should i move to ableton? (deejaying)

212121 · Post by **212121** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 5:53 pm

hi! i have been using serato scratch live with two technics and a normal xone 92 mixer... ableton looks really nice and i have been thinking about using it and just sell me technics, scratch live and maybe the mixer, i just downloaded the demo and i'm going to try it.
so to use ableton live i need to buy a audiointerface to use with my laptop, i didn't understand if live deejays need a mixer or how they use the mixer if they need one? or they just connect the speakers to a audio-interface? because if you mix everything in software i really don't need a mixer, i've got a xone 92 i could sell it! it would help a lot!
another great thing about ableton live is that using it for deejaying i would also have to get a audio-interface and a midi controller that are needed for producing in reason, fl, etc. great!

did i get things right? it's just a bit strange to think about mixing with a sofware, i know i'll use the midi-controller but i never touched one lol
i know i could get a xone 3d wich is a mixer with a audio-interface but i don't want (and i'm sure about this) to use CD'S or TT's, do i require a mixer to deejay with ableton live?

EDIT: audio interface = midi controller + sound card, right?

thanks!

GG · Post by GG » Sun Nov 12, 2006 6:26 pm

212121 wrote:hi! i have been using serato scratch live with two technics and a normal xone 92 mixer... ableton looks really nice and i have been thinking about using it and just sell me technics, scratch live and maybe the mixer, i just downloaded the demo and i'm going to try it.
so to use ableton live i need to buy a audiointerface to use with my laptop, i didn't understand if live deejays need a mixer or how they use the mixer if they need one? or they just connect the speakers to a audio-interface? because if you mix everything in software i really don't need a mixer, i've got a xone 92 i could sell it! it would help a lot!
another great thing about ableton live is that using it for deejaying i would also have to get a audio-interface and a midi controller that are needed for producing in reason, fl, etc. great!

did i get things right? it's just a bit strange to think about mixing with a sofware, i know i'll use the midi-controller but i never touched one lol
i know i could get a xone 3d wich is a mixer with a audio-interface but i don't want (and i'm sure about this) to use CD'S or TT's, do i require a mixer to deejay with ableton live?

EDIT: audio interface = midi controller + sound card, right?

thanks!

If your going to use ableton your best off getting a midi controller that looks like a mixer with the normal channels and you also want one with a few other buttons and controllers built in so that you can utilize the effects and fire the tunes off.

Ableton is the way forward just ask sasha,pete tong and ralph lawson

212121 · Post by **212121** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 6:35 pm

thanks for the reply but that didn't help much about my questions

i will buy the best audio-interface controller or whatever i can get

robin · Post by **robin** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 6:42 pm

Firstly, try a search of the forum for some reading, it's defo worth it.

I wouldn't sell anything yet, some people take to Live quicker than others and sometimes you'll miss the more hands on feeling of vinyl or cds etc. Having said that I like djing with Live because of the flexibility.

I'd keep playing with the demo and if that still has you hooked then try something like a Faderfox lv2 (I have a lv1 which I love) or the M-Audio Xsession Pro or bcr2000 (they're all pretty cheap MIDI controllers, the last two especially and should give you an idea of what is capable).

Audio interface is just another name for a sound card. You'll probably need two stereo outs (if you want to have a cue out to pre-listen to tracks). I'm about to replace my old usb interface with a Echo Audiofire2 (an echo indigo dj is neat if you have a pcmcia slot).

Dunno if that helps...

212121 · Post by **212121** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 7:16 pm

thanks for your reply

i am already searching MANY online forums watching youtube videos, etc and i'm going to try the demo

i love the way i can "move" a track in vinyl but that's all, i don't own any vinyl disc :oops: i only use it to mix with serato scratch live my mp3 that i buy, i think i'm going to love ableton because it has almost no limits, and you can use it to produce, etc... it's the future

i just don't understand how it works with the hardware and what i need, that's all
i'm not going to buy a cheap midi controller or something i will just buy the best audiointerface and controller i can get and just move to ableton, just need to know first what they really do and what i have to buy.

someone in another forum said i could use the mixer for "routing channels" hmm?

212121 · Post by **212121** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 8:57 pm

having channels in ableton live and each of them sending audio to a channel in the mixer, can i do that? how do live deejays do a set in live? i mean the mixing... change from one track to another, it's easy? is it safe not to have a mixer?

i also have to think about when i play in a club or where other deejays play after or before me, i can't just plug the speakers in my audio-interface and remove them when someone else plays stuff with the mixer

robin · Post by **robin** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 9:18 pm

212121 wrote: i just don't understand how it works with the hardware and what i need, that's all
i'm not going to buy a cheap midi controller or something i will just buy the best audiointerface and controller i can get and just move to ableton, just need to know first what they really do and what i have to buy.

What I mean by suggesting a cheap controller is that you're likely to try a few before settling on something that will suit. I have used a few and still not found something I really like (though the LV1 is close).

There isn't really a good controller for Live yet though if you could convince every club to have a Xone 3D that would be ideal perhaps. As it is the 3D is a little big for most cramped DJ booths (in my experience at least), and to lug around.

There's even less controller/audio interface devices. In fact I think all are keyboard based at the moment (apart from the 3D)

someone in another forum said i could use the mixer for "routing channels" hmm?

Yeah that's possible too. just take a stereo out for each channel you'd like to a separate channel on the dj mixer. You can then use the EQ and crossfader on that.

robin · Post by **robin** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 9:23 pm

212121 wrote:having channels in ableton live and each of them sending audio to a channel in the mixer, can i do that? how do live deejays do a set in live? is it safe not to have a mixer?

i also have to think about when i play in a club or where other deejays play after or before me, i can't just plug the speakers in my audio-interface and remove them when someone else plays stuff with the mixer

Being self contained and just plugging into one spare channel on the DJ mixer is the way I like to do things. Using separate channels on the DJ mixer is a bit more involved but has advantages. Depends on what you decide you like really.

212121 · Post by **212121** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 9:36 pm

then i can mix the tracks like vinyl, beat matching will be a lot easier

Machinate · Post by **Machinate** » Sun Nov 12, 2006 10:50 pm

212121 wrote:then i can mix the tracks like vinyl, beat matching will be a lot easier

No. You can't mix like vinyl in Ableton Live. You do the beatmatching beforehand, and then you can mix without headphones, piss-drunk out of your mind, with blurry vision, tinnitus+earplugs, and mates screaming at you to play that new jam they heard.

Global quantize and audio warping is your friend. Go crazy with the demo

212121 · Post by **212121** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:39 am

i mean i can mix them in my mixer like i do with vinyl if i can send each track to separate channels! is it worth it?

and if someone wants me to play in a party or a club and there are other deejays that play before/after me i can't remove the speakers plugs from the mixer and put them in my audio interface right?

Meef Chaloin · Post by **Meef Chaloin** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 10:53 am

im sure the club will have more than one input on their mixer

MrTiddles · Post by **MrTiddles** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 11:32 am

212121 wrote:i mean i can mix them in my mixer like i do with vinyl if i can send each track to separate channels! is it worth it?

and if someone wants me to play in a party or a club and there are other deejays that play before/after me i can't remove the speakers plugs from the mixer and put them in my audio interface right?

Look at Live and a MIDI controller as you mixer. You'll need a sound card with 2 stereo output (at least). 1 for playing your output into the club mixer, and the other for cueing tracks/loops/vocals/guitarist/whatever. You're still thinking like a DJ rather than a performer.

Instead of thinking about the traditional 2xvinyl+effects, think about what you could do with a track once you beatmapped it, then cut it into segments. You could then put the breakbeat from 1 track over the breakdown over another, with added vocals and effects if you're feeling fruity. I quite like sticking 'Higher States of' beat over the breakdown of 4 an angel with right here, right now slowly building in the background. All of with is in sync, but also in key.

You imagination is the only limit you've got with this software (my DJ setup has 9 tracks total (4 song, 2 sample, 1 Live vocal, 1 guitar, 1 synth)) and you can do some very special things. It will take you F*cking months to get your head round it all, but once you do you'll have opened up a world of creative possibilities.

Almost every 'proper' DJ I've told this to scoff's and says this isn't DJing. They're right.... it's not, but it's soooooo much better than anything they can do.

Hope this helps.

Mr Tiddles

212121 · Post by **212121** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 1:18 pm

thanks for the reply!!!

i was thinking that a audio-interface was a sound-card + a midi-controller, aren't there products like this?
i still don't understand where i connect the audio-interface for output, does it have xlr output for the speakers? or i need to have a mixer (and connect the audio-interface to the mixer)? looks like i need to keep the mixer

i could try to buy a xone 3d it it would do all work (audiocard, midi controller and mixer) but i also want to produce in reason and fl so i think i need a "midi keyboard" and if used a xone 3d i would have no controller if i play in a club or somehwere else, unless i bring the mixer with me lol

Machinate · Post by **Machinate** » Mon Nov 13, 2006 1:56 pm

but why not bring the mixer with you?

should i move to ableton? (deejaying)

should i move to ableton? (deejaying)

Re: should i move to ableton? (deejaying)