Ableton Live Standard Enough?

[pekbro]

I am in Australia so our dollar's exchange rate is only sitting at about 72c to the USD. We often have to pay more for stuff here too and it has to have included in that price our 10% GST. Maybe there is less of a gap once you are at standard too? and or if you already have the Max stuff?

Definitely if you have a standard lic already, your upgrade price to the suite will reflect that.
I seem to recall them telling me that they took any addons from the suite you already owned into
account when calculating your upgrade price as well. Of course, they told me that because I was
complaining that they couldn't possibly be taking my addons into account when determining my
upgrade cost as the 2 prices were virtually indistinguishable from each other. At that point
they gave me a further $50 discount and I left it at that.

[Milky-Joe]

Some really helpful replies. Appreciated. I've been a little underwhelmed with the extras in Suite Trial (the instruments and packs aren't doing much for me), so I was leaning more towards getting Standard, but now I'll definitely be going with Standard.

Although someone has just suggested I look at Logic Pro before pulling the trigger on Ableton Live...

[BrainBeatMusic]

Now I am having 2nd thought and just considering just getting everything now as I will have everything and not be left wondering. I guess one thing I am assuming is right is you get free updates once you buy it? I don't see any mention of paid upgrades?
One other thing I am curious about is video synced to the music which I think needs Max? Is there a way to generate visuals?
I think I will sleep on it and decide in the morning.

[ReleaseCandidate]

I guess one thing I am assuming is right is you get free updates once you buy it?

Free updates of what? You have to pay for a new major release (about 200 EUR IIRC). And if you have Suite, you can also only upgrade to the new version of Suite.

[pekbro]

You can go from suite to standard if you want to down-grade between versions.

[BrainBeatMusic]

Thanks for the info. I am going with Suite and then hope 12 does not come out for a while.

[Milky-Joe]

You can go from suite to standard if you want to down-grade between versions.

Ah - Thanks! I didn't realise that was possible.

Although I'm really impressed by the Logic Pro trial at the moment, which is making my decision more difficult...

[Milky-Joe]

After all that I've decided to go with Logic Pro! It just works the way my brain works, and I find it even more intuitive than Ableton Live. And it's cheaper too! Both LP and AL have made me realise just how "clunky" FL is. I wish I'd looked elsewhere sooner. It's just a shame that I can't sell FL, but it is what it is.

[mr531Fdestruct]

I've been using Live Suite for about 5 years now. The workflow really easy, fast, and intuitive... it gets in my way far less than other DAWs when I just want to be creative. Max4Live is also a game changer... so many great free and very cheap M4L devices out there that can be really inspiring and fun. And if you're a student in any capacity, you can get a significant EDU discount on either the Standard or Suite version (no difference in the software, expect when it comes upgrade time, if I'm not mistaken). The Standard is good and you can supplement what it is lacking in with some free 3rd party plugins; there are some really great free things out there (as for what is lacking, check out this comparison: https://www.ableton.com/en/live/compare-editions/). The Suite will have everything you'd ever want though. I can't imagine working in another DAW for my primary.

[mr531Fdestruct]

Quick follow-up... for perspective, I dabbled in Fruity Loops originally in high school when my curiosity with music production first piqued. Started using Pro Tools when I was studying electronic music at college, used it as my main for about 4-5 years, meanwhile also dabbling in Logic. Eventually got curious about Ableton and started messing with it... for a few months there I was kinda working between Pro Tools, Logic, and Ableton, but Ableton gained ground fast and eventually left Pro Tools in the dust, for my purposes. While I know many use the Session view for Ableton, I primarily use the Arrangement view (which is more like a traditional DAW). I have also used REAPER more and more in recent years for some projects, mostly mixing/mastering (which is where Ableton comes up short for me and maybe most people; you can still mix/master in Ableton - I do sometimes - its just not well suited for those tasks).

Logic I still use on occasion, its a top shelf DAW like Ableton and it can do just about anything you'd want Ableton to do (except for M4L stuff mainly), and does some things better than Ableton (like mixing/mastering workflows). Like Ableton, it has plenty of really great built in instruments and effects... be aware though that Logic can only use AU-format plugins whereas Ableton can use AU, VST, and VST3. Not really a huge deal, but some more lesser-known plugin developers may not develop AU versions... don't worry, all the major plugin companies will make AU versions.

For me, I just find Ableton's workflow to be easy, fun, and direct. But I think many people would say the same for Logic. All you can do is run the trials and see what really starts to click for you. Have fun!

[bhiter010]

I recommend you get the trial, see what you like in it, then check against the "Compare Editions" page.

https://www.ableton.com/en/trial

https://www.ableton.com/en/live/compare-editions/

interesting! thanks mate, I'll try

[Maltinski]

Maybe first trying out intro to see if it fits you and if you can work comfortable with it...
later you can still switch to standard or even suite, thats the way I did it at least

[ebkp]

With Suite you get more instruments, packs and effects, and max for live which opens up a whole world of additional features and plugins.

In general, if you already own software instruments and effects from elsewhere then Standard would be ok, but if starting from scratch then Suite is the best option as it includes everything you will likely to need

[HitEmTrue]

With Suite you get more instruments, packs and effects, and max for live which opens up a whole world of additional features and plugins.

In general, if you already own software instruments and effects from elsewhere then Standard would be ok, but if starting from scratch then Suite is the best option as it includes everything you will likely to need

I haven't actually counted, but Logic Pro X may come with more instruments and effects than Live Suite, at a fraction of the price. LPX doesn't have Max for Live, of course, but at least it does have Scripter, which can be useful for some things.

The OP went with Logic anyway, so it's a moot point for now, anyway. Until the OP wants to spend more money and try something else.

[Milky-Joe]

The OP went with Logic anyway, so it's a moot point for now, anyway. Until the OP wants to spend more money and try something else.

I'm absolutely loving Logic Pro still. No regrets at all. It's rock solid and the workflow and its ease of use have actually made me regret using FL for so many years. I wish I'd switched years ago. I always felt like I was fighting the FL's workflow - the needless extra steps (patterns for starters!).