← First Contact
Mission 04 · World 1
Preferences
Set it up once, properly.
Five settings done right = zero pain later.
+40 XP
// WHAT IT DOES
Open Preferences (Cmd/Ctrl+,). The five tabs you actually need: Audio (your interface and buffer size), Link/Tempo/MIDI (controllers), File/Folder (where samples live), Library (Packs), and Look/Feel (theme).
Set your audio device first. If you hear no sound, this is almost always why.
Think of it like → Like adjusting your seat and mirrors before driving. Five minutes saves an hour.
▸ WHY YOU CARE
- • A correct buffer size = no clicks, no latency surprises.
- • Setting File/Folder once means new projects never sprawl across your drive.
// SEE & HEAR IT
No simulator for this mission — read & quiz only.
▸ HOW IT WORKS
Preferences are global — they persist across all projects unless overridden inside the .als (e.g. tempo, time signature).
▸ Signal flow — watch the dot
▸ SIGNAL FLOW
Glowing dot = your signal travelling through Live.
▸ LISTEN FOR
- • Test tone plays cleanly with no clicks or distortion.
▸ WALKTHROUGH (3 steps)
- 1. DO: Cmd/Ctrl+, → Audio → pick your interface.▸ LISTEN: Test Tone confirms output works.
- 2. DO: Set Buffer Size to 256.▸ LISTEN: Latency display drops below 10 ms.
- 3. DO: Link/Tempo/MIDI → enable Control Surface for your controller.▸ LISTEN: Pads light up and respond.
▸ COMMON MISTAKES
- ✗ Buffer too low (32) = crackles. Too high (2048) = laggy keys.
- ✗ Forgetting to enable Track on the MIDI input port — controller does nothing.
// QUIZ (QUICK)
Question 1 / 30 correct
Lower buffer size means…