By adamjay
On 19th April 2005
Version: 4.1.2
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adamjay
6 of 6 people found
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I've been using Live 4 to do pretty much everything since its beta version was released in the summer of 2004. With previous versions (since 1.5) i only used Live on stage for live sets, but 4.0 added just the tools i needed to make the switch to Live as my primary host application.
In my experience, it is THE most versatile application in the audio software industry. I use it to write my own tracks, mixdown/master other people's tracks, DJ, and also do live performances ("live pa's"). The fact that i can do all of these things seemlessly in one singular application is a true testament to its versatility. And the biggest bonus there is i stay very productive since i'm using the same interface for everything.
When considering Live 4 for your audio tasks, the biggest mistake one could make is letting Live's simplicity fool you into thinking its not as powerful as other applications. But in fact, this simplicity often makes it MORE powerful than other applications. Behind the simplicity is a very intuitive editing, mixing, and writing tool.
What is also amazing about Live is for all its power and versatility, it is still a very young application. It still lacks some features that many high priced DAWs brag about having (full PDC, instant freeze, dual processor audio engine support), yet for these shortcomings i still find it to be more appealing, inspiring, and just plain fun to use than any other application out there. And that says alot. |
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By braj
On 4th December 2004
Version: 4
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braj
4 of 5 people found
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Live 4 is the app I've been waiting for. After looking for plug-ins to handle loops adequately for other DAWs, trying some DAWs that do loops well but are convoluted in other ways for a long time, and working with multiple apps Rewired together to try and accomplish what I want sonically, I've found that Live 4 has just enough of everything I really need in a uncluttered UI that is intuitive and (so far) never frustrating.
I'm a guitarist primarily and don't want to get too bogged down with learning a very complex application, and Live 4 makes me feel like I'm in control of my music more than anything else I've tried. The addition of Midi instruments in Live 4 really made the choice to get Live 4 clear for me.
My first foray into sequencing was with a Dr. Rhythm drum machine cv'd to a Roland SH-101, and Live 4 both takes me back to my roots using patterns to build songs and takes me forward with a UI that does away with a lot of old concepts like most other DAWs.
I know most people see Live 4 as a DJ type app, but I find blues and jazz work just as well with Live as any other DAW and gives you the ability to try out new ideas much more quickly than other applications. Unless it is missing some features you absolutely need like video authoring, you should definitely give the demo a try. |
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By aaastronomer
On 29th September 2004
Version: 4.0
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aaastronomer
3 of 3 people found
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Live 4.0 takes care of the previous problems noted with midi and VST hosting.
When I work I tend to switch back and forth between Acid and Live and thus generally compare one with respect to the other. I can say that the midi capability of Live 4.0 greatly exceeds that of Acid! 'Midi clips' sync perfectly with 'audio clips', sit in the same visual space (scene), and function in much the same way as do audio clips. Copying them and moving them cause no operational glitches in the application as is often the case in Acid.
I work better with Acid's linear track zoom and navigation than Live's. However, Acid's 'one sample to a track' policy posses problems with overlap and alignment of different samples in linear track space after more samples are being used than the number of tracks that can be displayed at once. Live's 'any sample on a track' policy solves this.
Live also seems to host a wider range of VST effects than Acid. Dropping apps like FL Studio VSTi and Kinetic into Acid is a non-starter, while it works seamlessly in Live.
I guess all this just points out the relative age of the two apps and the power of more recent programming and compilation techniques. I would also say that Live 4.0 compares quite favorably to other (more expensive) hosts in terms of features, workflow, and robustness; and can thus serve as an economical substitute. |
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By kara
On 5th April 2004
Version: XP
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kara
2 of 7 people found
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It is simply the best loop based live tool ever created !
You can do anything you want with loops and everything in real time.
Ideal solution for DJ or 'electronika' orient musicians who want to play live with it.
Don't believe ? Download the demo ! It is a full version, only save and render to disk is disabled.
One remark on the previous review. Live CAN load loops directly from CD.
Rony |
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By SecondSkin
On 31st March 2004
Version: 3.03
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SecondSkin
7 of 10 people found
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Ok, so Live is not exactly a full featured host. It won't host your VST instruments, and its rewire implementation is rudimentary. There is precious little use of midi at all.
Live, however, is nearly perfect at what it was designed for -- a live mixing environment for loops. Like Acid, it will timestretch your loops to fit nearly any tempo; unlike Acid it can be done in a spontaneous and creative freeform manner. You don't need to paint your loops in or determine start and endpoint, or even track settings --- just load the loops into the matrix and turn them on as needed (and via midi if you choose).
To me this is Live's real strength -- it requires very little planning to get a song going. All you need to do is get a few loops running, arm a track and start recording (via rewire or asio). Jam. Have fun. Make some mistakes. When you are done, your recording becomes a new clip (loop), which can be edited and (better yet) divided into multiple other clips -- all non-destructively and without duplicating the recording. Awesome! To the best of my knowledge this system is unmatched anywhere else.
Now the "downsides". First, Live's loop preview is not as good as Acid's. Loops only run once in preview mode until you load them into a clip. Also, Live will not preview or load loops from CD at all. Finally, Live does not record or edit midi in any way. Oddly, I have come to appreciate this. I simply use other apps (Fruity Loops or Muzys) for my midi needs, then rewire them together. I honestly don't even want my midi sequencer to bother with audio anymore. Live does it soooo much better. |
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