Ableton as an All around solution for worship keyboard player

[latorrejc3]

Hello

I use MainStage for daily live performance with my keyboard when I play live but recently one of the lead singers told me that they want to use sequences now so I thought about using Ableton Live because I understand that it's widely used in this regard.

So I ask you, nice guys, that if with Ableton I can have organized patches with splits and layer with my vsts and at the same time use sequences and click tracks with different routings?

Thanks for any help!

[DrEntropy]

So I ask you, nice guys, that if with Ableton I can have organized patches with splits and layer with my vsts and at the same time use sequences and click tracks with different routings?

Thanks for any help!

Absolutely! Layering vsts and doing splits is very easy in Live (thanks to the Instrument Rack, see https://www.ableton.com/en/manual/instr ... ect-racks/ for details)

EDIT: However, if you render the sequences and click tracks to audio, you could use them with Mainstage if i understand how Mainstage works. (If you already had Logic for example).

[Schmidi]

Personally I would demo it first. Live doesn't have full Sysex support so program changes were tricky with certain vsti.

Because of that, you may have to add an extra layer of programming via instrument racks, which means more learning curve.

For me at least, Live is not very stable on any computer I've ever used. I've recently switched to Acoustica Mixcraft and have been happy. It's a cheap alternative and has the audio clips like Ableton, very intuitive midi routing, and has so far been very stable.

Good luck to you

[HitEmTrue]

I use Mainstage to run tracks (playback plugin, using groups) and as the keyboard host. I use a few channel strips for the tracks so I have some flexibility in the mix. It works great.

If you are needing to change the form of the song on the fly (add a chorus, for example), Ableton may be better suited for the job. But you will spend more time in track creation to break it all into the appropriate song sections.

I'm working on setting up Ableton for using during the services, so I can make a decision on which program I prefer for live use. My Mainstage setup has a lot going on, and the Ableton setup will be equally messy.

Regarding program changes, mentioned by @Schmidi, to get smooth transitions between patches in Ableton (and prevent hanging notes), you need to use Ableton's chain selector feature. You don't necessarily have to use instrument racks to get layers.

[jonljacobi]

Demo it first, but Live is not like other DAWs and does a lot of stuff differently. It takes more than just a half hour looking for features that you're used to, because you won't find a lot of them. The functionality is there, just perhaps not in the form you're used to.

[glokraw]

To me, using sequences in services seems like the antithesis of worship.
I can see them as a practice aid when the team can't always meet together,
and for composing, but during worship, I'd prefer simpler music from the heart,
over elegant canned music from some sort of hardware, if the choice
had to be made along those lines.

The secular equivalent might be celebrities busted for lip-syncing
Cheers

[Jim Roseberry]

@OP

Live is perfect for what you're asking.
Watch a few YouTube videos and see what folks are doing using Live for P&W scenarios.
Pretty amazing.

You can create advanced click-tracks with count-downs/etc (not just simple metronome ticks).
You can have pre-recorded tracks in Live (for specific instruments).
If a particular player is absent, you can have Live cover their parts.
You can setup advanced VSTi splits/layers (played in realtime) with seamless patch switching.
You can setup simple or more advanced samples to trigger.

Live is much more capable than simply triggering loops.

FWIW, We use Live at every gig (to trigger keyboard samples - loops and parts played in realtime).
Using two different MIDI controllers... it's been rock-solid.
Not a single hiccup in scores of shows.
I do have a "kill switch" setup to shut off all Ableton devices (if a mishap were to occur).

[Kinh]

@OP

Live is perfect for what you're asking.
Watch a few YouTube videos and see what folks are doing using Live for P&W scenarios.
Pretty amazing.

You can create advanced click-tracks with count-downs/etc (not just simple metronome ticks).
You can have pre-recorded tracks in Live (for specific instruments).
If a particular player is absent, you can have Live cover their parts.
You can setup advanced VSTi splits/layers (played in realtime) with seamless patch switching.
You can setup simple or more advanced samples to trigger.

Live is much more capable than simply triggering loops.

FWIW, We use Live at every gig (to trigger keyboard samples - loops and parts played in realtime).
Using two different MIDI controllers... it's been rock-solid.
Not a single hiccup in scores of shows.
I do have a "kill switch" setup to shut off all Ableton devices (if a mishap were to occur).

Ummm...he posted this in September so he's probably found the solution by now

[glokraw]

Time moves on, but more info is better, and I think it's lucky to post
with future search engine queries in mind. Maybe Ableton was not
yet tried, or is being learned, and the new comments will be considered.

I think I'd be tempted to include a 16 part mullti-timbral instrument,
where each song could have a unique foundational instrument
just by keeping 15 parts muted, by changing the midi channel,
adjusting the volume controls, whatever is desired. Having
several blends easily buildable on the fly, would be useful at times.
Cheers