Have you been converted to Ableton Live ?

[VariKusBrainZ]

Yeah I know, stupid question. Was just curious. I recently got it on the strength of the upcoming v4. I wasnt tempted before due to its lack of midi. though now I could quite happily tootle along with just v3, I LOVE it. Havent felt this excited about composing since I started mashing my home brewed loops in, dare I say it, Magix Musicmaker
Ok the secret is out.

Id be curious to hear what other people find so great about it, maybe Ill learn some interesting approaches to using it.

I only really used it properly yesterday (Sunday) but already feel damn comfortable with it as its just sooo intuitive. Quite a few things I just thougth Id see if it was possible to do without checking the manual and, da da, it was possible. More logical than Logic

[LostBoy]

I must confess, guilty as charged, Live 4 is one heck of a program.
The thing about it is that when you're for example performing live, you dont have to have anything else but a nice case of sample cd's which you can load to program and start creating a new track by mixing your old / new loops/samples. And doing this all almost without a pain, no tricky preparations or anything. Just drop the samples, arrange them and let Live rock your life.
I like the user interface. It's just so simple, I used to think that ACID was most simple but still extremely powerful program for loop based composing. After Live 3 came, I was converted.
Lets just hope that Ableton will sell enough Lives to keep their office door opened.

[Sicklecell666]

I must confess, guilty as charged, Live 4 is one heck of a program.
The thing about it is that when you're for example performing live, you dont have to have anything else but a nice case of sample cd's which you can load to program and start creating a new track by mixing your old / new loops/samples. And doing this all almost without a pain, no tricky preparations or anything. Just drop the samples, arrange them and let Live rock your life.
I like the user interface. It's just so simple, I used to think that ACID was most simple but still extremely powerful program for loop based composing. After Live 3 came, I was converted.
Lets just hope that Ableton will sell enough Lives to keep their office door opened.

Office doors will be closing, but it won't be Ableton's

Another convert here..I'd tell you what I'm learning but it's so easy to use I don't think I've had to learn anything at all

[VariKusBrainZ]

Another convert here..I'd tell you what I'm learning but it's so easy to use I don't think I've had to learn anything at all

He he, yeah know what you mean. But the warp marking, envelopes and automation etc on the clips alone are frying my brain

Been having naughty glitchy fun using a real short loop length on an audio file clip and recording into the arrangment page while dragging that loop area around the sample. I thought these were new audio files but its all just automation that looks like audio , so easy to edit, Im a waveform man myself. For some reason I have a Barry Manilow tune on my hard drive which Ive completely mangled

I really wish there wasnt a limit on how small a loop area can be though Id like to be able to automate the loop point going from 1 sample length at least, preferably with the option to go backwards past the loop start point. Or maybe you can

[>v^<^^]

The announcement of Live 4 sparked my interest too, so I tried the version 3 demo. Interesting concept but it felt cumbersome when I actually tried to create something from scratch. So no, I'm not converted. Maybe I'll demo 4 when it's out.

[Fernando Carvalho]

I can make a song in live 3 with just a sinewave (or anything else). It isn´t just a sequencer, it´s an awesome sound designing tool. And Live 4 is the best audio program I´ve ever used. I´m shocked with the "follow actions". I use more programs, plugins and so, but if I had to keep only one, I´d kept Live, no doubt.

[original flipper]

Hi

I have recently been checking out live3 - and had a question - but as I write this post I have answered it!

Currently not being able to program in midi; I was thinking - how about if I had an idea for a riff - yes you got it - no go - as you can't (yet) play midi instruments in live3 - well, play the riff into a sequencer that does - bounce it to audio and VIOLA - drop the file into ableton.

I eagerly await demoing ver4!

Flipper.

[opiadream]

I got a copy of ableton live delta with my m-audio card and I was not converted...yet
I suppose because I've been using acid for years and can just as easily play riffs and drop the files there.

[stale bread]

but what you cannot do in acid is the clip automation
the audio sequencing from the clip (mpc) view into the arranger (daw/acid) view.
also in Live you can mix and match different samplerates on the same track.. which you also cannot
do in acid.
also no features in acid such as consolidate or a host of others and I'm just talking about Live 3.

and if you're one of those types who has an version to loops, then turn off the looping feature and go into the arranger view and simply write a song from scratch.

[haydxn]

i've tried several times to get into Live but as excited as it makes me i can't seem to really achieve much. maybe it's cuz i've been pretty busy whenever i've tried it...

i really love the idea of it... i just get a bit lost and don't achieve much.

i've only tried a demo tho. i'm sure i'd love it, maybe i should just buy it and enjoy learning with the manual too. as intuitive as everyone says it is, it is still a little odd even for me! and i've been using logic for several years!

[You™]

I use Live all the time from just making up rhythm loops to bring into another sequencer for MIDI arranging (something that's about to change!) to final mixing. It's so painless to mix/remix in Live. And though I don't play Live "live" much - it is very cool to work with other people and have all the loops mapped to keys or a keyboard and just jam with it. I end up with all these 20-minute sequences which I can go back and recycle into actual songs. I used to mostly work in clip view but now I'm doing almost everything in track view. That way, I can chop and drag and loop and do everything but see the whole song develop rather than just focus on the loopy parts. Having the ability to go back and forth between clips and tracks to find new combinations rawks.

There's a couple tiny insignificant things I wish were different, but it's easily one of the most useful programs I own and it's fun as hell.

[kuniklo]

I'll confess - I picked up a copy of Live 3 to make sure I got in for the cheap upgrade to 4.

I always thought Live looked interesting but never really considered it because it seemed too loop-oriented and poorly suited for the kind of stuff I want to do.

Having had it for a week or so now I'll admit it's a lot more flexible than I expected it to be. I've always thought of loop-based music as boring and repetitive but the possibilities Live 3 provides with clip envelopes and automation are very impressive. I can get new musical ideas going in Live 3 faster than any other host. Now I just need a ton of loops.

If Live 4's midi implementation compares at all to it's audio handling (don't know - missed the beta), it could very easily relegate Cubase to the bookshelf for me.

[Johnnycarcaz]

I have to say I love Live. I really have to say the clip automation just does it for me.

It feeled the performance void I had in my live, I really am not DJ material seeing as I would prefer to play my own music, and at the same time I like the idea of every performance being original.

Plus it is addictive!
I can lose an hour just tooling around.

the work flow just does it for me.

I was definantly one of those people who didnt quite see the light until the last couple months.

-j

[Johnnycarcaz]

haha
filled!
thats what I get for sneaking the internet while on the JOB!

-

[vurt]

i got a free lite version with my soundcard
never tried it tho
is it worth it if im happy where i am?
does it record audio well?if at all