The Ableton Q&A Thread

[nowaysj]

Is this unnecessarily complex? - I'd like different values for inbound quantization and outbound quantization.

Say you've got a scene with 16 bar quantization. And you've got a scene with 1 bar quantization, its kind of just a quick break. You don't want the trigger of the short to interrupt the long, so you make the quant on the short one long enough. But then you don't want to stick around on that little one bar scene, which maybe you'll loop a couple of times, maybe not, but you wanna trigger out of it, but you've gotta wait cause the incoming quant had to be so big. So I'd like 8 bar quant incoming, and 1 bar outgoing?

Making an ounce of sense? Its been 20 hrs for me today.

[hurlingdervish]

i dunno if this is what you were referring to but you can change the quantize of each clip individually

but actually there is a sure fire way to fix your problem i remembered it just seems a bit complex at first


open up the clip launch settings, and select "play" under the follow actions and then in the numbers above insert the timing till you want it to play
0.0.0
measures beats steps
so if you want it to come in on the second step of the third beat leaving an eighth note before the drop
0.3.2

what this does is allows you to trigger the scene and have no effect untill that follow action takes place

and then instead of playing the next clip down in the scene you can press "Ctrl E" on the clip cell to remove the play button meaning, when you launch that scene, the lead in will not stop

[futures_untold]

I've got a Lite version of Ableton 4 whiich gives me the option of upgrading to the latest version for a price I may be able to afford.

What are the differences between Ableton Live 8 Suite and Ableton Live 8?

Thanks.

Pat

[magma]

I've got a Lite version of Ableton 4 whiich gives me the option of upgrading to the latest version for a price I may be able to afford.

What are the differences between Ableton Live 8 Suite and Ableton Live 8?

Thanks.

Pat

You might be lucky if they're still honouring that offer!

Ableton Live Suite contains all their synths/instruments.. so you get:
Operator (FM Synth)
Analog ("Analog" subtractive synth)
Tension (string synth)
Collision (percussion/mallets synth)
Electric (electric pianos)
Sampler (full blown version of the built in sampler)
Latin Drum samples
Drum Machine samples
And if you get the boxed version Session Drums and some more multisampled instruments.

I reckon it's pretty good value, but I definitely need to spend more time with Operator..

[hurlingdervish]

it should be said that operator can be used just like a subtractive synth when you use the digital waveforms and set the routing of the oscillators so they don't run into each other

it pretty much covers the bases for me...i never really use anything else

[futures_untold]

So aside from loads of synths, samples and the sampler, there isn't any other 'extra' functionality?

Are all the fx from Live Suite still present in Live 8?

I already have all the instrments and samples I'm likely to ever need, I just want Ableton for live mixing purposes.

Thanks

[86.]

it should be said that operator can be used just like a subtractive synth when you use the digital waveforms and set the routing of the oscillators so they don't run into each other

it pretty much covers the bases for me...i never really use anything else

so you use operator exclusively?

i've started using analog and operator a fair bit, I'm a big fan of instrument racks with those two as the main synths.

[hurlingdervish]

it should be said that operator can be used just like a subtractive synth when you use the digital waveforms and set the routing of the oscillators so they don't run into each other

it pretty much covers the bases for me...i never really use anything else

so you use operator exclusively?

i've started using analog and operator a fair bit, I'm a big fan of instrument racks with those two as the main synths.

every synth in my sig video including the resampled textures were all done with operator

its so powerful in 8 (and 7 but even more so now) its ridiculous...you just need to know it inside out

the most important part is that you pick the waveforms with the D after them...the rest are like "lofi" waveforms

[mks]

So aside from loads of synths, samples and the sampler, there isn't any other 'extra' functionality?

Are all the fx from Live Suite still present in Live 8?

I already have all the instrments and samples I'm likely to ever need, I just want Ableton for live mixing purposes.

Thanks

Yeah, everything is there is Live 8. All the new effects and everything. But if you are thinking of getting at least one instrument and you are able to get the discount offer, I would go for the Live Suite. It's only a little more than 1 instrument by itself and you get all of them. I knew I wanted to get the sampler but it was $125 by itself. The Suite upgrade was only $150 or so more with everything. It was well worth it. But if you think you don't need all of those instruments, then Live 8 is the fully functioning version.

EZ

[futures_untold]

Yeah, everything is there is Live 8. All the new effects and everything. But if you are thinking of getting at least one instrument and you are able to get the discount offer, I would go for the Live Suite. It's only a little more than 1 instrument by itself and you get all of them. I knew I wanted to get the sampler but it was $125 by itself. The Suite upgrade was only $150 or so more with everything. It was well worth it. But if you think you don't need all of those instruments, then Live 8 is the fully functioning version.

EZ

Thanks for explaining it for me. I like some of Abletons FX, but I'm really not keen on their synths or samplers. I've got plenty of my own samples and can make more if I need them.

Sounds like Live 8 by itself will do fine!

I'm a tit though. I bought my Emu soundcard and it came with lots of bundled software. I threw away the software CD thinking I'd never use any of it as I already had better and prefered software to hand. Luckily, I still had my registration card with all the serial numbers on it, so I'm still able to get a discount on Cubase, Sonar, Live, Amplitube and the Emulator X sampler!

Maybe I should sell my licenses?

[mks]

Yeah, everything is there is Live 8. All the new effects and everything. But if you are thinking of getting at least one instrument and you are able to get the discount offer, I would go for the Live Suite. It's only a little more than 1 instrument by itself and you get all of them. I knew I wanted to get the sampler but it was $125 by itself. The Suite upgrade was only $150 or so more with everything. It was well worth it. But if you think you don't need all of those instruments, then Live 8 is the fully functioning version.

EZ

Thanks for explaining it for me. I like some of Abletons FX, but I'm really not keen on their synths or samplers. I've got plenty of my own samples and can make more if I need them.

Sounds like Live 8 by itself will do fine!

I'm a tit though. I bought my Emu soundcard and it came with lots of bundled software. I threw away the software CD thinking I'd never use any of it as I already had better and prefered software to hand. Luckily, I still had my registration card with all the serial numbers on it, so I'm still able to get a discount on Cubase, Sonar, Live, Amplitube and the Emulator X sampler!

Maybe I should sell my licenses?

To be quite honest, with the impulse, simpler, drum racks and instrument racks that come with Live plus a few VST's, you can do everything you need to do.

[hurlingdervish]

Top tip: If your using live 7, and thinking about upgrading to 8...Dont!

For the amount of money there's really not that much extra.

Sure the groove engine is cool, but are you really gunna use it that much? I know i havent.

PLUS ive had about 3 sets that are unable to open in 8 but still open fine in 7 which has pissed me off into continuing on with 7

i just have to say groove engine is amazing!

you know when you get a cool drum loop going...then you make another and the feel is completely different?
groove sorts that out VERY nicely.

there are so many reasons to upgrade i would rather not go into them all but one of the major ones for me was grouping tracks into managable busses that make it way easier to get a solild mixdown

[mks]

One tip that I like to use, and I haven't really heard anyone else talk about yet, is the use of the external effects tool. They have an external instrument one too. But for the effects, I have grown to like the sound of my Lexicon rack mount unit for subtle room reverb, so I have set up an external effects box on one of my sends so I can always use my Lexicon whenever I want. Works awesome! Really, you could always do this before with some clever routing but the external effects tool makes it so much easier. One thing to keep in mind though, is when you render you will now have to do it in real time.

[mks]

Top tip: If your using live 7, and thinking about upgrading to 8...Dont!

For the amount of money there's really not that much extra.

Sure the groove engine is cool, but are you really gunna use it that much? I know i havent.

PLUS ive had about 3 sets that are unable to open in 8 but still open fine in 7 which has pissed me off into continuing on with 7

i just have to say groove engine is amazing!

you know when you get a cool drum loop going...then you make another and the feel is completely different?
groove sorts that out VERY nicely.

there are so many reasons to upgrade i would rather not go into them all but one of the major ones for me was grouping tracks into managable busses that make it way easier to get a solild mixdown

Yeah, I've just been wrapping my head around it this week. I've had my secret technique for swing in Live 7 but I've had to relearn everything for 8. That video you posted up helped me out a lot! Now that I've gotten used to it more, I'm really digging it!

[hurlingdervish]

One tip that I like to use, and I haven't really heard anyone else talk about yet, is the use of the external effects tool. They have an external instrument one too. But for the effects, I have grown to like the sound of my Lexicon rack mount unit for subtle room reverb, so I have set up an external effects box on one of my sends so I can always use my Lexicon whenever I want. Works awesome! Really, you could always do this before with some clever routing but the external effects tool makes it so much easier. One thing to keep in mind though, is when you render you will now have to do it in real time.

i use the external instrument all the time...its a god send

i make beats away from the computer chilling on the couch resampling with the 555...sequence something

then i can record the midi and edit the piano roll from what i did. once im done with that you can actually "freeze" the track like it was any other.....god damn.

how many outputs do you need for external effect? 2 stereo or 3?

[mks]

One tip that I like to use, and I haven't really heard anyone else talk about yet, is the use of the external effects tool. They have an external instrument one too. But for the effects, I have grown to like the sound of my Lexicon rack mount unit for subtle room reverb, so I have set up an external effects box on one of my sends so I can always use my Lexicon whenever I want. Works awesome! Really, you could always do this before with some clever routing but the external effects tool makes it so much easier. One thing to keep in mind though, is when you render you will now have to do it in real time.

i use the external instrument all the time...its a god send

i make beats away from the computer chilling on the couch resampling with the 555...sequence something

then i can record the midi and edit the piano roll from what i did. once im done with that you can actually "freeze" the track like it was any other.....god damn.

how many outputs do you need for external effect? 2 stereo or 3?

I'm running it in mono at the moment, so just 1 in and 1 out right now. For stereo it would be 2 ins and outs of course (and then pan the channels). I have an 8 input and 8 output soundcard so I can be pretty flexible with the routing.

[nowaysj]

I think ableton is a little like reason, in that it prefers its own instruments. Those instruments are more tightly integrated into the application. Coming from fruity, I tend to use 3rd party instruments and fx, and they work fine in live, but still live prefers its own instruments. Never mind.

[hurlingdervish]

I think ableton is a little like reason, in that it prefers its own instruments. Those instruments are more tightly integrated into the application. Coming from fruity, I tend to use 3rd party instruments and fx, and they work fine in live, but still live prefers its own instruments. Never mind.

thats not really accurate at all

more like...it just looks so much cleaner when you use native stuff, but since there arent a thousand windows flying all over the place like FL it makes that one window seem like "OH WHAT THE FUCK ITS SO MESSY NOW"
when in reality you are much more messy with other programs

[nowaysj]

I work with two monitors. Fl is much cleaner with two monitors. I've got playlist and mixer always up, browser always up, step sequencer always up. And I still have room for my vst's. I can see everything at once, and I don't have to flip through various screens of changing sizes just to see what a track is peaking at, or to see a waveform.

I'm sure live is better on a laptop where real estate is much more precious. But in the studio with two monitors, ableton falls down.

Also, don't like their cluttered tiny little devices. I don't think everything needs to look like moog modular or anything, but still a balance between efficiency and usability was not struck for studio use.

[hurlingdervish]

i have a two monitor setup, its disappointing they dont support them but if you are picky about your vst window just put it on the other screen, vsts these days take up the better part of a screen anyway
realistically you would never be able to do anything more with both session and arrange view open, they are both designed to be complete unto themselves. But I wouldn't be surprised at all if they support two monitors in future

nothing about ableton is tiny really...its all perfectly sized for me, and its designed so you can access things quickly and for everything to be midi controlled, from the ground up, as opposed to later on in the development stage like it happened with FL. It started with the step sequencer in FL and everything grew around that. FL when it started was never designed for long pieces of audio nor midi so when they did implement them it was always awkward...imo of course