Ableton is everywhere...

Audio Plugin Hosts and other audio software applications discussion
Post Reply New Topic
RELATED
PRODUCTS

Post

Dasheesh wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2019 10:38 pm
beatmangler443 wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2019 1:50 am Have you guys noticed that Ableton is everywhere right now? You see output have ads with ableton in it (while back), steven slate doing a demo with ana 2, Izotope demo using live in it, reason has it in the background on reasonstudios web page. Then you see digital performer add a session view influenced by ableton. Think Ableton have a big influence right now?
was saying this in 2001. literally. ableton is old now. it's for folks that can't play and rely on prefab beats, and presets.
you must have ableton mistaken for fl studio, as ableton's piano roll is shite for drawing in

Post

dupont wrote: Wed Oct 09, 2019 6:48 pm I wonder why on youtube there are more vids of women using Ableton than Reaper ?
Is it because live sounds dull and flat ? :hihi:
They like to give the impression that they are a very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, very, progressive company.

The more people that can be encouraged to buy Live, the more money they make.
Anyone who can make you believe absurdities can make you commit atrocities.

Post

Dasheesh wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2019 10:38 pm
beatmangler443 wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2019 1:50 am Have you guys noticed that Ableton is everywhere right now? You see output have ads with ableton in it (while back), steven slate doing a demo with ana 2, Izotope demo using live in it, reason has it in the background on reasonstudios web page. Then you see digital performer add a session view influenced by ableton. Think Ableton have a big influence right now?
was saying this in 2001. literally. ableton is old now. it's for folks that can't play and rely on prefab beats, and presets.
What kind of music do you produce, and what DAW do you use?

Post

charmcitymusic wrote: Thu Oct 10, 2019 3:21 am
Dasheesh wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2019 10:38 pm
beatmangler443 wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2019 1:50 am Have you guys noticed that Ableton is everywhere right now? You see output have ads with ableton in it (while back), steven slate doing a demo with ana 2, Izotope demo using live in it, reason has it in the background on reasonstudios web page. Then you see digital performer add a session view influenced by ableton. Think Ableton have a big influence right now?
was saying this in 2001. literally. ableton is old now. it's for folks that can't play and rely on prefab beats, and presets.
What kind of music do you produce, and what DAW do you use?
Well, like he said, if you're using Ableton then it's "looping 4/4 808 beats". Like this, perhaps:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8DWxRjnPXFs

Post

oh another IDM...

Post

People whoop on Ableton like it's a DJ or something!

They probably don't get their head around its very different paradigm. Once you do and it clicks, you have to get in to it and go hog wild with how you have a new way of making music.

I taught myself Ableton. I met some guy in a gay bar (probably less said about that the better :party:) who was 'raving' (excuse my poor use of adjective here :lol:) about this new program called 'Ableton'.

After puking my guts up from some dodgy 'cockles' (not something you ever forget :x) I managed to 'source' a copy, and set to work.

Very very frustrating, especially pre-internet world. I think this was like Ableton 4 or something. But it was fully formed, I just could not get my head around it. Till it clicked. Sometimes, the hard way is the best way!

It was unlike any kind of 'linear' paradigm you could imagine. Growing up on Steinberg Pro-24 and the first versions of Atari Cubase v.1.0. it was like nothing else. It absolutely fascinated me. Especially it's eschewing of skeuomorphic design. It was 2D and loud and proud! And that was its sheer genius. And to this day it's what marks it out as an outlier, a maverick among DAWs. Sure Bitwig tags along, and some say it's better in some regards (modulation, automation), but Ableton did it first.

But Ableton isn't really everywhere. It's still got much ground to make to become a household name like Cubase. Sure, us nerdy bods like it, but if you are outside of the electronic music field (techno, drum and bass, trance etc.) then it's likely you will have given it a miss even if you did hear about it.

Now we have programs like REAPER, mimicking its non-linear ability - https://www.helgoboss.org/projects/playtime/

It's a very fun and a very quick way to make music. It's also extremely creative when you see the added ways it can be implemented in Ableton (tip: look on the very right hand of the GUI, right click for options). Very very clever. Very very developed. Very very well implemented. This is mature software.

It also has a decent enough linear mode. Works for me. Very good in fact if you just want to get down to it and knock one out.

Its midi implementation often gets criticised, but again, it works for me, for quick stuff, no fuss. In fact, you can work very very quickly in it after only learning a few basics. The learning curve is not so much for a very high reward. I think it's excellent and I enjoy using it very much. There are some caveats, but really, it does most of what you want to do most of the time.

The people who criticise its midi - I often wonder - are they making and scoring classical music? What the hell are they doing in it that it leaves them so wanting for more? FLStudio is often cited as being everything Ableton is not in the midi department (arrangement wise), but FLStudio is also quirky and a pain to work with if you are not totally familiar with it. It can be very frustrating. I can go back to Ableton after a year of not using it and be knocking out 'beats' in no time. In FLStudio I have to 'doh' this and 'doh' that to get back to where I was after a few months.

So there's that. YMMV.

You also get a pretty amazing 'free' version of it if you buy many types of hardware these days. And even if you don't, you can buy it for a tenner in the market place. I've got a few I'm going to sell myself. It's fully formed and fully featured software. And if you can't make a finished track with it you are in the wrong game. A noob doesn't need a hundred tracks. A 'pro' doesn't need a hundred tracks. Maybe those in the middle do...

And finally, let's talk about the biggest criticism about it having poor audio quality. That one has been totally put to bed. The Time-Stretch/Warping algos are no more destructive in certain modes than any other software, but Ableton allows you to do more and employ more types of algos, so yeah, some do leave things a bit wanting. Laws of physics as they apply to audio and DSP! Ableton nulls with the best of 'em.

Anyway, I'm sure this was just a wind up troll job. No probs!

But Ableton is one of the most glorious pieces of software ever created in the DAW domain. Everyone needs to own one copy of it, even if it's the lightest version going. Ableton are very generous in that regard. Ok, the price of the full package is a bit steep - even upgrades are hefty, but it obviously works for them when so many are cracking their softs black and blue anyway.

And, as has been noted, it's a great compliment to any linear DAW. That's why many employ FLStudio as well in that regard. It does things and works in ways that the other software doesn't. And you can even use all of them together. Ableton via ReWire. FLStudio as a VST. And your DAW of choice, gluing them all together.

When the spice flows in Ableton, it really flows, and your cup will runneth over!

It's a top 5 desert island DAW in anyone's book. A masterpiece of design. Of form, of function. It just doesn't get better than Live!

Post

People who dont get it, its really not all that hard to get. Just watch some youtube beginner videos. Honestly, no other DAW is faster and more efficient with the time it takes to get things done period

Post

I use mostly Bitwig but, no matter what, I still can’t work as fast as in Ableton.

In fact I got Modulat (Signal) by Isotonik for Ableton to have a similar modulation ability that I’m now enjoy in Bitwig and..... wow!
Pigments - Diva - Tal U-No-LX - Tal Sampler

Post

I work with Ableton and Reaper for techno music (also with S1 and LPX)
I have still been waiting for evidences that live is faster than reaper for music writing !
In Reaper you can have several shortcuts that vastly improve your workflow.
In Reaper there are : AI clips, ripple editing, multi level freeze, advance media/project bay, ghost clips, track view management (usefull to hide unused track for multi ouputs instruments), can't do that in live.
On the contrary with live I lost time jamming in the session view and after laying down some ideas I must switch them in the arrange view. So why not spend time in the arrange view at first ?
In Live I also don't like that the stock plugins are stuck in the bottom window and for 3 rd party plugin, before automating a parameter, It must be first assign.

Post

dupont wrote: Fri Oct 11, 2019 11:49 am I work with Ableton and Reaper for techno music (also with S1 and LPX)
I have still been waiting for evidences that live is faster than reaper for music writing !
In Reaper you can have several shortcuts that vastly improve your workflow.
In Reaper there are : AI clips, ripple editing, multi level freeze, advance media/project bay, ghost clips, track view management (usefull to hide unused track for multi ouputs instruments), can't do that in live.
On the contrary with live I lost time jamming in the session view and after laying down some ideas I must switch them in the arrange view. So why not spend time in the arrange view at first ?
In Live I also don't like that the stock plugins are stuck in the bottom window and for 3 rd party plugin, before automating a parameter, It must be first assign.
You don’t need evidences.
Whatever works for you. I also have Reaper and for me has been the most uninspiring DAW I ever used. I also worked in S1 and less in LPX. Not even close to Ableton for me of course. There you have it. Mine are probably useless evidence for you....
Pigments - Diva - Tal U-No-LX - Tal Sampler

Post

v1o wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2019 2:32 am The most stable DAW over the years have been Cubase and Logic.
And Digital Performer, which predates both of them :wink:
Fernando (FMR)

Post

Dasheesh wrote: Tue Oct 08, 2019 11:57 pm i just had a little fun and pulled this out of my long forgotten back up drawer. it was the upgrade that i bought.
Can you beat that? Ableton didn't exist yet and Robert was just learning, and could not make the first prototype as MSP did not exist yet...
Max.jpg
You do not have the required permissions to view the files attached to this post.

Post

v1o wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2019 3:04 pm
Kinh wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2019 12:11 pm Do you have the sales stats in front of you to show Bitwig is even closely selling as much as Ableton?
DAW makers do not publish sales stats. The OP is talking about overall popularity when he says "Ableton is everywhere". So am I. In my opinion anyway Bitwig is also getting quite popular since v3.
Just looking at controller support alone. Ableton gets far more support from manufacturers than pretty much any other DAW. So that right there signifies the juggernaut that it is in the industry. Bitwig is no where near the same league in that respect. Hardware OEM don't make these decisions on a whim, so they must have sales numbers to back up their choice of supporting Ableton over other DAWs.

Take the Novation SL MK3. It literally works best in Ableton out of the box. The Logic support is meh. ProTools, Cubase, and S1 support is basically just HUI and Reason gets your standard control mappings for their instruments but no feedback on the hardware. Akai, Novation, among many others make controllers specifically for Ableton. The Akai Force and MPC will get Ableton support with no indication of support for any other DAW.

I'm saying this as a Bitwig user. It's frustrating to say the least to see Ableton get all the hardware support and we have to rely on one guy making scripts on his own time (DrivenByMoss).

Right now hardware makers are not seeing the sales numbers for Bitwig so they don't go out of there way to support it. I think Nektar is the only one with actual support and that's because they included a cut down version of Bitwig with their controllers at some point.

I've been avoiding Live 10 since I already own Bitwig but frankly it's getting really hard to keep supporting a DAW that has no real hardware support from the DAW maker or hardware manufacturers instead relying on unsupported user scripts to pick up the slack.
Studio One // Bitwig // Logic Pro X // Ableton 11 // Reason 11 // FLStudio // MPC // Force // Maschine

Post

Logic, Mac Only
Cubase, DP old school and not so popular among young generation
Bitwig, Studio One not there yet.
FL Studio Underdog
Reaper, Nerdy
That makes the Live perfect candidate. Been around long but still cool and attractive for the new generation. Huge controller support, clean and slick GUI that looks good on ads :) etc

Post

apoclypse wrote: Thu Oct 17, 2019 3:19 pm
v1o wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2019 3:04 pm
Kinh wrote: Mon Oct 07, 2019 12:11 pm Do you have the sales stats in front of you to show Bitwig is even closely selling as much as Ableton?
DAW makers do not publish sales stats. The OP is talking about overall popularity when he says "Ableton is everywhere". So am I. In my opinion anyway Bitwig is also getting quite popular since v3.
Just looking at controller support alone. Ableton gets far more support from manufacturers than pretty much any other DAW. So that right there signifies the juggernaut that it is in the industry. Bitwig is no where near the same league in that respect. Hardware OEM don't make these decisions on a whim, so they must have sales numbers to back up their choice of supporting Ableton over other DAWs.

Take the Novation SL MK3. It literally works best in Ableton out of the box. The Logic support is meh. ProTools, Cubase, and S1 support is basically just HUI and Reason gets your standard control mappings for their instruments but no feedback on the hardware. Akai, Novation, among many others make controllers specifically for Ableton. The Akai Force and MPC will get Ableton support with no indication of support for any other DAW.

I'm saying this as a Bitwig user. It's frustrating to say the least to see Ableton get all the hardware support and we have to rely on one guy making scripts on his own time (DrivenByMoss).

Right now hardware makers are not seeing the sales numbers for Bitwig so they don't go out of there way to support it. I think Nektar is the only one with actual support and that's because they included a cut down version of Bitwig with their controllers at some point.

I've been avoiding Live 10 since I already own Bitwig but frankly it's getting really hard to keep supporting a DAW that has no real hardware support from the DAW maker or hardware manufacturers instead relying on unsupported user scripts to pick up the slack.
You could be right but I'm not so sure. Novation hardware traditionally has always had strong Ableton support. They even make Ableton Live specific controllers. It's quite likely that Novation just know their own user base and market very well. Nektar controllers for example have very strong Reason integration. Eucon & Icon controllers have strong Pro Tools integration.
Orion Platinum, Muzys 2

Post Reply

Return to “Hosts & Applications (Sequencers, DAWs, Audio Editors, etc.)”