Ableton Live - I've given this some thought

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Ableton Live - I've given this some thought

Post by analogcabin » Wed Mar 05, 2008 8:49 pm

Coming from an Otari MX-70, then to a Radar II.... I have to say, Ableton Live is a great program. I've been using it as an idea maker since version 2, but now as a DAW it's just flat out fantastic!

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Post by Jay Reynolds » Wed Mar 05, 2008 9:14 pm

Love that app. I'm not sure about mixing with it, but I start 80% of my ideas in Live. I always feel like I'm dealing with musical elements in a really intuitive way, whether its tweaking out pre-recorded loops, tracking audio or midi, or creating ideas and arrangements on the fly. It feels more like an instrument than software to me. Its also a way you can (sort-of) use VST and AU instruments with hosts that don't support them.[/i]
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Post by FBH » Thu Mar 06, 2008 8:41 am

I really like it for its ease of use with Rewire devices. Reason works great with Live 7, and that is something I cannot say for Sony Acid Pro 6. Also, the ability to automate effects, mixing, etc. is really fantastic. The program is pretty light, and I think lots of the effects pre-sets sound very useable. I could probably get used to mixing in Live, and the ease of assigning midi control surface sliders and knobs to tracks makes for a pretty good experience.

As someone who has been using ACID Pro 6 almost exclusively for the past few years, Live 7 is great step up for me.

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Post by lancebug » Thu Mar 06, 2008 9:42 am

I actually like it for tracking. Its really easy to play back any take during a session when you record them all straight across in the clips view. I don't mix out of it for the most part. Still using vers. 4 though.

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Post by percussion boy » Sun Mar 09, 2008 12:59 am

superaction80 wrote: It feels more like an instrument than software to me.
+1

Session view rules -- Easiest way to figure songwriting stuff out. Plus Live doesn't crash. The 4 track cassette of the new century, in both positive and negative ways.

I don't trust it for mixing either, nor for serious MIDIing. Maybe 7 is better.
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Post by analogcabin » Sun Mar 09, 2008 12:21 pm

percussion boy wrote: I don't trust it for mixing either...... Maybe 7 is better.
Just wondering, what part about Live seems less than perfect for mixing?

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Post by Jeff White » Sun Mar 09, 2008 3:30 pm

I like to rewire Live into Digital Peformer and mix in there. I use it more like a big VI than anything else. It does stuff that other stuff can't do as well, for sure. I think that the combination of Live and another DAW is very powerful.

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Post by percussion boy » Sun Mar 09, 2008 8:22 pm

e.maynard wrote:Just wondering, what part about Live seems less than perfect for mixing?
This is way subjective, but I feel like Live 5 and 6 don't "sound" as good as even the lite versions of Sonar or Cubase. Cubase LE is a really underrated program imo.

To be honest, I sometimes overload Live's mix bus, so my trashing the sound quality may be unfair, but then again other people have criticized Live's fidelity too.
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Post by JohnDavisNYC » Sun Mar 09, 2008 8:27 pm

very fun program, amazing plugins, but it sounds very 1 dimensional and 'plasticy'... at least upthough version 5 did... i love that program, but it does something wierd to the sound once you start actually MIXING in it... i always had to export to other programs to get a sound i was happy with.

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Post by analogcabin » Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:23 pm

Version 6, and even more so 7 (with 64-bit summing at all mix points throughout the program) sounds great.

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Post by ;ivlunsdystf » Mon Mar 10, 2008 2:53 pm

percussion boy wrote:
e.maynard wrote:Just wondering, what part about Live seems less than perfect for mixing?
This is way subjective, but I feel like Live 5 and 6 don't "sound" as good as even the lite versions of Sonar or Cubase. Cubase LE is a really underrated program imo.

To be honest, I sometimes overload Live's mix bus, so my trashing the sound quality may be unfair, but then again other people have criticized Live's fidelity too.
There's the compromised sound quality of Live in live playback, and then there's the sound of a rendered Live piece, right? In live playback I think it will automatically compromise sound quality in order to make sure no hiccups occur in playback. In rendering it actually lets all the data through because it's not also trying to be faithful to the real-time thing, right?

That's always been my understanding of the deal.

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Post by Jay Reynolds » Mon Mar 10, 2008 4:28 pm

e.maynard wrote:
percussion boy wrote: I don't trust it for mixing either...... Maybe 7 is better.
Just wondering, what part about Live seems less than perfect for mixing?
In version 5, I get plug-in delay on the sends.
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Post by C_R_J » Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:56 am

percussion boy wrote:
e.maynard wrote:Just wondering, what part about Live seems less than perfect for mixing?
This is way subjective, but I feel like Live 5 and 6 don't "sound" as good as even the lite versions of Sonar or Cubase. Cubase LE is a really underrated program imo.

To be honest, I sometimes overload Live's mix bus, so my trashing the sound quality may be unfair, but then again other people have criticized Live's fidelity too.

the new update was almost strictly a update to the sonic aspects of the program. lets just say it was a great update. a much better program now. that was its only downfall before. sound quality.
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Post by C_R_J » Tue Mar 11, 2008 12:59 am

Tatertot wrote:
percussion boy wrote:
e.maynard wrote:Just wondering, what part about Live seems less than perfect for mixing?
This is way subjective, but I feel like Live 5 and 6 don't "sound" as good as even the lite versions of Sonar or Cubase. Cubase LE is a really underrated program imo.

To be honest, I sometimes overload Live's mix bus, so my trashing the sound quality may be unfair, but then again other people have criticized Live's fidelity too.
There's the compromised sound quality of Live in live playback, and then there's the sound of a rendered Live piece, right? In live playback I think it will automatically compromise sound quality in order to make sure no hiccups occur in playback. In rendering it actually lets all the data through because it's not also trying to be faithful to the real-time thing, right?

That's always been my understanding of the deal.
live is annoying in that you have to turn off the warp feature all the time so that its not taking your files and alligning them to a grid and degrading the sound quality, but once they are off, i think that with the new update it sounds awesome.

i was talkin ableton up a year ago and got nothing but flac! so now the love shows up! soo late...
time is money and im wasting both...

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Post by analogcabin » Tue Mar 11, 2008 9:30 am

The warp feature can be turned off in preferences.

There have been way too many tests confirming that (unwarped) Live audio is bit for bit identical to Logic, Sonar etc.

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