r/ableton•
naybrmusic

Why does Ableton remove my drum rack's internal return routings when I place it in my project as a clip?

[Question]

I ran into something that makes zero sense in Ableton: if I save my complex Drum Rack (with internal returns, sidechain routing, buses, etc.) as an Instrument Rack preset, everything loads perfectly in any project, all routing preserved. But if I save a MIDI clip that contains that same Drum Rack and drag it into a new project, all the internal routing inside the rack is wiped out. Sidechains, return chains, pad routing… gone.

It feels inconsistent because Ableton clearly can recall this routing (the preset proves it), but the Clip format just doesn’t store it.

I know the workaround is to load the preset first and drag in MIDI-only clips, but honestly, why doesn’t Ableton handle this correctly when saving devices inside clips?

Posted Dec 10, 2025, 3:00 PM UTC

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