Move an Ableton project to Logic, FL Studio, Reaper, Cubase or Bitwig: what carries over

The short answer. Only Bitwig Studio (and monody, for Live 12 sets) opens a Live Set directly. For Logic, FL Studio, Reaper, Cubase or Pro Tools, the route that always works is stems plus MIDI: export every track as audio from bar 1, export the MIDI clips, and rebuild the session at the same tempo. Ableton doesn't support DAWproject.

A Live Set (.als) is Live's own file format: compressed XML that describes tracks, clips, notes and device settings, and points to audio files on disk. Most DAWs can't read it. So "converting" an Ableton project usually means moving its parts (the audio and the notes) and rebuilding the rest. More on what's inside the file in What is an .als file?

What carries over, by route

The universal route: stems and MIDI

This works for every DAW, and it's what mix engineers ask for anyway.

1. Export the audio of every track

In Live, open File → Export Audio/Video (⇧⌘R on a Mac, Ctrl+Shift+R on Windows). Ableton's manual describes the option you want, All Individual Tracks, as "the post-fader signal at the output of each individual track, including Group Tracks, return tracks and the Main track". All the files come out the same length, so they line up in any DAW.

Settings that save trouble later:

• Render Start at the very beginning of the song (bar 1), so every file starts at the same point.
• File type WAV (Live also offers AIFF and FLAC), 24-bit, at the project's sample rate.
• Decide what the stems should carry. They're post-fader, so your levels and effects are baked in. If the other person will mix, turn off master-bus processing first.

2. Export the MIDI

For parts you want to keep editing as notes, export each MIDI clip with File → Export MIDI Clip, which the manual says writes a Standard MIDI file. A clip exports on its own, so note the bar where each clip starts.

3. Rebuild in the other DAW

Set the same tempo (and the same tempo changes), import the WAV files at bar 1, drop the MIDI files at their bars, and put an instrument on each MIDI track. Devices and plugins don't survive this route. Their sound is in the stems, and their settings stay in Live.

DAW by DAW

Bitwig Studio

The one DAW with a direct import. In Bitwig's words, the import is "vastly quicker than the traditional method of bouncing audio stems": it keeps the arrangement and Session scenes, audio, MIDI and group tracks with their routing, and VST plugins with their settings. Ableton's Simpler and Sampler become Bitwig's Sampler, and common stock effects map to Bitwig equivalents with "the most important parameters" kept.

Logic Pro

No direct import that we know of. Use stems and MIDI. Logic opens WAV and MIDI files, so the rebuild is straightforward: match the tempo first, then import at bar 1.

FL Studio

No direct import that we know of. Jukeblocks says its converter converts between Ableton Live (.als) and FL Studio (.flp) projects. It also lists limits: "There is currently no support for instrument/effect racks or Patcher", native synths come in as their closest equivalents, and plugin conversion is limited. Otherwise, stems and MIDI.

Reaper, Cubase and Pro Tools

No direct .als import that we know of. Use stems and MIDI. Cubase 14 reads DAWproject, but Live can't write it, so that doesn't help here.

Where DAWproject stands

DAWproject is an open project format from Bitwig and PreSonus, designed so a whole session (tracks, audio, notes, automation and plugin states) can move between DAWs. Bitwig's FAQ says it's supported "in Bitwig Studio 5.0.9, Studio One 6.5, and in following products from Steinberg: Cubase 14, Cubasis 3.7.1 and VST Live 2.2" (as of November 2024). Ableton Live isn't on the list. If Live ever adds it, moving projects gets much easier.

Tools that read .als files

Some web tools read the XML inside a Live Set:

• dawconverter says its ALS tool can "View and analyze Ableton Live (.als) files without installing Ableton". In its Pro tier, it says it can list plugins, fix sample paths, "Export MIDI (all clips → .mid)" and downgrade a set to an older Live version. It also says it "Cannot play audio or edit projects".
• Jukeblocks converts between Live and FL Studio, as above.

They're useful for getting at the MIDI or rescuing a set your Live version won't open. None of them can play Ableton's instruments, so they can't give you the sound of the song.

Where monody fits

monody is a DAW with an AI assistant built in, and it opens Live 12 sets directly. MIDI clips, audio clips, tempo, volume, pan and groups (as buses) come across; muted tracks arrive with their fader all the way down. Ableton's devices and plugin settings don't: each MIDI track plays on a monody synth sound picked from what the part plays.

From there, monody exports what other DAWs read:

• the mix or stems as WAV, FLAC or AAC;
• MIDI files of a clip or a whole track;
• a Live project folder (the set, your audio and stems) that loads in Live 12, if the project is going back to Ableton.

It doesn't write Logic (.logicx) or FL Studio (.flp) projects. So for those DAWs, monody is a place to open the set, hear it and finish it, and its stems and MIDI files are the bridge.

If you're sending the project to someone who also uses Live, see How to send an Ableton project to someone.

Sources

• Ableton manual: Managing Files and Sets (Export Audio/Video, Export MIDI Clip)
• Bitwig: Transferring projects between Bitwig Studio and other DAWs and DAWproject FAQ
• Jukeblocks: DAW converter
• dawconverter: ALS tool

Checked on 1 October 2026. Ableton and Live are trademarks of Ableton AG; monody is not affiliated with or endorsed by Ableton.