Downloaded Live 5 Demo

Ernest Buckley · Post by **Ernest Buckley** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 3:42 pm

I`m very new to Live 5, I just downloaded the demo. Its been interesting. I like the plugs but getting used to working with clips is different. I`m also having difficulty getting around the two window idea. I know when I switched DAWS last time it was not fun either. Right now I`m in DP and know the program well enough to do just about anything but getting used to Live is really giving me a headache because I have to think totally differently. In other words, I do not find the program intuitive.

Question: Did you experience the same thing when you were first introduced to Live?

I really would like to purchase the program and learn how to use because it seems like an interesting songwriting tool but I don`t want to spend the cash on something that does exactly what DP can with the exception of the sound warping feature which is cool. I also do not feel the 2 window limitations is very efficient.

Also, how does the Mackie Control Universal work with Live?

Thanks,
Ernest

network.funky · Post by **network.funky** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 4:04 pm

I used Cubase for years and the first time I saw Live i didn't really get it. I couldn't see what use it would be to me.

Last year I decided to upgrade from Cubase VST but as I'd have to pay full price for SX or SL thought it best to see what else was out there for my money.

I downloaded a few DAWs and played around but nothing seemed to really grab me.

The evening I started playing with the Live demo was the best fun I'd had in ages. I didn't waste time fault finding as I had done in Cubase , I got so much done and I lost an entire weekend to just fiddling around with loops and breathing new life into old projects that were going nowhere.

Give Live a few days of demoing and once the workflow clicks you'll love it.

wilxon · Post by **wilxon** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 4:09 pm

i second that.

rachmanoff · Post by **rachmanoff** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 4:15 pm

i would strongly suggest spending more time with live. to me, live facilitates a more organinc atmosphere for developing new musical ideas, ones that would otherwise go undeveloped (i.e. in digital performer).

dp doesn't do everything live does (not by a long shot), and vice versa. if you're coming from a background of using a traditional timeline sequencer, my guess is that you will end up using live mostly as a tool to develop *small* musical ideas wich you will then add to your work in dp. but that's not to say that live will make a small contribution to your music.

perhaps you're recording all your live clips as complete takes of a song. if this is the case, i say cut em up.. make things smaller. divide your parts into their fundamental building blocks (often 2, 4, or 8 measure phrases). make lots and lots of little things, and try them out in different combinations. play with clip envelopes. use the plugins. record any zany combination of things into the arrange window, or resample the result into a new audio track. to me, this is where live's beauty shines.

keep reading the manual, dig in, and give live some more time. i think you'll find that while it does have its limitations, live is far and away the most efficient music tool around. almost everyone i've talked to that uses live has had an "aha!" moment with live, where things started to click and the obsession began

djk · Post by **djk** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 4:18 pm

Also a former Cubase VST user. I didn't get it at first either. It took me a while, but one day it "clicked." I haven't looked back since. I actually now have a copy of SL3 that I never touch.

The trick for me was working through a few songs from start to finish. Once I adjusted to the Live workflow, anytime I went back to Cubase I felt like my hands were tied. Launching multiple windows seemed so senseless (though, sometimes I do miss a separate midi editing window, but not that much...).

tomperson · Post by **tomperson** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 4:33 pm

I had the same issue, coming from Cubase and FL. My approach was to read "Live! Power" book and to eat the whole manual. After that, start "playing" with the program. I can bet you'll fall in love with it.

As for the two views, when you come from a standard linear sequencer, it's kinda difficult to get used to it, but once you grab the power of the session view to organically develop ideas...then you will be totally hooked to it.

Best of lucks!!!

Ernest Buckley · Post by **Ernest Buckley** » Fri Feb 24, 2006 4:37 pm

Well I`m glad to hear that many of you had the same feeling I am experiencing now. I know that this many people who love Live cannot be wrong so I know its a matter of time before things click for me as well. At this point, I envision Live more as a production tool. Something I can throw sound into and warp into something new which is cool. I think the DP/ REASON / LIVE combo will be all I need.

Now, if anyone can answer the 2 nd question: How does the Mackie Control Universal work with Live?

Thanks.