Ableton Live 4: any buyers?

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what CAN'T you do in Live 4 that you CAN do in Cubase/Logic?

I just don't 'get' Live yet. I'm going to try the demo asap. I'm sure it's a very good program but after using Cubase for 15 years i wonder how i can make better of my time by using something else.

I DO know however, that i get better results from a hardware sequencer. But as i use a computer solely now, i can't go that route (nor want to). Could Ableton be the equivelant creative freedom?

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Aff wrote:what CAN'T you do in Live 4 that you CAN do in Cubase/Logic?
its not so much what you can or cant do ... more the WAY you do it ... i guess (never really used them in anger) that both logic and cubase can timestretch audio and audition / loop stuff on the fly ... but i doubt VERY MUCH that either of them make it as direct ... simple ... fun ... as live does
Aff wrote:I just don't 'get' Live yet. I'm going to try the demo asap. I'm sure it's a very good program but after using Cubase for 15 years i wonder how i can make better of my time by using something else.
depends how you work i guess ... if you start by preplanning everything before you program then live prolly ISNT for you ... if you like to improvise / experiment / 'jam' then youre doing yourself a disservice by not trying it NOW
Aff wrote:I DO know however, that i get better results from a hardware sequencer. But as i use a computer solely now, i can't go that route (nor want to). Could Ableton be the equivelant creative freedom?
never having used a hardware sequencer (except the little one in my korg ea1) i cant really comment

oh yeah ...

... yes i bought (upgraded to) live 4 and im loving it so far ...

slainte 8) rob

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I'm buying it as soon as I get my next check. I've never had more fun with a program than live and the demo for 4 was great. Worth every penny which I don't feel about with most software. Highly recommended and I don't even use it live. :D

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I went the fantastic beta process with Meffy and Loophead and I bought it the second it was available online.

I've been a user since Live3 and I rewired it to Reason to add the "audio" parts that were a bit cumbersome to do in Reason. But now with Live4 and Reason, they work perfectly together. I get to add select VSTi's and effects to my Reason system and work in a very creative way. I absolutely love Live4! Everything is simple and to the point. Sure you've got other apps that do more in specific areas than Live, but nobody integrates their environment like Live. Clips are the way I think anyway, so it works out perfect for me.

Get the demo and play with it...for awhile. Most people have paradigms to tear down so you have to stick with it. I do primarily electronic stuff (House/Breaks) so for me its perfect!

/drez
-="I beat the Internet...the end guy is hard"=-

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I had fun with the DEMO as well. I like the automation and all the audio looping stuff. But I find the midi to be clumsy. And the way it displays effects is cluttered. Once you get more than say 4 or 5 you have to scroll off the screen to see them :?. I also dont like the navigation at all. I didnt find the effects to be as great as everybody sayd they were. I guess I was just expecting too much from the hype. Its an amazing app as far as audio's concerned tho. 8)
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Once you get more than say 4 or 5 you have to scroll off the screen to see them
Yeah, but for me it's better than having all those windows stacked on top of each other in Sonar.

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plus you got that cool little radar thing at the bottom - you can just click on the bit you want to see in detail

slainte 8) rob

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And has anyone clicked on a VSTi and all its automation parameters pop up with little faders beneath them? 8) Little touches like that set Live 4 apart IMO.

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munchkin wrote:And has anyone clicked on a VSTi and all its automation parameters pop up with little faders beneath them? 8) Little touches like that set Live 4 apart IMO.
the thing that impresses me time and time again (and again i guess some of the other big boys might do this but i dont know) is that once you click record EVERYTHING you do is recorded automatically - no need to create and arm seperate automation tracks etc

slainte 8) rob

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I'll probably upgrade from Live 3, although (and call me crazy) I still LOVE FL Studio for most of my composing. It's so uncluttered, simple, and powerful (for my needs) that I've yet to be lured away from it. However, I really like Live and consider it an amazing piece of software. With V 4 I may use it even more now that I can use my VST's etc. I just need to spend a little time with the demo.

www.davidlinn.com

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It's called "Live" but couldn't get the demo to play a note of live audio input. It would play samples but I couldn't see how to play my Korg into it and record from it. Its easy with Tracktion - you just have this big arrow for us musical dunces. How do you do it?

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Create an audio track and assign your physical inputs to it. There's not much to it. :)

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remember to define your inputs in the options dialogue 1st though ...

slainte :ud: rob

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Live 4 is definitly a huuuuge step forward from Live 3 - not only in case of midi/vsti implementation.
But like all things in (real) life its a matter of taste. I love the way Live handles loops and with Live 4 i can now implement my vsti too.
I am very happy with it and already finished the first track:

http://www.kvr-vst.com/forum/viewtopic.php?p=627919

I am feeling a bit like Dr.Wackler - before Live 4 it took so many time to adjust the track the way i want, but now its going right of the hand.

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I upgraded from Live2 (glad I didn't bother with v3 in the end). Very nice app, fun and easy to use. Rewires nicely too, but it's functionality is starting to make rewiring unnecessary I guess.

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