Ableton...upgrading

[Sleepy dinosaur]

I have been using the copy of Ableton Lite that came with my MPK25 (which I LOVE). I think I am sold enough to upgrade to Live 8. My question is what is the biggest difference between Live and Suite? I was under the impression it was just more presets, loops and sounds. None of which I care about. Does suite offer different instruments and effects than Live? Its a $100 difference and for me it would be wasted on sounds and loops.

Thanks in advance

[toph]

Hi,

no, it's not only presets, loops and sounds.

With suite you get the following instruments and effects you don't have in the non-suite-version:

- Sampler (non-suite only includes "Simpler")
- Operator (FM-synth)
- Analog (VA-synth)
- Tension (physical modelling string synth)
- Electric (physical modelling e-piano)
- Collison (physical modelling mallets)
- Amp (Amp-modelling)
- Corpus (resonator-model of Collison as effect)

But you should also be able to figure this out by comparing the two product pages:
http://www.ableton.com/suite-8
http://www.ableton.com/live-8

If you don't own tons of VST/AU PlugIns the 100$ more for suite will be worth it in my opinion.

C.

[Sleepy dinosaur]

ahh, ok. I don't intend to load up on plugins so given how much more you get, the extra 100 does seem worth it.

Thanks

[synnack]

I bought the suite and honestly I've NEVER used any of the samples or loops or whatever.

But I use things like Operator constantly. If you add up the price of Operator and Analog the suite is totally worth it. Even if you don't care at all about the sample library.

Just Operator alone is worth it to me to buy the Suite.

HOWEVER. I would try the demo of the synths. Maybe you own enough 3rd party synths. Maybe you don't like Operator or Analog, in which case the 100 bucks doesn't make sense for YOU.

Try the demo of the synths. If you would buy any one of them, then financially, the suite is a better deal. If not, then buy just standard Live.

[Sleepy dinosaur]

Thinking more about it..... I hope I don't get zinged by upgrading and then have 9 come out...that'd bum me out. This is a lot of cash for someone who's just an enthusiast and gets maybe 3-5 times a month to work on music....

My copy of Reason is years old...I still use it to make loops and sounds...but I can't justify the money these days...

I'm also looking at an APC40 but worried some of its functionality will be replicated with the MPK25...... I had been planning to get the APC40 next (along with the MPK, I got a padKontrol for $40 on craigslist..barely used!) and I think that would keep me from touching the mouse for the most part....

[toph]

APC40 does a good job, but I still use the mouse constantly. You certainly can do most things without touching the mouse, but personally some things I find more comfortable by using the mouse while producing (I don't have much "live" experience). If you don't need real buttons and sliders, I'd check out touch-able for the iPad, what's a very good alternative to the APC in my eyes.

In my opinion not only Operator and Analog are worth a look, but Sampler and Collision too. With Sampler you can do very cool sounddesign things, because of it's simple interface and modulation capabilities.

C.

[antarktika]

you'll likely want to get suite if you don't plan on getting many instrument plug-ins, I probably would have, but I was already using Komplete, as well as various other plugs previous to purchasing Live, so didn't see the point when I was making the switch, as what I had was more than enough already. However, I feel for most who were using just Live with native plugs, you'd really be selling yourself short by not getting suite.

[ark]

Thinking more about it..... I hope I don't get zinged by upgrading and then have 9 come out...that'd bum me out. This is a lot of cash for someone who's just an enthusiast and gets maybe 3-5 times a month to work on music....

I don't know what Ableton will do about Live 9, but I do know what they did about 8. If you had Live 7 and upgraded to Live 8, you got Live 8. If you had Live 7 Suite and upgraded to 8, you got Live 8 Suite. I don't remember for sure whether the upgrade price was the same in both cases, but it was not dramatically different.

[eddiex]

sampler and operator definitely worth the extra 100 bonez!!! do it yeah!!! the apc 40 rulez hard...i dig it.

[toph]

Essential Instrument Collection (link) and session drums (link).

I didn't mention that, because the OP wrote that he doesn't care for sounds and samples.

C.