Dump DP4 for Live 4?

[glaucomys]

I'm considering dumping DP4 and just not upgrading anymore, it seems to become very bulky and not what I need anymore since my hardware has disappered over the years. Just for simple access to my AUs and VSTs and some audio parts, like vocals, guitar, etc.. Live seems to be all I need since most of my work is done in Reason 3. Does anyone think this is not a good decision? I want to keep as much as I can of the load in a 'CPU light' fashion since I will be working on projects that I use my laptop for and desktop, depending on the day and where I am.

Are the midi editing facilities in Live 4 decent?

Is the AU/VST support solid?

Okay, enough of my thinking out loud, anyone think I should consider anything else?

Thanks,
Glau

[headquest]

I hope this may help, but I'm on a Windows PC and don;t use DP4, so its just some limited advice about Live4:

1. Live 4 is an excellent rewire partner for Reason. More than any others I have tried, Live and Reason fit together like hand in glove. I think that you will get the same positive response if you ask at either the Propellerhead forum about Live, or ask at the Ableton forum about Reason . That positivity counts for a lot.

2. Speaking from personal experience, Live + Reason covers most things, but you will lack detailed sample editing (hence Audition here) and Notation (hence Sibelius here). If either of those are important to you, you will need to make some provision for them.

3. Live 4 is quite CPU intensive. Some would say this is even more the case on a Mac than on a PC (and you have to bear in mind that G4 laptops generally have lower specs than for example a top end Centrino lappy). Check out the demo of Live 4 and see how well your system handles it.

4. Regarding VST/AU I suggest you do a search on the Ableton forum. There were early problems with some plugins when Live 4 was released back in Summer 04, but I think they are mostly all resolved now. The Ableton gang are exemplary in dealing with issues that users raise

I hope that helps, and feel free to ask any other questions as you go.

[glaucomys]

Thanks for the info HeadQuest. I am thinking this is the way to go. I'll download the demo and test it out this evening and browse the forum too. If anyone has a don't do it story, I'd still like to know, but from all the reviews etc that I have been able to read it's a go.

Thanks,
Glau

[headquest]

Good luck then! When you download the Live 4 demo I recommend taking a half-hour or so to go through the short lessons that are provided on-screen. Live is a really easy program to get a handle on, but those guides are a useful starting place.

[DHR53]

Live is pretty much a cpu hog on the Mac... And I have a Dual 2.0 G5! I had considered using Live and Reason as my main tools, awhile ago, but had to reconsider after facing the reality that Live was the polar opposite of Reason in efficiency. I don't do that much audio recording, so it wasn't that much of an issue with me... But Live is also NOT an audio editor, and I felt I was basically doing the same thing in Reason anyway (albeit without VSTs/AUs). I purchased Logic with the idea of maybe using it for everything (audio and virtual)... due to it's highly optimized performance on the Mac, but it's really overkill for me, as I'm not a professional (I don't make a living with this stuff) and it's also NOT much of an audio editor ...So a lot has to do with your platform choice? PC or Mac? Live seems to be more efficient on the PC, and Reason is effiicient on both platforms, but Live isn't an audio editor, and Reason doesn't do audio... It's complicated... Ha Ha! Logic is the MOST efficient host on the Mac side for sure... But if your needs are simple, Hmmm... it's either Reason or I had hopes for maybe Tracktion, but there are some shall we say... issues with Tracktion on the Mac... I'm still looking