How to Use iZotope RX with Ableton Live Without Crashing Everything

iZotope RX is brilliant for cleaning up audio. It can fix clicks, background noise, pitch issues, breaths, you name it.

But here is the catch. If you run RX as a plugin inside Ableton Live, it eats your CPU for breakfast.

Playback starts glitching. Sessions freeze. Fans go full blast like your laptop is ready for lift off.

Luckily, there is a better way.

Do Not Run RX as a Plugin

Seriously — skip the plugin version. Instead, use RX as a sample editor alongside Live.

It is smoother. More stable. And it keeps your sessions running clean.

How to Set RX as Your Sample Editor in Ableton

Just do this once, and you are sorted.

1. Open Ableton Preferences
   (Command and comma on Mac, Control and comma on Windows)

2. Go to the File Folder tab

3. Find the Sample Editor section

4. Click Browse and locate the RX standalone app

5. Select it and close Preferences

Done. Now, any time you hit Edit on a clip, RX opens it up for you.

How to Use RX in Your Workflow

Here is how the round trip works:

1. Double click any audio clip in Live

2. Hit the Edit button

3. RX opens with the clip loaded

4. Do your clean up — remove clicks, fix pitch, tame background noise

5. In RX, go to File and choose Overwrite Original File

6. Switch back to Live — the clip is already updated

No bouncing. No reloading. Just clean audio straight back into your session.

Quick Tip: Always Back It Up First

Before you start editing, take five seconds to protect yourself:

• Press Command D to duplicate the clip

• Then press Command J to consolidate it into a fresh audio file

That way, if anything goes wrong in RX, you still have your original.

Why This Workflow Makes Sense

• RX stays out of your plugin chain

• Your CPU stays cool

• Your sessions stay stable

• And you still get RX’s clean-up power in your mix

No fan noise. No crashes. Just clean, pro quality audio that actually plays back properly inside Live.

Want to See It in Action?

I have put together a full walkthrough showing exactly how to set this up and how to use it in a real project.