New user, indepth questions.. thanx!

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MetroSonus
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Sep 06, 2006 6:34 pm
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New user, indepth questions.. thanx!

Post by MetroSonus » Wed Sep 06, 2006 6:50 pm

First up, im using a limited bundled version, and I have no controller. I sold it to buy a new one, and since being tied up with "life" I just havent gotten and round to it, so please excuse me if the following questions seem a bit obvious if I just tried it.. Also im using like version 4, and I'm just not wanting to buy version 6 to see if it meets my needs, but i'm trying to really see if it could do what I need it to, so I appreciate the time in answering these questions.


First off, I wasn't too into the sequencer at first, then I found the fold button. Oh boy.. You can essentially make it a step sequencer which makes it great for basslines and also for filling in riffs real quick.. So im impressed. Thats just a kudos..

When you trigger loops (forgive me here, I dont know the "live" word) from the pattern grid, can you play more than one from the same column? Lets say I want to have a 4x4 kick on loop, and the hats on another under the drum sequencer column. Can I trigger the kicks, then the hats and have them play at the same time? Or will I have to have one kick sequence and then one with hats and kick and trigger them sequentially ?

Also, can I have different patches on the same synth but in different patterns ? Same thing here, I want to know if I can trigger a second loop and have it switch patches on the synth or if i'll have to create a second instance.

Say I assign a knob to a cutoff filter. Is it slaved to that synth? Or can I use it again for something else ? meaning it only works for whatever i'm curently working with?

What's the best way to run a live gig off of softsynths and drum samples..? Would I have to reload a new live setup each song? The thing im afraid of is bogging down my laptop by having several instances of the same synth open for several patches. Also having to have two drum sequencers going just to seperate hats and kicks seems a pain in the ass..

dj superflat
Posts: 1279
Joined: Wed Nov 02, 2005 5:31 pm
Location: leadville, CO

Post by dj superflat » Wed Sep 06, 2006 8:56 pm

do you have a manual? most of your questions are answered by routing and clip envelopes, but i can't recall how much of that was available in 4.

DeadlyKungFu
Posts: 3603
Joined: Tue Aug 09, 2005 8:26 pm

Re: New user, indepth questions.. thanx!

Post by DeadlyKungFu » Wed Sep 06, 2006 9:19 pm

MetroSonus wrote:When you trigger loops (forgive me here, I dont know the "live" word) from the pattern grid, can you play more than one from the same column? Lets say I want to have a 4x4 kick on loop, and the hats on another under the drum sequencer column. Can I trigger the kicks, then the hats and have them play at the same time? Or will I have to have one kick sequence and then one with hats and kick and trigger them sequentially ?
Turn your thinking by 90 degrees. Vertical columns are called TRACKS, horizontal rows are called SCENES. Tracks all share the same FXs, scenes are like the name sounds, a collage of sounds played together that can be started and stopped as a group. Only 1 clip per track can play at once, but you can have every single track (HUNDREDS) playing one clip from each track at the same time to make hundreds of clips playing at once.
Also, can I have different patches on the same synth but in different patterns ? Same thing here, I want to know if I can trigger a second loop and have it switch patches on the synth or if i'll have to create a second instance.
Open clip view by double clicking on a clip. There is a bank and sub-bank window, I've never used it. By and large I would run multiple instances of the synth at the same time.
Say I assign a knob to a cutoff filter. Is it slaved to that synth? Or can I use it again for something else ? meaning it only works for whatever i'm curently working with?
No, there's two ways to do this.
- Live 6 allows you to assign a knob to more than 1 control, previous versions would not allow this, unless you use a 3rd party application and some trickery.
- Automap (Live 5.2 and later support the Novation SL series, Live 6 supports many more automapping devices). With automap, your controller takes control over whatever device you focus (click) on.
What's the best way to run a live gig off of softsynths and drum samples..? Would I have to reload a new live setup each song? The thing im afraid of is bogging down my laptop by having several instances of the same synth open for several patches. Also having to have two drum sequencers going just to seperate hats and kicks seems a pain in the ass..
If you turn off a soft synth it uses far less CPU time, maybe none at all. By and large people who play out create on huge set, some keep a CD player handy to use while swapping sets out.


The only real way to learn Live is to use it, there's a million ways to get any one thing done. For the most part open ended questions like 'how do I use Live', 'how do I make a song in Live', things like that go unanswered because there's just too many ways to pull it off. Direct questions always get answered.

Using the search feature on the .pdf is a great way to learn live, also always keep the help box in the lower left corner open.

Happy beat banging!!

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