Ableton live

[SIXTO]

Thoughts???? It seems to have allot of an easier layout... with some good tools,,,, thinking about purchasing it but would be good to get some feedback first..

[Elektronkind]

Ableton Live ROCKS.

I only recently upgraded from version 2 to version 4, and I've got to say, it's come a long way. Only thing I'm missing in it is Apple Loops integration, but if you're not on a Mac, that doesnt matter at all.

It's as simple as pie to lay down beats and create them. The MIDI channel interfaces are a little more clunky than I would like, but it's no big thing. It definitely is a great tool for quick composition.

/dale

[SIXTO]

Once again thanks Dale.. You know allot... I downloaded the demo version and it seems pretty cool... A better layout for me to understand.... I am going to keep messing around with the demo to get more feel for it.... But I read that this software is amazing....

[Elektronkind]

Version 4's key thing is the ability to use plugins that are external to Ableton Live. It used to be that you were stuck with using only the built-in plugins... now any VST (or Audio Units if you're on a mac) effects and instrument plugins are available for use. I upgraded last week and am already using Stylus and Trilogy better than I have been in Logic. I would call Ableton Live a *complete* replacement for Logic... but it's close to it now.

If you do get Ableton, I would also suggest getting a MIDI keyboard with lots of knobs and sliders. You can assign these to functions in Ableton (click on the MIDI button in the upper right of the Ableton window, then click a slider or knob or whatever is blue on the screen, then move the knob or slider on your keyboard that you want to use to control it with, and voila)

/dale

[SIXTO]

Wow... thats awesome.. but let me clarify something... Can I use Trilogy, atmosphere and stylus in Ableton if I am using windows? Second what do you think of trilogy and stylus.. I heard those programs are completely awesome.... If I do buy ableton I would include the spectrasonics software line....
and last question.. what music do you produce Dale.. Just trance...???

[Elektronkind]

The Spectasonics line is available in VST form, and Ableton Live groks VSTs, so yeah, should work fine.

Trilogy I love for basslines. It's pure and simple. I use Stylus bus don't have the new Stylus RMX, which seems to be leaps better. Still, it lets you set up some great percussion riffs.

I DJ psytrance... that's my main love, but in my studio I typically find myself working on ambient sound scapes, and have lately been getting into glitchy techno and breaks. Tipper is my role model in that regard. I love that stuff.

/dale

[djane]

Ableton Live ROCKS.

Only thing I'm missing in it is Apple Loops integration, but if you're not on a Mac, that doesnt matter at all.

convert your apple loops to .wav format. Easy enough to do with just about any recording/editing software. You may even be able to do it in iTunes

[Elektronkind]

convert your apple loops to .wav format. Easy enough to do with just about any recording/editing software. You may even be able to do it in iTunes

Oh, the sound data in the Apple Loops works fine in Ableton. I can drag them into a cell and they work. They're AIFF format, after all. What's different about them is that they contain embedded metadata like key, bpm, genre, zones, stuff like that. An application that is "Apple Loop Aware" knows how to interpret this data and use it to categorize and streach and loop it perfectly. It's like a REX file in Reason if you're familiar with those. Apps that don't know how to read the metadata just ignore it and read in the AIFF sound part like any ordinary WAV or AIFF file.

So, given what Ableton Live does, using that kind of embedded data in a Apple Loop file would be nifty to say the least.

/dale

[iceburg slim]

i did a few hip hop beats on ableton...although its supposedly great for live performanceses...hence LIVE in the name i found the program very usefull.my heart still lies wiht reason 3.0

[SIXTO]

Yeah but the only thing I dont like about Reason is that its not VST compatible..... I think this weekend will be the weekend Ableton will be purchased.... Let it roll

[djane]

So, given what Ableton Live does, using that kind of embedded data in a Apple Loop file would be nifty to say the least.

/dale

ah...gothcha. My first thought was odd that it doesn't support aiff. but now it makes sense.

[djane]

Yeah but the only thing I dont like about Reason is that its not VST compatible..... I think this weekend will be the weekend Ableton will be purchased.... Let it roll

Not to change subjects, but regarding reason & vst... has anyone tried sampling notes from a hard/soft synth and loading them into either of reasons samplers? What kind of results have you had?

[SIXTO]

does ableton have a quantize feature??? I was looking for it but came up short....

[Elektronkind]

Quantize for MIDI, yes.

For audio files, the Warp engine takes care of that for you.

/dale

[nickn]

Not to change subjects, but regarding reason & vst... has anyone tried sampling notes from a hard/soft synth and loading them into either of reasons samplers? What kind of results have you had?

do it all the time with great results.
mostly from hardware but also from VSTis