One tool, both directions: turn timelines from DaVinci Resolve, Pro Tools, Media Composer etc. (AAF), Premiere Pro (XML) and Final Cut Pro (FCPXML / FCPXMLD)* into Ableton Live sessions — and deliver finished Ableton sessions back the same way. Sample-accurate, at any sample rate. For macOS and Windows.
* Editor-specific limitations — please see the guide.
A clickable recreation of the app — flip anything, switch direction, hit convert.
Ableton’s warping, racks and instruments are extraordinary tools for sound design and film music — what was missing was a dependable way in and out. With a working AAF bridge, Ableton slots into audio post-production like any conform-ready DAW: take the locked cut in, do what only Ableton can do, deliver back.
Locked cut in, finished session back — the picture rides along on its own video track, in both directions, so you mix to image right inside Ableton, with markers, fades and automation in place.
* Editor-specific limitations — please see the guide.
Import and delivery are the same product here — not a feature and an afterthought. Whichever way your session travels, the same sample-accurate engine carries it.
Drop an AAF from Resolve, Pro Tools, Media Composer etc., a Premiere XML, or a Final Cut FCPXML / FCPXMLD*. Get a complete, native Ableton project — as if you had built it in Ableton yourself.
Watch: opening an AAF in Ableton Live (on YouTube).
Pick your target — AAF, Premiere XML, FCPXML or FCPXMLD — and every Ableton track becomes a named track your editor imports in seconds, with a timecode track at the session frame rate.
Watch: exporting an AAF from Ableton Live (on YouTube).
* Editor-specific limitations — please see the guide.
Clip positions land on the exact sample — at 44.1, 48, 96 or 192 kHz, at any project frame rate. We test this on real sessions with hundreds of clips before every release.
AAF — the universal audio-post format Resolve, Pro Tools, Media Composer etc. all read — plus Premiere XML and FCPXML or FCPXMLD for Final Cut Pro. Pick the target, we write the right file.
Most conversion paths fake crossfades as two touching fades (an audible dip) — or drop them entirely. Here every crossfade maps to the target's native construct: Ableton's own crossfade encoding on import; real AAF dissolves, Premiere transitions or true FCPXML overlaps on export. Full blend length, no level dip, acoustically as close as the target can render — and round trips restore your edit exactly. On import you stay in control of the edit point: keep it exactly where your editor cut, or switch on acoustic crossfade compensation to shift it by half the blend so Live’s waveform lines up with what you hear — the crossfade transfers either way. Ableton’s tiny ~4 ms click-protection fades are recognised for what they are and stay out of the delivery: a clean cut, not an audible fade.
Timeline markers become Ableton locators. Track and clip colors make the round trip intact — your session still looks like your session.
Clip gain and volume automation transfer in both directions — including the mixer envelopes your fade ride lives on. Pan travels too, static and automated, via AAF; FCPXML receives the volume curve as real Final Cut keyframes. Mono stays mono, stereo stays stereo — multichannel stems keep their channel count in AAF and FCPXML.
AAF files carry neither. Set BPM and meter right in the import dialog and the Live Set opens on your grid — no 120 BPM surprises.
Resolve loves to wrap audio in MXF — Ableton can’t read it. AAF Bridge converts it to WAV automatically during import. Nothing to install, nothing to transcode by hand.
Imports create a genuine Ableton project folder — .als, Samples/, project marker. Optionally collect every referenced file into it: one self-contained folder you can move anywhere.
Every conversion writes a plain-text report into the project: what transferred, what needs attention, which tracks to check. Deliver it with the session.
No account. No uploads. No activation emails. AAF Bridge runs entirely on your computer and works offline — your audio never touches anyone’s server, including ours.
Drag an AAF, Premiere XML, FCPXML or FCPXMLD (or a Live Set) into the window. AAF Bridge detects the format and shows tracks, clips, markers and media type before you convert anything.
Markers, fades, colors, automation, video reference, muted material — every feature is a switch. Set tempo and meter for the new session.
One click creates the project; “Show in Finder” takes you straight to it. The .als opens in Ableton like any session — the AAF like any turnover.
New here, or coming from a specific editor? Start with the walkthrough, then jump to your source app for the exact export settings and what to expect.
AAF and XML have real limits. AAF Bridge flags them before you convert and records them in a report that travels with the project:
The demo is the full app — every feature, no signup, as many conversions as you like. In demo mode the output is limited to 120 seconds timeline length, but it’s enough to see your tracks, your names and your fades arrive where they belong. If it doesn’t fit your workflow, you’ve lost nothing but five minutes.
macOS 13+ (Apple Silicon) · Windows 10/11 · works with Ableton Live 11 and 12
First launch: your system may warn that the developer isn’t recognised. We’re a small independent studio and haven’t finished code-signing yet — it’s on the way, thanks for your understanding. The app is safe and runs fully offline. On macOS, open System Settings → Privacy & Security and click Open Anyway after the first launch; on Windows, More info → Run anyway. You only do this once. Step-by-step instructions (incl. the Terminal fallback if “Open Anyway” doesn’t appear) →
Secure checkout & invoicing by Lemon Squeezy. VAT handled automatically. The license key arrives by email within seconds.
Developed by indie developers — thank you for supporting us!
Import: AAF from DaVinci Resolve, Pro Tools, Avid Media Composer, Nuendo etc. — from Premiere, use its own AAF export (recommended); Final Cut Pro projects as FCPXML or FCPXMLD bundles. Export: AAF for Resolve, Pro Tools, Media Composer etc.; Premiere XML for Premiere Pro; FCPXML or FCPXMLD (bundle, FCP 10.6+) for Final Cut Pro. AAF is a universal exchange format read by virtually every audio-post app, and the richest, most-tested route — prefer it whenever the target reads it.
Prefer AAF. It’s the audio-post standard: sample-accurate, with embedded fades, clip gain and a solid relink chain, and it’s the format we test hardest. Reach for XML only when the other app can’t read AAF — Premiere Pro imports Final Cut 7 XML (frame-quantized; real stereo tracks and crossfade transitions, fades and gain as volume keyframes), and Final Cut Pro uses FCPXML or the FCPXMLD bundle (sample-accurate, with volume automation as real Final Cut keyframes). Pan and colors don’t travel through either XML format, and Premiere XML leaves moving volume automation out rather than averaging it; AAF carries more.
That’s the operating system’s Gatekeeper (macOS) or
SmartScreen (Windows) being cautious. We’re a small
independent studio and haven’t finished the (fairly costly)
code-signing yet — it’s planned, and the app is completely
safe and runs fully offline. Thanks for bearing with us. To open
it the first time on macOS: double-click the app;
when macOS says it can’t verify the developer, click
Done, then open System Settings → Privacy
& Security, scroll to the Security section and click
Open Anyway next to the app (confirm with your
password if asked). On Windows, click More
info → Run anyway. You only do this once. (On earlier macOS
versions you can also right-click the app and choose Open.)
If Open Anyway doesn’t appear or the app
still won’t start, remove the quarantine flag once: open
Terminal (Spotlight → “Terminal”), paste this line
and press Return:
xattr -dr com.apple.quarantine "/Applications/AAF Bridge.app"
It only tells macOS you trust this one app.
Created projects open in Ableton Live 11 and Live 12. Exports work from any .als saved by Live 11 or 12. Live 10 sessions use an older file format that Ableton itself cannot cross-open — upgrade the session in Ableton first.
No — Ableton Live has no AAF import or export of its own. AAF Bridge converts the AAF into a regular Ableton project (.als) that opens like any session you saved yourself, and converts a Live Set into an AAF your editor can read. Full walkthrough: how to open an AAF in Ableton Live.
AAF Bridge moves everything an AAF can express between your editor and Ableton Live — audio, cuts, fades, volume and pan. What no AAF format carries is MIDI, plugin chains or bus routing (AAF is audio-only), so bounce MIDI to audio first; the conversion report flags anything left out.
AAF has no concept of warping. Neutrally warped clips (pulled to the grid but not stretched) export perfectly. Truly time-stretched clips are flagged before you convert, with a per-track list — consolidate those clips in Ableton (Cmd+J) and export again. We deliberately never render the stretch ourselves: Ableton’s warp engine sounds like Ableton, and your delivery should too.
Nothing — that’s the point. AAF Bridge detects MXF-wrapped audio and converts it to WAV automatically during import, into the project’s Samples folder. The converter is built in; there is nothing to install. Full guide: DaVinci Resolve → Ableton.
No. AAF Bridge is a native app that runs entirely on your computer. No uploads, no account, no analytics on your media, and the license works offline. The only network traffic ever involved is the one-time purchase itself.
The full app with every feature enabled, usable as often as you like, no signup. In demo mode the output is limited — enough to verify your real project converts correctly before you spend a cent.
AAF Bridge runs on macOS (13 or newer, Apple Silicon) and on Windows 10/11. One license covers you on both — activate on the machines you work on.
No — OMF is the legacy predecessor of AAF and is not supported. Every editor that still offers OMF also exports AAF (Resolve, Media Composer, Pro Tools and Premiere Pro all do), and AAF carries strictly more. Ask the editor for an AAF instead — it converts to a native Ableton project.
Export the sequence from Premiere as AAF (File → Export → AAF — Premiere’s own audio hand-off), then convert it with AAF Bridge: you get a native Ableton project with sample-accurate clips, fades, gain and markers. For the way back, deliver Premiere XML — Premiere opens it with real stereo tracks and crossfades as real transitions. Full guide: Premiere Pro → Ableton.
Choose Deliver to → Final Cut Pro and AAF Bridge writes an FCPXML file or an FCPXMLD bundle (Final Cut Pro 10.6 +). Import via File → Import → XML: positions, fades and gain arrive sample-accurately, crossfades as true overlapping blends, tracks grouped by audio role. The reverse direction works too.
One license per user, fair-use across your own machines. Activation is one quick online check — after that the license lives on your machine, works offline and never phones home. Checkout, invoices and VAT are handled by Lemon Squeezy as merchant of record. And because the demo converts your real projects, you know exactly what you’re buying before you buy it.
Either way, please write. If a real-world AAF or XML breaks the converter, we genuinely want to see it — bug reports directly shape the next update. You’ll get an answer from the person who wrote the code.
Email support@aafbridge.com