sharing Ableton library on 2 computers?

big dred · Post by **big dred** » Mon Mar 04, 2013 8:16 am

I have two computers running two separate instances of Ableton Live (right now I'm using 8 but I plan on getting 9). They are synced via LAN and I'm working on configuring them so that the audio on 1 computer is transmitted via LAN to the other computer so that both computers can run their own instance of Ableton but share an audio interface. My question is:

Can I install the library (and any additional VST plugins) on one hard drive, and have both copies of Ableton use that library at the same time? If this is possible then it would save me a large amount of hard-drive space. But I dont know if the library is specifically configured to work with only one instance of Ableton on one computer at a time.

If anyone knows please let me know.

alexjholland · Post by **alexjholland** » Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:03 pm

Why do you need to do that?

big dred · Post by **big dred** » Mon Mar 04, 2013 10:57 pm

My explanation seemed to be pretty self-explanatory. If I can install one library and one set of VSTs on a single hard drive (even possibly an external hard drive?), then I would clearly be able to reduce the amount of used hard drive space on both computers by half... even possibly by 100% if an external drive can house the library and allow both copies of Ableton to gain access to the library at the same time - this would inevitably free up extra space for other programs and utilities. I dont know if VSTs would work this way since they often have to be licensed for each individual computer, but it doesnt seem that Ableton's library works that way (every time I install Ableton on a new computer the library is just loaded, not licensed). But I dont know the specs of how the library is configured with Ableton, so I am hoping that someone else does and can answer my question.

kitekrazy · Post by **kitekrazy** » Mon Mar 04, 2013 11:35 pm

big dred wrote:My explanation seemed to be pretty self-explanatory. If I can install one library and one set of VSTs on a single hard drive (even possibly an external hard drive?), then I would clearly be able to reduce the amount of used hard drive space on both computers by half... even possibly by 100% if an external drive can house the library and allow both copies of Ableton to gain access to the library at the same time - this would inevitably free up extra space for other programs and utilities. I dont know if VSTs would work this way since they often have to be licensed for each individual computer, but it doesnt seem that Ableton's library works that way (every time I install Ableton on a new computer the library is just loaded, not licensed). But I dont know the specs of how the library is configured with Ableton, so I am hoping that someone else does and can answer my question.

Are you using a laptop?

big dred · Post by **big dred** » Tue Mar 05, 2013 12:00 am

Yes. Two laptops, two versions of Ableton, connected together via LAN, one audio interface on Laptop1, audio transmitted to Laptop1 via LAN from Laptop2.

martinlektra · Post by **martinlektra** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 2:30 am

Any reply on this ?

ark · Post by **ark** » Wed Jan 20, 2016 2:50 pm

Note first that the normal Live license allows you to install on two computers but only to use one of them at a time.

That said, I have no problem synchronizing the entire contents of my Live library between two computers and using both of them at different times.

However, that situation is very different from the one that you are proposing because I never change the contents of the Live library while Live is running.

Here's what I see as a potential problem. Suppose you load an audio clip on one computer. Doing so creates a .asd file to contain warp data. On the other computer, Live doesn't know that the .asd file has been created. If you now load that same audio clip on the other computer, will it know to look for the .asd file? Or will it figure that the file wasn't there the last time it looked, and it didn't create it, so it's still not there.

In the latter case, which I could extend to other situations, I can easily imagine Live getting confused about its library status.

doublestop · Post by **doublestop** » Fri Jan 22, 2016 4:52 pm

big dred wrote:I have two computers running two separate instances of Ableton Live (right now I'm using 8 but I plan on getting 9). They are synced via LAN and I'm working on configuring them so that the audio on 1 computer is transmitted via LAN to the other computer so that both computers can run their own instance of Ableton but share an audio interface. My question is:

Can I install the library (and any additional VST plugins) on one hard drive, and have both copies of Ableton use that library at the same time? If this is possible then it would save me a large amount of hard-drive space. But I dont know if the library is specifically configured to work with only one instance of Ableton on one computer at a time.

If anyone knows please let me know.

Hey That brings up a similar question - not necessarily Ableton related. My question has more to do with a hardware issue. I have two computers also, one Mac Mini and a nice powerful (and very fast) 8 core PC. They both have Ableton installed but ( I intend to only run one version of Ableton at any one time thank you very much! - It's just that the Mac Mini is a lot easier to schlep around when I'm on the go!) However, I do intend to experiment in the future with having different sound generating or Processing, Maybe a DAW running on one and some like a Synh or something running on the other. (I'm sure there are probably studios out there with more than one computer running!)
Ok so here is the dilemma:

1) I have a simple VKB with USB 2.0 I use to switch between the Mac and my PC
2) I got my a nice big fully weighted 88 key Midi controller... . keyboard
3) maybe some other MIDI controllers including the Push 2. Perhaps a Novation or even something with simple twiddly knobs and sliders.

How can I make it so that which ever Computer I switch my VKB to, the Midi controllers still work on both PC's? Right now I have to unplug the USB controller cable from one computer and plug it into the other compuer.. and I have to close whatever I'm running on the other. computer. I tried plugging a powered USB hub into the KVM, But I don't think that is going to work, because I've noticed that a fair amount of MIDI driven applicatoins will not restore MIDI control once it is no longer present... You have to close the application down and then start it up again!

So perhaps there is some sort of interim MIDI interface solution to this?

re:dream · Post by **re:dream** » Fri Jan 22, 2016 6:30 pm

irrelevant reply redacted

miekwave · Post by **miekwave** » Sun Jan 24, 2016 11:12 am

big dred wrote:I have two computers running two separate instances of Ableton Live (right now I'm using 8 but I plan on getting 9). They are synced via LAN and I'm working on configuring them so that the audio on 1 computer is transmitted via LAN to the other computer so that both computers can run their own instance of Ableton but share an audio interface. My question is

"...both computers can ... share an audio interface."
What kind of sorcery is this?

sharing Ableton library on 2 computers?

sharing Ableton library on 2 computers?

Re: sharing Ableton library on 2 computers?

Re: sharing Ableton library on 2 computers?

Re: sharing Ableton library on 2 computers?

Re: sharing Ableton library on 2 computers?

Re: sharing Ableton library on 2 computers?

Re: sharing Ableton library on 2 computers?

Re: sharing Ableton library on 2 computers?

Re: sharing Ableton library on 2 computers?

Re: sharing Ableton library on 2 computers?