I haven't made any music for about 7 years now and going back to ableton 9..
1. Why are the default instruments/drums utterly crap? Like, absolutely terrible. I'm referring to e.g. kit-core 808, selector kit warm
2. Have they made the default ones any better in 11?
3. have I missed out something in live 9 where there is actually better ones by default?
Thanks
Ableton default samples - why are they pathetic? Or have I got it wrong
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- KVRist
- 103 posts since 24 Dec, 2011
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- KVRian
- 817 posts since 15 Jun, 2018
It's a tough question to answer. Not because there isn't a million ways to show you what these samples are in fact pretty decent, but because your question is so loaded with frustration, it's going to be almost impossible to make any suggestion to you that you will actually be open to.
I'll try anyways. It sounds like you are looking for powerful, mean drum sounds and the kits you've mentioned do not sound full enough for you. Use the Saturator preset "A bit warmer" and turn up drive and put an Auto Filter behind that, turn down the Frequency just a tiny bit to tame the highest frequencies. Now if you play, the drums should sound a bit harsher and beefier?
Or just turn up your output volume?
I'll try anyways. It sounds like you are looking for powerful, mean drum sounds and the kits you've mentioned do not sound full enough for you. Use the Saturator preset "A bit warmer" and turn up drive and put an Auto Filter behind that, turn down the Frequency just a tiny bit to tame the highest frequencies. Now if you play, the drums should sound a bit harsher and beefier?
Or just turn up your output volume?
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 103 posts since 24 Dec, 2011
Hi,
So I'm primarily referring to quality. For instance, I don't have any real (recorded) high quality drum kit on the default install but I'm not sure if it's just what I have. I have attached screenshot.
The other ones are more electronic and sound poor - flat, some sound like they don't tail off to 0db so they clip. I have attached a bunch of the drum ones.
https://easyupload.io/w4okqf
So I'm primarily referring to quality. For instance, I don't have any real (recorded) high quality drum kit on the default install but I'm not sure if it's just what I have. I have attached screenshot.
The other ones are more electronic and sound poor - flat, some sound like they don't tail off to 0db so they clip. I have attached a bunch of the drum ones.
https://easyupload.io/w4okqf
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.
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- KVRist
- Topic Starter
- 103 posts since 24 Dec, 2011
9, suite.
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- KVRist
- 77 posts since 5 Dec, 2021
If you have Ableton Suite, download the included "Ableton Packs". That's were all the "ready-to-go" sounds are located.
Some great drum packs that I really like are: Drum Booth and Session Drum Studio....there is something for every genre.
I find it easier to search for Packs through Ableton's website. Just make sure you are logged into your account so you can download them without paying. https://www.ableton.com/en/packs/
The upgrade from Ableton 9 to 11 is worth it if you want the new features, instruments and effects. However, if you are only looking for sounds, I would go for third party plugins and sample libraries. So many companies are making great sounds both free and paid nowadays. It's definitely the best time to be making music
Some great drum packs that I really like are: Drum Booth and Session Drum Studio....there is something for every genre.
I find it easier to search for Packs through Ableton's website. Just make sure you are logged into your account so you can download them without paying. https://www.ableton.com/en/packs/
The upgrade from Ableton 9 to 11 is worth it if you want the new features, instruments and effects. However, if you are only looking for sounds, I would go for third party plugins and sample libraries. So many companies are making great sounds both free and paid nowadays. It's definitely the best time to be making music
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- KVRian
- 834 posts since 7 Dec, 2018 from Saint-Petersburg
The main reason why I stick with Ableton is very (I mean VERY) good quality of everything stock in it, from both artistic and technology sides. Including samples and sampled instruments… I think you need to look at two plugins - Saturator and Drum Bus, it will take 5-10 minutes to figure out how they sound and works, then you will be able to perfect any drum sound from Ableton library in no time.
All in all, try to trust Ableton. Many times I surprisingly discovered that simple features (like, for example, pitch shifting) in fact uses the best algorithms in industry or designed in cooperation with talented developers. Again, samples are good, but you might need to spice them up.
All in all, try to trust Ableton. Many times I surprisingly discovered that simple features (like, for example, pitch shifting) in fact uses the best algorithms in industry or designed in cooperation with talented developers. Again, samples are good, but you might need to spice them up.
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- KVRian
- 931 posts since 14 Dec, 2014
606, 707, 808, 909, C78 are sampled from drum machines with the same name. Other kits are harder to source from just the name, but the pads will give hints like "Kick Vinyl MPC" implying it is sampled from Vinyl with/for a MPC, implying it is not multi-sampled, but a single sample.
They improved organization in Live 11, the Drum Racks are separated in subfolders, the x0x kits are in a Drum Machines subfolder, and there is an Acoustic subfolder with kits like "Dry Session Kit" that are probably more to OP's taste.
Just remembered now that Ableton had a Help page describing the changes from the older Core Library in Live 11.
https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/artic ... in-Live-11
It implies the only acoustic drum kits in Live 9's Core Library were Battu Kit and SessionDry Kit (Live 11 has 8 kits in the Acoustic folder in Core Library).
Most other kits are now under Sampled, Electronic and Drum Machines, so yeah, not many acoustic drums in Live 9/10 Core Library (you need to download the other Packs, as others said already).
Live 9 Suite comes with "Session Drums" Pack.
https://www.ableton.com/en/packs/session-drum
Live 10 added Drum Booth Pack, another "rock drums" Pack , still available in Live 11.
They improved organization in Live 11, the Drum Racks are separated in subfolders, the x0x kits are in a Drum Machines subfolder, and there is an Acoustic subfolder with kits like "Dry Session Kit" that are probably more to OP's taste.
Just remembered now that Ableton had a Help page describing the changes from the older Core Library in Live 11.
https://help.ableton.com/hc/en-us/artic ... in-Live-11
It implies the only acoustic drum kits in Live 9's Core Library were Battu Kit and SessionDry Kit (Live 11 has 8 kits in the Acoustic folder in Core Library).
Most other kits are now under Sampled, Electronic and Drum Machines, so yeah, not many acoustic drums in Live 9/10 Core Library (you need to download the other Packs, as others said already).
Live 9 Suite comes with "Session Drums" Pack.
https://www.ableton.com/en/packs/session-drum
Live 10 added Drum Booth Pack, another "rock drums" Pack , still available in Live 11.
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- KVRian
- 679 posts since 29 Dec, 2019
Try other DAWs and report back after seeing what their stock sample content is like.maudioradium wrote: Tue Aug 23, 2022 2:07 am I haven't made any music for about 7 years now and going back to ableton 9..
1. Why are the default instruments/drums utterly crap? Like, absolutely terrible. I'm referring to e.g. kit-core 808, selector kit warm
2. Have they made the default ones any better in 11?
3. have I missed out something in live 9 where there is actually better ones by default?
Thanks
Most will compare unfavorably to Live Suite. Maybe Logic is the closest, and Samplitude Pro X Suite if you're only looking for multi-sampled instruments will be better (thanks to Independence Pro's Library, and some of the Vita stuff is actually really good though limited in routing for percussion instruments).
Studio One, Cubase, Reason, Bitwig, etc. None of these are on par with Live suite when it comes to the stock sample content.
Many of those samples are raw, on purpose. They aren't going to put a later of FX on an 808 kit. The kit exists raw so that you can do that yourself.
You can get a d16 emulation, but its going to sound almost identical because those samples come straight off an 808.
I have the d16 808 and 909 emulations, and I don't use them because they sound practically identical and the drum racks are a better workflow in Ableton.
Last edited by Trensharo on Wed Aug 31, 2022 9:54 pm, edited 4 times in total.
If I said you are blocked, I won't see your posts. Please kindly refrain from quoting or replying to me.
"Notifications for Nothing" are annoying. Blocking me in return is a good way to avoid this.
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- KVRist
- 122 posts since 24 Aug, 2021
It's not that they're not versatile, YOU'RE not versatile.
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- KVRAF
- 2140 posts since 16 Jan, 2013 from USA
I find nothing at all wrong with Live's samples. The only ones I use regularly are the piano (which I find spectacular), preferring those I import from other VSTi's and Logic, but that's me. Live's seem very out front which gives them punch and character, even when you're mutilating them with FX and the like. They really stand out in the mix, for better or worse. I'm thinking for live use, that's better.