← Part of: How to open an AAF in Ableton Live
DaVinci Resolve → Ableton

How to get a DaVinci Resolve timeline into Ableton Live.

Resolve exports a solid AAF — but Live can’t read it, and the audio is usually wrapped in MXF that Live can’t read either. Both are handled here.

Short answer: Export an AAF from Resolve, then convert it with AAF Bridge. It becomes a native Live Set with clips, fades and markers — and the MXF audio converts to WAV automatically. One honest caveat below: Resolve doesn’t write pan or volume automation into AAF.

The Resolve situation

Resolve sits in the middle of a lot of pipelines, and its AAF export is good — but Ableton Live has no AAF import, and Resolve wraps its audio in MXF, which Live also can’t read. So a Resolve turnover normally stalls at “ask for stems”.

AAF Bridge reads the AAF and converts the MXF audio to WAV on the way, so the cut opens in Live as a normal session. There is one honest limit that comes from Resolve, not the tool — see the FAQ.

DaVinci Resolve to Ableton, step by step

  1. Export an AAF from Resolve

    On the Edit or Fairlight page: File → Export → AAF (or right-click the timeline → Timelines → Export → AAF). Include the source media.

  2. Open AAF Bridge and choose AAF / XML → Ableton

    The free demo converts the first 120 seconds of any timeline, so you can test a real Resolve export first.

  3. Drop in the AAF, set tempo & time signature

    AAF Bridge shows the tracks, clips, markers and that the audio is MXF. Set the project tempo and time signature.

  4. Click Create Live Set

    The MXF audio is converted to WAV automatically into the project’s Samples folder, and a report is written.

  5. Open the .als in Ableton Live

    Clips sit sample-accurately with fades, clip gain, markers and the picture on its own video track.

Both directions. When you’re done, AAF Bridge exports the Live Set straight back out — see the export guide.

FAQ

My Resolve audio is MXF. Do I need to convert it first?

No. AAF Bridge detects MXF-wrapped audio and converts it to WAV automatically during import — Live can’t read MXF, so this happens for you with nothing to install.

Why didn’t my pan or volume automation come across?

Because Resolve doesn’t write pan or volume automation into its AAF exports — a Resolve limitation, so the data never leaves Resolve and no tool can recover it. Everything else transfers, and the report says so per file.

Clips show offline in Live. What now?

Make sure you included the media when exporting the AAF (or enable Collect media on import so a self-contained project folder is built).

Try it on your own file first.

The free demo is the full app — it converts the first 120 seconds of any timeline, so you can open the result in Live before spending anything. $49 one-time, no subscription, runs offline. macOS.

Download the free demo Back to the overview