How to use Oxide in Ableton Live

By Will Barratt, who builds Oxide · Updated 8 November 2026

Short answer: drop Oxide (or the Max for Live device) first on the stem’s device chain, run a scan, listen to what was removed, then freeze and flatten before your usual Live devices.

Ableton Live is a common place to mix stems from Suno and other AI music tools. The usual problem is not Live itself. It is that a vocal or cymbal stem arrives too shiny, and then every compressor in the device chain makes that worse.

This guide is the Ableton workflow. Oxide supports Live 11 and Live 12 as a plugin, and as a Max for Live device you can drop on a track or the master. The VST3, AU, and CLAP plugins are in beta; the standalone Oxide app is fully supported if you would rather clean the file and import it.

For install basics, see How to set up Oxide in your DAW. For what shimmer and artefacts are, see How to clean Suno stems.

Try Oxide Lite free. Pro unlocks everything.

Import stems into a Live set

Create an audio track for each stem, or drag the files into Session or Arrangement View.
Keep one part per track — vocal, drums, bass, and so on.
Line the clips up at the same start point. If one stem is early or late, nudge the clip rather than warping it unless you mean to change timing.
Name the tracks so you can solo the part you are inspecting.

If you hear another instrument in the gaps between phrases, that is bleed from stem separation. Cleanup will not finish that split.

Load Oxide in Ableton

As an audio effect

Download and install Oxide from oxide.battleship.me.
Rescan plugins in Live’s Preferences if Oxide does not appear.
On Windows, look for the VST3. On a Mac, use VST3 or AU — whichever Live is set to scan.
Drop Oxide on the stem’s device chain, before compressors, saturators, and de-essers.

As Max for Live

Oxide includes a Max for Live device (`.amxd`) for Ableton Live 11 and 12. Drop it on any audio track or the master bus. The macros are mapped for Push, so you can inspect and adjust from the hardware if you use it.

If the plugin does not appear

Plugins are still in beta. Clean the stem in the Oxide app or in the browser, export or save the cleaned file, and drop that clip into Live. That is often the simplest first session.

Inspect and clean

Solo the track and listen without the rest of the set.
Run a scan.
Listen to what was removed. You want shimmer and fizz, not words or drum attacks.
When it sounds right, freeze and flatten the track, or export a cleaned WAV from the Oxide app (WAV export is part of Pro) and replace the clip, so the rest of your Live devices are working on the cleaned sound.
Then add your normal Live chain: EQ Eight, de-esser, compression, and sends.

Compare cleaned and uncleaned clips at matched loudness. Not every stem in the set needs a pass.

Batch Triage in Lite checks up to 3 stems; batch folder render is part of Pro. Oxide Pro and Oxide Studio unlock 24-bit WAV export, the 5-band breakdown, and folder rendering.

Try Oxide Lite

Try Oxide on the Ableton stem that has been hardest to mix. Try Oxide Lite free. Pro unlocks everything.

Other DAWs: REAPER · Logic Pro · FL Studio · Cubase · Pro Tools

Common questions

Does Oxide work with Ableton Push?

The Max for Live device maps its macros to Push, so you can reach the main controls from the hardware.

Should I put Oxide on the master?

Start on the stem that sounds wrong. The master is only useful when the harshness is spread across the whole mix and you do not have better stems.

Oxide is missing from Live’s browser.

Rescan VST3 or AU in Preferences, restart Live, or clean the file in the standalone app and import it. Plugins are in beta.

Which stems should I clean first?

Usually the vocal and the hats or cymbals. Bass and kick rarely need anything. Clean the parts that bother you and leave the rest.

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