• What is the difference between CSV and M3U?

CSV is a spreadsheet-style export that includes track information and file paths.

M3U is a playlist format that can be imported directly into compatible DJ and music software.

Q: What’s included in the exported M3U and CSV files?

M3U Playlist (.m3u)
The M3U is the playlist file you’ll import into compatible DJ and media applications, such as Rekordbox and Apple Music / iTunes. It preserves the exported playlist order, track names, and references the audio files from your Ableton Live set.

CSV Reference (.csv)
The CSV is a companion reference file containing the exported track names, Ableton track and scene information, and audio file locations. It can be opened in any spreadsheet application to review or verify your export.

• Which DJ software is supported?

Set2Playlist exports standard CSV and M3U files that work with many applications, including Rekordbox, Serato, Apple Music, and other software that supports these formats.

• Can I use Set2Playlist offline?

An internet connection is required for initial license activation. After activation, Set2Playlist can be used normally on the activated device.

• What export order should I choose?

Scene-first exports across each scene from left to right before moving to the next scene.

Track-first exports down each track before moving to the next track.

Both exports contain the same audio files. The difference is only the order of the playlist.

You can even try both options and compare the exported playlist order.

• Why does Apple Music/iTunes show an empty playlist?

Apple Music/iTunes only displays tracks that already exist in its library.

If an imported playlist appears empty, make sure the referenced audio files have already been added to Apple Music/iTunes. Once the files are present in the library, the playlist should populate correctly.

• Does Set2Playlist work with Arrangement View & session projects?

Yes. Set2Playlist can export playlists from Ableton Live sets containing Session View clips, Arrangement View clips, or both.

For hybrid Ableton projects that contain both Session View and Arrangement View content, Set2Cue processes Session View first, followed by Arrangement View.

What is an activation?

An activation is one computer authorized to use Set2Playlist. Choose 1 Activation if you’ll use Set2Playlist on a single computer, or 2 Activations if you’ll use it on two of your own computers. You can deactivate an activation and move it to a new computer.

Is this for Windows or Intel?

No. Set2Playlist currently supports macOS Silicon only.

Do you offer refunds?

Set2Playlist is downloadable software. Because the product is delivered immediately after purchase, all sales are final. If you experience a technical issue, please contact support and we will do our best to help resolve it. Please see System Requirements & tech notes before purchasing. If you have any questions or if you experience a technical issue, please contact us. @contactimagikalabs

System Requirements

• Mac computer

• Apple Silicon Mac (M1, M2, M3, M4, or newer)

• macOS 15 Sequoia or later recommended for the current release

• Ableton Live .als set file linked to audio files on computer

• Internet connection for first-time license activation

Compatibility

Ableton

• Designed for Ableton Live .als files

• Tested with Ableton Live .als files from Ableton Live 8 through the latest version (Ableton Live 12). Older versions may also work but have not been tested and are not guaranteed.

Playlist Applications

Set2Playlist converts Ableton Live Set (.als) files into standard M3U playlists and CSV setlists.

• Rekordbox (M3U import)

• Serato (M3U import)

• Apple Music / iTunes (tracks must already exist in your library)

• Other applications that support standard M3U playlists

What Set2Playlist exports

• CSV playlist file

• M3U playlist file

• Export log file

Compatibility

Set2Playlist is currently designed for Apple silicon Macs (M1, M2, M3, M4, and newer).

Important Notes

Set2Playlist exports playlists for Apple Music, iTunes, Rekordbox, Serato, and other DJ workflows while preserving track information and file locations.

• Set2Playlist reads Ableton Live .als files and creates .m3u playlist exports.

• Your Ableton set is never modified.

• Your audio files are never moved, copied, relinked, or modified.

• Set2Playlist works with the audio file paths stored in your Ableton Live set. Original audio files must still exist at the locations stored in the Ableton Live set for playback to work correctly. If audio files have been moved, renamed, or deleted, Set2Playlist will still export playlist entries, but the missing files cannot be played until they are restored or relinked in Ableton. Open the set in Ableton and make sure all files & links are accurate before exporting.

• Apple Music / iTunes playlists will only populate if the referenced tracks already exist in your library. Add your music to your library before importing playlist for best results.

• Export destination must be writable (Desktop, Downloads, or another selected folder).

• Export files are very small (typically under 1 MB).

• Batch exporting doesn't just process your entire library—it also organizes the results for you. Set2Playlist automatically creates export folders, keeping playlists, CSV files, & related exports neatly grouped together so everything is ready to use the moment the export finishes.

Recommended Workflow

Ableton Live Set (.als)

↓

Set2Playlist

↓

CSV + M3U Playlist Export

↓

Import the M3U playlist into Rekordbox, Serato, Apple Music/iTunes, or another compatible playlist application.

This project wasn’t born as a business idea. It began as a problem I’d been wanting to solve for over twenty years…

The Birth of Set2Playlist: Building a Bridge Beyond Ableton

Well… my inner nerd finally came out of the closet.  I became determined to solve a workflow that had been limiting me for years—a way to preserve everything I had built inside Ableton while giving myself the freedom to use it elsewhere. 

I’ve been DJing, live remixing, creating music, & organizing my music in Ableton for over 20 years now. My sets became living archives—thousands of tracks, live sets inspired by the moment, as well as carefully arranged categories, years of discoveries, performances, & creative exploration. Ableton is a powerhouse & has been the heart of my musical workflow all these years.

But over time I started wanting more flexibility. 

I wanted to branch out into Rekordbox & Serato too. I find myself in a lot of renegade situations where Rekordbox gear is already set up, & I wanted to jam with friends, collaborate easily, play from a USB instead of carrying my computer each & every time, have fun with different gear, without having to rebuild my library from scratch or do manual workarounds.

But I couldn't find a quick & simple way to bring all those years of organization into the other platforms I wanted to use. The decades of musical curation I had created inside Ableton were gold to me. Every pathway between songs, every arrangement, every jam, every musical journey represented years of listening, performing, experimenting, & discovering music. That history wasn't something I wanted to abandon just because I wanted to expand my workflow.

So I started searching for a better way.  I searched for ways to migrate my organization without rebuilding everything, track by track, or playlist by playlist. With hundreds of sets & thousands of tracks it would have taken a while, so instead of spending that time in mundane monotonous tasks, I spent that time creating a solution that could be easily used again & again, not just for myself but for friends in the same situation.

I didn’t want to leave Ableton behind. I still love it. I just wanted more flow, simplicity & possibilities. I wanted a tool I could trust every time—a dependable part of my workflow that helped me move my ideas into the world with grace, ease, & freedom.

What began as a wish turned into a real tool I love.  Every experiment revealed another possibility. Every question uncovered another solution. Every refinement made the workflow feel more intuitive. 

Piece by piece it all came together. & Set2Playlist was born, & once it was all polished, it worked beautifully each & every time, & just the way I had imagined it. 

I watched more than twenty years of Ableton sets & bins become hundreds of playlists containing thousands of tracks—all neatly grouped into an organized folder within seconds, with playlists playing in perfect order, preserving the musical flow, arrangement, & the relationships between tracks I'd spent years creating. For the first time, I had complete flexibility, & I could export a single set, a collection of sets, or my entire library in one batch whenever I wanted.

The first successful export felt incredibly freeing. It honestly felt like a weight had lifted. It felt like twenty years of musical curation had finally been set free. For the first time my Ableton sets weren’t the end of the road, they became the beginning of new possibilities.  Set2Playlist became the bridge between the musical world I had built in Ableton & everywhere else I wanted to take it. Ableton could remain my creative home, while my music was finally free to travel.

I built Set2Playlist because I wanted it & it didn’t exist, but also because I knew I wasn’t the only DJ who had spent years building a whole musical world inside Ableton. Sometimes ideas don’t arrive as business plans but as wishes waiting to be brought into the world.  Along the way I also discovered something unexpected—I genuinely loved designing music tools & creative workflows. It felt like discovering a whole new creative outlet that I'm excited to keep exploring with other wishes & ideas that I can share with others.

Set2Playlist is a Mac utility software that preserves years of musical organization by exporting your Ableton Live Sets into playlists that can be used in Rekordbox, Serato, Apple Music/iTunes, & other playlist-based software in just a few clicks.

Whether you're exporting a single set or your entire library, Set2Playlist automatically creates organized export folders, keeping playlists, & related exports neatly grouped together. Instead of ending up with hundreds of scattered files, everything is organized & ready for your next step.

Set2Playlist can also generate CSV setlists, making it easy to archive performances, share tracklists for mixes, reference what you played, or simply keep a written record of your musical journeys.

One of my favorite uses is turning my Ableton sets into playlists I can simply listen to. Sometimes I want to revisit a particular journey, remember the feeling of a set, or hear one of my own mixes alongside other music. Before, I had to recreate playlists, organize folders, & manage exported files manually. Now it happens automatically in just a few clicks.

I originally built Set2Playlist around Session View because that’s how I & many musicians & DJs use Ableton for live sets, but I also added Arrangement support for producers, DJs, & musicians, making it easy to export arranged mixes, stems, & original tracks as well. It also generates CSV tracklists that are useful for posting mixes, archiving sets, or simply keeping a written record of what you played.

Set2Playlist supports two different ways of exporting because DJs organize differently.

Scene-First Export

• Preserves the flow of scenes & musical journeys.

Track-First Export

• Preserves organization by tracks & columns.

Batch exporting makes it easy to process an entire library instead of one set at a time, saving hours of repetitive work.  Each batch export is automatically organized into its own folder, making it easy to browse, archive, or import everything together without additional sorting.

For me, Set2Playlist didn’t replace Ableton. Ableton is still where I create, organize, remix, & build sets. Set2Playlist simply lets me bring  everything I’ve already built in Ableton into Rekordbox, Serato, Apple Music, & more.  Whenever I update my Ableton library, I simply export again & my playlists stay current without rebuilding everything from scratch.

Many DJs have spent years organizing music inside Ableton Live.

Those sets contain much more than songs.

They contain:

• musical journeys

• performance history

• creative decisions

• years of thoughtful curation

• a lifetime of musical relationships

Without a tool like Set2Playlist, that work often remains locked inside old Ableton sets.

Set2Playlist preserves those years of organization while making them usable beyond Ableton, allowing DJs to bring years of musical history into new workflows quickly & easily.

Set2Playlist was created because I wanted to solve a workflow problem.

Every feature started as a question I needed answered in my own creative process. Every solution came from wanting to spend less time doing more work & more time making music.

Set2Playlist is the tool I wished existed all along.

& now it does.

The next chapter is just beginning, & I can’t wait to discover where it leads.

“What a lifesaver!”

"Saved me hours rebuilding playlists."

"Works great with Rekordbox."

“OMG, thank goodness”

“Works like a charm”