Using Ableton Live without ever actually playing live ???

jonnytekno · Post by **jonnytekno** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 11:53 am

Hi,

I use Ableton Live Suite, NI Komplete Synths & several free VST instruments and effects. I mainly produce electronic music as a pure hobby but I also use Ableton for creating mix CDs for mates.

I really love Ableton, BUT - I never ever play or DJ live and don't really have any intention of ever doing so, which makes me wonder: would I be better off with something more studio orientated like Cubase? I really love Ableton, but is that just because I have never used anything else (except Sony Acid Studio, which was my entry level thing and which was pants in comparison to Ableton)?

I do get a lot of use out of the session view, because I use this area to create all my clips before I start getting everything down in the arrangement view, but I don't really use it to play stuff in the way it was intended - so I wonder whether this is something that I really need or if other programmes have similar things anyway.

Like I said, I love Ableton and don't have any gripes with it at all - I would just like to know whether I am missing out on something. Any advice very welcome?

Cheers,

Jonny

3dot... · Post by **3dot...** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:02 pm

no man you ain't missing anything...

if you would like a more 'traditional' timelined DAW...

I would recommend 'Reaper'... many many many features...
and you can buy an 'non-commercial license' for very cheap...(50$)

http://www.reaper.fm/

Meef Chaloin · Post by **Meef Chaloin** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:09 pm

i dont play live (yet) but I wouldnt use anything else as my main sequencer

3dot... · Post by **3dot...** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:27 pm

Meef Chaloin wrote:i dont play live (yet) but I wouldnt use anything else as my main sequencer

I used to think that way too..
but looping my synth and recording it back to live ...
had become a real pain...(timing issues...)

so now the approach is...
to play live like a 'sampler instrument' from my laptop...
and record it to the other PC into reaper...
(Reaper being clock master for the Synths...)

in this day and age ... it's a shame I sync live to it manually... (hitting spacebar on the 1)

Ajbbklyn · Post by **Ajbbklyn** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:27 pm

I don't use Live live. I use it in my home studio. For the most part, I employ a "traditional" studio approach, e.g. tracking and mixing.

The fact that Live has Session View sets it apart from everything else. I know of no other DAW that incorporates this feature. It's a killer tool for composition. Not to mention the tight integration of the other Ableton instruments.

Yeah, there are certain functionalities found in other DAWs that Live lacks. But, for someone like me who dates back to the days of vacuum tubes and splicing blocks, the workarounds are no big deal.

Live is the centerpiece of my toolkit for mixing in the box.

3dot... · Post by **3dot...** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:29 pm

also...
reaper sports MANY features that make editing audio a whole lot easier...!

try it yourself... the demo has no limitation actually.....

it also works without those annoying hiccups....

sporkles · Post by **sporkles** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:31 pm

No need to worry, mate. The session view is Live's huge advantage, no matter how
you use the app. It's such an intuitive and playful way of creating music, that I really
think that you'd rather be missing out if you were to migrate from Live.

NorthernMonkey · Post by **NorthernMonkey** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:37 pm

Every time I try a different DAW (had a play around with FL Studio a few weeks ago...) I can feel my eyes trying to crawl into the back of my skull - they ALL look fucking awful compared to Live. Other than that, I guess it's the workflow that does it for me; assuming you've read the manual, it's just so easy to use.

3dot... · Post by **3dot...** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 12:39 pm

+1010
love session view... can't live without it...

elektrovert · Post by **elektrovert** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 1:02 pm

For pure studio use I'd go with Logic or Cubase, you can rewire live into them if you want the session view that badly.
I love Live too, I'd never be able to get on stage without it.
But Logic wipes the floor with it for studio use IMO.

NorthernMonkey · Post by **NorthernMonkey** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 1:03 pm

elektrovert wrote:For pure studio use I'd go with Logic or Cubase, you can rewire live into them if you want the session view that badly.
I love Live too, I'd never be able to get on stage without it.
But Logic wipes the floor with it for studio use IMO.

Pity you can't use it on your Dell

elektrovert · Post by **elektrovert** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 1:06 pm

Updated!

3dot... · Post by **3dot...** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 1:52 pm

elektrovert wrote:For pure studio use I'd go with Logic or Cubase, you can rewire live into them if you want the session view that badly.
I love Live too, I'd never be able to get on stage without it.
But Logic wipes the floor with it for studio use IMO.

Reaper outshines Logic,PT,Cubase IMHO...

still... you can do everything within live... especially if it's just for fun...

dancerchris · Post by **dancerchris** » Wed Jul 30, 2008 2:16 pm

Well I believe there is a fair percentage of users that do not use Live for live performance, because......

It has a great intuitive routing scheme
Session mode is a great way to get creative with music
Live is a high sonic quality DAW

With all those features there is some issues using Live as a studio DAW...

Multiple takes
track folders
Twin Monitor support
Better Midi editing

I have a registered copy of Reaper (I like it better than Cubase) but I still turn to Live for my day to day simple stuff.

My $0.02