Best way to use Ableton AND Logic?

[alexanderrness]

Would it be recommended to render all tracks that I would need from Ableton in .wav files and load them up in Logic, or would rewire the program be better? I find that chopping up samples and arranging them in Ableton is much faster than in Logic for me and I want to maintain that kind of workflow alongside Logic.

I am not familiar with rewire and am still looking into its functionality and how it all works so it would also be nice if someone could explain that as well. Thank you.

[mholloway]

Best way? No such thing. Have fun with this headache!

Rewire is a joke and the fault is entirely Ableton's -- you can't run any 3rd party plugs in ableton while in Rewire mode. So have fun with your audio loops, that's all you'll be using.

Exporting stems is your best bet, but I might ask yourself, what is Logic doing for you at that point which makes the export headache worthwhile? Is it really doing something to those audio stems that you absolutely could not do in Live?

-M

[agent314]

I find that chopping up samples and arranging them in Ableton is much faster than in Logic for me and I want to maintain that kind of workflow alongside Logic.

you can't run any 3rd party plugs in ableton while in Rewire mode. So have fun with your audio loops, that's all you'll be using.

The problem for him being what, then?

It seems like you just took his asking about how Rewire works and used it as an opportunity to rail against Live's (not insubstantial) Rewire shortcomings, when he outright stated that that's not what he plans to be doing

OP, Rewire is basically a protocol that lets you run one DAW as a "slave" (i.e. Reason, which the Rewire protocol was basically written for) more or less entirely within another "master" DAW, with the slave's clock/transport controls linked to the master's (i.e. you press Play in Logic and Live's will start playing at the same time). You can then use the track outputs from the slave DAW as audio/track inputs in the master DAW to route audio from the slave to the master.

There are certainly problems with the way it's implemented in Live (the most glaring being no support for non-Live/3rd party plugins, but also some stability issues and a few other quirks), but if you're going to be working primarily with audio and/or Live's native devices, it can make a two-DAW workflow a lot smoother (or also make you want to pull your hair out).

[Tarekith]

If you're happy with the workflow in Live why both with Logic?

[Machinesworking]

I've been using Live with either Logic or Digital Performer 7 for years, and probably out of shear laziness or lack of wanting to do things in any rational sort of way I've bounced between Live and DP7 currently mostly with very little reWire use. Very, very arguably the best way to work with this would be to use reWire, but I like being able to port the entire song and instruments over to Live if I so choose.

So my workflow goes something like this: work in Live, get a basic idea for a song layout, port to DP7 flesh out a few variations of the song, arrange the thing finally, render the tracks to audio, mixdown a demo song, port stems back to Live for practicing in my band and live use.

Or alternatively depending, rewire Live in, write the song entirely in DP7, but use Live for the audio goodies it has clips and time stretching wise and not worry about Live not being able to host third party instruments and FX since they're hosted in DP7, render to stems for live use in Live.

It really isn't that big of a deal, though if you listen to others it's like the worst thing ever!
Mostly, I hate Live's crap Arrangement page automation limitations when mixing down tracks!
Plus, although I love the Session View, DP7 has a much more advanced arrangement page, two in fact.

[southsounder]

If you're happy with the workflow in Live why both with Logic?

To me Live's interface simply rules for sound design and composition. But I too find Logic's track automation much easier to work with, and many of Logic's effects are cleaner to my ears as well. So like the OP I tend to write in Live and mix in Logic. I really see it as having the best of both worlds.

I essentially stem mix into Live's arrangement view and then drag those recorded clips directly into Logic. I never use the export tracks function. I did try rewire for a brief while but it was generating weird sonic artifacts at the beginning of playback, never could figure out what the deal was.

[mholloway]

It seems like you just took his asking about how Rewire works and used it as an opportunity to rail against Live's (not insubstantial) Rewire shortcomings, when he outright stated that that's not what he plans to be doing

Outright stated? So he said, "I will never be using 3rd party plugins in LIve"? Nope-- he stated something he prefers doing in Live over Logic (audio chopping); I didn't take that to mean "this is the only thing I will do in Live," as you apparently did. <shrug>

And besides, it's a point worth railing against given any opportunity, imo

-M

[stoersignal]

i use just some of logics instruments and i route them vie IAC and external instrument into live. but i`m just using ultrabeat and sculpture

[alexanderrness]

i use just some of logics instruments and i route them vie IAC and external instrument into live. but i`m just using ultrabeat and sculpture

i would assume this method works the other way around as well? ableton instruments routed to logic? just curious. why do you prefer ultrabeat that would make you route it into ableton instead of using what is provided in ableton?

[stoersignal]

because i love the way of working in live and especially maxforlive and all my controllers which are perfectly setup for my workflow in ableton. so it`S not about the ableton instruments and effects (i love operator and sampler) its about all the other things.
i switched from logic 4-5 years ago since then i finished almost all of my tracks . in logic i started 100s of songs and completed just a small percentage.
nobody brings me back.

[Sage]

I planning on selling Logic as it is nothing but a headache to use these days. Been trying to edit sound for a short film recently and had nothing but problems. The effects are nice, automation is a touch better, but it can't do the basics.

[beatmunga]

I planning on selling Logic as it is nothing but a headache to use these days. Been trying to edit sound for a short film recently and had nothing but problems. The effects are nice, automation is a touch better, but it can't do the basics.

What basics can't it do?

Isn't Soundtrack Pro better for film sound anyway? You get it bundled with Logic.

[Sage]

What basics can't it do?

Isn't Soundtrack Pro better for film sound anyway? You get it bundled with Logic.

It probably is, but not really used it so tried sticking to what I know. But the problems I'm having is creating stereo channels, seems to default everything to mono and won't always give me the option to change into a stereo channel, have to create like 5 stereo channels and pray one of them actually is stereo. Then with one of the stereo audio files, it started only playing back the left channel and wouldn't play the right hand side, so scared I've lost that now (It was definitely there to start with!). Hadn't even started to mix any of it, just moving a bunch of audio files around, no idea why its so fucking difficult in Logic...

[Ellergy]

Is the 3rd party plugs re-wire thing still something that can't be solved?

Would really have liked to keep midi instruments in ableton where I've started projects there...

[jer_mcclain]

And besides, it's a point worth railing against given any opportunity, imo

lol, you certainly take every opportunity, thumbs up for thoroughness