How to enable ReWire in other DAWs

  • Live Versions: All
  • Operating System: All

The following is a quick reference for some of the most common DAWs with which you can use Live in ReWire mode. We recommend that you check each application's user manual for more detailed instructions.

If you've only just installed Live, make sure to launch it at least once so that the ReWire engine is downloaded and installed automatically.

Note: Certain DAWs can only run in ReWire Host mode. Live is capable of running as either a ReWire Host, or a ReWire Device.


1. Click on the Devices menu and select Ableton Live ReWire.

Cubase rewire device.png

2. A new channel will then be created automatically in Cubase.

3. Before launching Live, you also need to enable at least one stereo ReWire bus: do that by clicking on the respective buttons in the newly opened Ableton Live ReWire Device.

Cubase rwr bus.png

4. Now launch Live: the program should run as ReWire Device.

5. To send MIDI from Cubase to Live, create a MIDI channel in Cubase. In its MIDI output section you will be able to choose one of the available Live MIDI tracks as a destination.

Cubase rwr midi.png

Logic Pro 7-9

Logic can only be used as ReWire Host. If Logic is running when Live is launched, then Live will automatically start in ReWire Device mode.

1. Create an Auxiliary Channel in Logic and choose Ableton Live from the Input menu to route audio from Live. If there's no ReWire channel available, turn off "Multi Processor Support" in Logic if this is activated.


2. To send MIDI from Logic to Live, create a ReWire object in Logic's Environment Window.


3. If you are using Logic 7 or before, please check Logic's audio preferences and disable (uncheck) the option for “Release Audio in Background if Stopped.”

Logic Pro X

Logic can only be used as ReWire Host.

1. Open the Logic Preferences and go the Audio Panel > Devices tab. Here set the "ReWire Mode" menu to either Live or Playback mode.

Logic X new.png

2. Start Logic, then start Live. Live will display "Running as ReWire Device" in the splash screen:


3. To send MIDI from Logic to MIDI tracks in Live, create a new External MIDI track in Logic.

4. In the Library view, choose Ableton Live > (name of MIDI track in Live you wish to send MIDI to).


5. To receive audio from Live in Logic, go to the Mixer view. Under Options, choose "Create New Auxiliary Channel Strip".


6. Choose "Ableton Live: RW:Mix L/R" as the input for the Auxiliary Channel Strip. Then turn up the track volume.



Pro Tools

1. Before launching Live, create an Audio or Aux channel and load the instrument "Ableton Live" in the track as an Insert.

2. The benefit of using an audio channel is that you can record audio directly in this track from ReWire without any other routing. On the other side, this channel will need to be set on Input Monitoring, otherwise no audio will be heard.


3. Now you can launch Live, which will start as a ReWire Device.

4. To control a Live Device from Pro Tools via MIDI, create a MIDI channel in Pro Tools: the various MIDI channels currently available in the Live Set will appear as a choice in the channel's MIDI out menu.



1. Reaper requires you to load an Ableton Live ReWire object before launching Live.

2. Create a new track in Reaper, click on the FX button and choose Ableton Live from the list.


3. To send MIDI from Reaper to Live, create another channel, and click on its I/O button.

4. In the Sends menu, create a routing to the track in Reaper where the Ableton Live object is loaded.



Please note that ReWire has been discontinued in Reason 11. If you have projects that use ReWire, you can keep your previous version of Reason installed alongside Reason 11. Otherwise, Propellerhead suggests that you use Reason Rack Plugin instead.

1. First start Live and once it is fully loaded, launch Reason. In this order, Reason will launch as a Rewire Device.

2. The ReWire connection has been successfully established when you see the active audio driver in Reason's preferences as well as the Hardware Interface list "Rewire Device Mode."

3. If you want to route multiple audio outputs from Reason to Live, wire the respective Reason devices to the available channels of Reason's virtual Hardware Interface. For more information about Reason's routing options, take a look at the Reason manual.

4. To hear the audio generated from Reason, create an audio track in Live and select Reason in the track's Input Type chooser ("Audio From" drop-down menu). Additionally, enable Input Monitoring for this track


5. By default, the main audio output of Reason is the ReWire channel 1/2. If you have wired multiple audio outputs in Reason's Hardware Interface, create an Audio Track in Live for each stereo output in Reason and select the respective Reason channel in the track's Input Type chooser ("Audio From" drop-down menu).

6. As a ReWire Host, Live can send MIDI messages to Reason. Create a new MIDI Track in Live and use the track's Output Channel chooser ("MIDI To" drop-down menu) to select the target device in Reason. Live will list all the devices that have been created in the Reason song and which can be controlled via MIDI.