C:\Users\You\Documents\ElevenLabs\.elevenlabs-temp

npm start reads .env, resolves the storage path, and passes --storage-directory and --temp-directory to extensions-cli automatically. If ELEVENLABS_STORAGE_DIRECTORY is unset, it looks for api-key.txt in the parent of the project folder, then in the project root (developer convenience only).

Manual launch (same paths as above):

extensions-cli run --storage-directory "C:\Users\You\Documents\ElevenLabs" --temp-directory "C:\Users\You\Documents\ElevenLabs\.elevenlabs-temp"

How the API key is resolved

At runtime the extension looks for a key in this order:

1. Environment variable ELEVENLABS_API_KEY (if set in the Extension Host process)
2. File {storageDirectory}/api-key.txt

If neither is found, the extension prompts you to paste your API key in a modal, validates it when online, and saves it to api-key.txt. Right-click a Drum Rack or Audio Track → Manage ElevenLabs API Key to update or remove the saved key later.

Never commit your API key. Do not place api-key.txt inside the repo or add it to git. Use a personal folder + ELEVENLABS_STORAGE_DIRECTORY, or set ELEVENLABS_API_KEY only in your local shell / .env (gitignored).

Extension Host compatibility

Live's Extension Host omits some Web APIs (Response, URL, native FormData, etc.). The bundle uses a minimal Node shim banner plus formdata-polyfill for non-file requests. File uploads (stem separation, STT, voice clone) use manual multipart in src/multipart-upload.ts because fetch + the FormData polyfill drops file parts. See AGENTS.md before changing the build or upload path.

ElevenLabs plan limits

Some APIs require a paid ElevenLabs plan (e.g. Music generation, stem separation). On a free tier, those actions show an error dialog instead of crashing — e.g. Music API is not available for free users. TTS and SFX typically work on free/creator tiers depending on your quota.

Install & run (pre-built .ablx)

Download elevenlabs-ableton-0.6.0.ablx from a GitHub Release (or build locally — see Package for release).

1. Open Live → Preferences → Extensions
2. Drag and drop the .ablx onto the Extensions page
3. Enable the extension in the list
4. Configure your API key and storage directory
5. Right-click in Live — menu items are prefixed with (ElevenLabs)

Developer Mode is not required for installed .ablx files; it is only needed when running from source via npm start / extensions-cli run.

Persisted settings (in your storage directory)

When a storage directory is configured, the extension also reads/writes:

File	Contents
api-key.txt	Your API key (optional if you use ELEVENLABS_API_KEY instead)
elevenlabs-config.json	Cloned voice IDs, pronunciation dictionaries, active dictionary, last-used drum kit settings

Temp audio before Live import is written under {storageDirectory}/.elevenlabs-temp by default (or ELEVENLABS_TEMP_DIRECTORY if set). That folder is safe to delete; it is recreated as needed.

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Features by release

Version	Highlights
0.1.0	TTS → clip slot & arrangement
0.2.0	SFX, music, batch TTS, voice changer, vocal isolation, Scribe, Simpler workflows, post-import FX
0.3.0	Voice library picker, text-to-dialogue, drum rack SFX, transcribe → MIDI
0.4.0	Stem separation, voice clone, forced alignment → MIDI, pronunciation rules; enhanced SFX/Music/Drum Rack modals
0.5.0	Session voice isolation; SFX/Music modal UX; Live tempo sync; audio-slot guards; UI layout polish
0.6.0	Drum Rack SFX pad-slot modal; API key onboarding & management; MIDI clip slot drum entry

Full history: CHANGELOG.md. Per-feature versions: src/version.ts → FEATURE_VERSIONS.

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Roadmap

Shipped (v0.6.0)

• Drum Rack SFX — pad-slot modal, Root C, Sequential/GM mapping, Build entire kit, MIDI clip slot menu, SFX v2 only
• API key — onboarding modal, Manage API Key, show/hide saved key

Shipped (v0.5.0)

• Session Isolate Voice on audio clip slots and clips
• SFX / Music modal layout — titles, auto-duration defaults, tempo sync, half-width Model/Quality rows
• Audio-track clip slot guards for Session generators

Shipped (v0.4.0)

• Music stem separation → multi-track with mixer balance
• Instant voice clone (persisted)
• Forced alignment → MIDI lyric markers
• Pronunciation dictionary rules (auto-applied to TTS)
• SFX / Music / Drum Rack modals — sliders, models, loops, randomizers, music session multi-variant clip loading

Planned (v0.6.0+)

Priority	Feature
High	Settings / voice manager (cloned voices + pronunciation)
High	Voice picker search + pagination
Medium	TTS model picker + character/usage hint
Medium	TTS timestamps → MIDI lyric markers
Later	Voice design, dubbing, cue-point TTS

Details: docs/roadmap.md

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Developers Guide

Architecture (short)

Context menu → command → modal (optional) → progress dialog
  → ElevenLabsClient (@elevenlabs/elevenlabs-js)
  → temp file → importIntoProject → createAudioClip / replaceSample / MidiClip.notes

Outbound audio (voice change, STT, stems, clone): renderPreFxAudio → ElevenLabs file APIs.

All dependencies are bundled into dist/extension.js (~8 MB) via esbuild. The Extension Host does not resolve node_modules at runtime.

Project structure

elevenlabs-ableton/
├── manifest.json          # Extension metadata + minimumApiVersion
├── package.json
├── build.ts               # esbuild bundle (CJS, .html as text)
├── src/
│   ├── extension.ts     # activate(), commands, context menus
│   ├── version.ts         # EXTENSION_VERSION + FEATURE_VERSIONS
│   ├── elevenlabs-client.ts
│   ├── pipelines.ts
│   ├── audio-io.ts / live-io.ts / midi-io.ts / …
│   ├── multipart-upload.ts # Manual multipart for Extension Host file APIs
│   ├── ui-branding.ts     # Modal logo + shared dark theme
│   ├── ui.ts + ui/*.html  # Live webview modals
│   └── ui/assets/         # elevenapi-logo.png, ableton-logo.png (README + bundled modals)
├── vendor/                # Ableton SDK + CLI .tgz (see setup below)
├── docs/                  # BMad project knowledge
├── bmad-output/           # Sprint / implementation artifacts
├── dist/                  # Built extension (gitignored — run npm run build)
├── CHANGELOG.md
└── LICENSE                # GPL-3.0-or-later

Deeper context: docs/project-context.md, ../ABLETON-ELEVENLABS-RESEARCH.md.

SDK & dependency versions

Package	Version	Role
@ableton-extensions/sdk	1.0.0-beta.0 (vendor .tgz)	Live object model, UI, resources
@ableton-extensions/cli	1.0.0-beta.0 (vendor .tgz)	extensions-cli run / package
@elevenlabs/elevenlabs-js	^2.51.0	ElevenLabs API (bundled)
fflate	^0.8.3	Stem separation ZIP extraction
esbuild	0.28.0	Production bundle
typescript	^5.9.3	Type-check (skipLibCheck: true)

Ableton extensions docs: ableton.github.io/extensions-sdk

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Getting started (Git / GitHub)

1. Clone the repository

git clone https://github.com/YOUR_ORG/elevenlabs-ableton.git
cd elevenlabs-ableton

2. Install Node dependencies

npm install

Requires Node.js ≥ 24.14.1 (matches package.json engines).

3. Add Ableton SDK vendor packages

package.json references local tarballs (not published to npm):

vendor/ableton-extensions-sdk-1.0.0-beta.0.tgz
vendor/ableton-extensions-cli-1.0.0-beta.0.tgz

Obtain these from the Ableton Extensions SDK release (or your SDK dev kit) and place them in vendor/ before npm install. Without them, install will fail.

4. Configure the Extension Host path

Create or edit .env in the project root (gitignored):

EXTENSION_HOST_PATH=C:\Path\To\Live\Resources\Extensions\ExtensionHostNodeModule.node

The path is set when you scaffold with @ableton-extensions/create-extension; adjust if Live is installed elsewhere.

5. Configure storage directory & API key

See Storage directory & API key for the full user-facing guide. Minimal developer setup:

1. Create a folder outside the repo, e.g. C:\Users\You\Documents\ElevenLabs
2. Save your key as api-key.txt in that folder (one line)
3. Add to .env:

ELEVENLABS_STORAGE_DIRECTORY=C:\Users\You\Documents\ElevenLabs

Alternative — environment variable only (no api-key.txt):

# PowerShell
$env:ELEVENLABS_API_KEY = "your-key-here"

# bash
export ELEVENLABS_API_KEY=your-key-here

You still need --storage-directory (or ELEVENLABS_STORAGE_DIRECTORY) if you want cloned voices and pronunciation rules persisted in elevenlabs-config.json.

6. Build and run in Live

# Development (source maps, not minified) — uses .env storage + temp paths
npm start

# Or explicitly (replace with your storage folder from step 5):
npm run build:dev
extensions-cli run --storage-directory "C:\Users\You\Documents\ElevenLabs" --temp-directory "C:\Users\You\Documents\ElevenLabs\.elevenlabs-temp"

# Production bundle
npm run build

# Package for distribution (.ablx)
npm run package

7. Enable in Live

1. Open Live 12.4 Alpha/Beta
2. Preferences → Extensions → enable Developer Mode
3. Run npm start (or extensions-cli run) so Live loads the extension
4. Confirm in the Extension Host console: [elevenlabs-ableton] v0.6.0 active — 19 features

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Package for release

From the project root, with Node.js ≥ 24.14.1 and vendor/*.tgz SDK packages installed:

npm install
npm run check:api          # optional — needs ELEVENLABS_API_KEY
npm run package            # production build + elevenlabs-ableton-0.6.0.ablx

npm run package runs npm run build first (type-check, esbuild bundle, post-build checks), then extensions-cli package. The .ablx file is written next to the project (gitignored). Attach it to a GitHub Release and update release notes from CHANGELOG.md.

Manual steps before tagging: align versions in src/version.ts, manifest.json, and package.json; run docs/pre-release-checklist.md.

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Development workflow

Task	Command / location
Type-check	npx tsc --noEmit (part of npm run build)
Dev build + run	npm start
Production build	npm run build
Package .ablx	npm run package
Bump release	src/version.ts + manifest.json + package.json + CHANGELOG.md
Add a feature	Register in FEATURE_VERSIONS in version.ts

Adding a new feature (convention)

1. API wrapper in src/elevenlabs-client.ts
2. Pipeline in src/pipelines.ts (use withElevenLabsProgress)
3. Modal in ui/*.html + prompt in src/ui.ts
4. Command + context menu in src/extension.ts
5. Document in CHANGELOG.md and bump version

BMad Method

This project uses BMad for planning artifacts:

• Agent entry: AGENTS.md
• Sprint status: bmad-output/planning-artifacts/sprint-status.yaml
• Team config overrides: _bmad/custom/config.toml

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npm scripts

Script	Description
npm start	build:dev then extensions-cli run
npm run build	Type-check + production bundle → dist/extension.js (runs check:build after)
npm run build:dev	Type-check + dev bundle (source maps)
npm run package	Production build + create .ablx archive
npm run check:build	Post-build: version sync, bundle markers, unit checks (no API key)
npm run check:api	Above + ElevenLabs API smoke (TTS + voices; needs API key)
npm run check:api:full	Above + SFX test (extra API cost)

# After clone — validate before opening Live
npm install
npm run build
npm run check:api    # optional; requires ELEVENLABS_API_KEY

See docs/pre-release-checklist.md and docs/roadmap.md.

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Documentation index

Document	Audience
CHANGELOG.md	Release notes (v0.1.0 → v0.6.0)
SUMMARY.md	Table of contents for this README
LICENSE	GPL-3.0-or-later terms
docs/roadmap.md	Planned features
docs/v0.6.0-features.md	Latest feature spec
docs/v0.5.0-features.md	v0.5.0 feature spec
docs/v0.4.0-features.md	v0.4.0 feature spec
docs/code-review-notes.md	Architecture review notes
docs/project-context.md	Lean dev/agent context
../ABLETON-ELEVENLABS-RESEARCH.md	Full ElevenLabs ↔ Ableton research
AGENTS.md	Cursor / BMad agents

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License & attribution

• License: GNU General Public License v3.0 or later — Copyright (C) 2026 Tom Carlile
• Author: Tom Carlile (manifest.json)
• Ableton Extensions SDK — Ableton
• ElevenLabs API — ElevenLabs

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Support & contributing

1. Check CHANGELOG.md and docs/roadmap.md for known scope
2. Open a GitHub issue with Live version, extension version (src/version.ts), and steps to reproduce
3. PRs: follow the feature convention above; bump FEATURE_VERSIONS and CHANGELOG.md

Quick sanity check after clone:

npm install
npm run build
# expect: dist/extension.js ~8 MB, exit 0