Is Live your only DAW?

Machinesworking · Post by **Machinesworking** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 9:54 am

jamester wrote:
donnydonny wrote:I rewire Live to Cubase for pretty much every track I do with vocals. It's sweet for vocal editing/arranging. The main things that prevent me from only using Live are:

1. properly functioning group tracks
2. a folder track-like function...that will allow me to minimize the view on X amount of assigned tracks tracks

And that's about it. I constantly tell myself that for pretty much these 2 reasons alone, it's ridiculous that I'm not making the complete switch. Those 2 things are really that important to me, though, in order to have a steady workflow.

Starting to get sidetracked... but yea... that's my long short answer.
WORD and WORD!!!

These two things piss me off to no end! I'm also nervous about the dreaded "GUI slowdown" issue, though I have yet to do anything that big in Live yet. But until some of these basics get taken care of, I will continue to use Sonar or Reaper alongside Ableton.

I would add to this the ability to assign a color to the track itself, in Session View all tracks look alike, and the only way to separate them is by assigning a single color to the clips in a track, and naming, but these are slightly different areas of the screen to look at, maybe not much of a big deal to some, but in every other DAW you assign a color to a track and the name of the track is that color Total intuitive thinking, and Live simply is counter intuitive in this regard, period.

frisbeedisk · Post by **frisbeedisk** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 12:48 pm

create in live and master in cubase!

homerjsim · Post by **homerjsim** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 4:20 pm

what this thread is really about is, limitations of the Arrange page - along those lines, how about...

************non-destructive crossfades***************

(I know it's been talked about before....)

it's a shame these few things I've mentioned are missing, because I'd really just like to live in Live (as it were...)

Tarekith · Post by **Tarekith** » Tue Dec 26, 2006 9:52 pm

Crossfades and colored tracks are on my wishlist too.

SubFunk · Post by **SubFunk** » Wed Dec 27, 2006 1:47 pm

i use live and logic plus peak for editing.

leedsquietman · Post by **leedsquietman** » Thu Dec 28, 2006 7:17 pm

no, cubase sx3 is my main daw. Live is an excellent creation tool and it's rendering is better than many critics give it credit for, but I prefer mixing and mastering in Cubase, so rewire is my God send. Also, I use Reason 2.5 mostly for it's sounds rewired to Live or Cubase.

Massi · Post by **Massi** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 6:02 pm

Yes of course it`s my only daw. I can make songs so fast with it and ive only used it for a few months.

But can i do random midi timing in Live? I know there`s random midi velocity, but i want timing.

That`s the only thing i miss about Cubase.

uncle louie · Post by **uncle louie** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 8:54 pm

Yes. I been using reason for a few years and have now converted to Live 6 as my main DAW. I now rewire Live and Reason. Simple the best as of late.

Machinesworking · Post by **Machinesworking** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 11:11 pm

Oh, and no, Live is not my only DAW. I am a certified DAW slut though!
Live 6, Logic 7, Digital Performer 5, Reason 2.5, and soon Numerology.

rbmonosylabik · Post by **rbmonosylabik** » Sun Dec 31, 2006 11:39 pm

Tarekith wrote:...the only thing Live needs to compete favorably with other DAWs in terms of efficiency, is customizeable key commands for all menu and editing functions. Pretty much all other DAWs have this. If Live adopted it as well, a lot fo our complaints on this front would disappear, as users would be allowed to set up lie the way THEY want, in terms of editing key strokes and speeding up often performed tasks,

You're on a Mac, you can do this

(System Preferences > Keyboard & Mouse > Keyboard Shortcuts)

Being able to move a shortcuts file from one machine to the other would be very handy though.

Currently I spend 90% of the time in Live and 10% in DP. Sometimes I use other apps (soundhack and such), but it's seldomly.

eyeknow · Post by **eyeknow** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 8:56 am

I have to use logic too, and sometimes PT mpowered.....but that's only when I'm really pushed by someone who wants a DD! (ick)

I'd like to add that I use daws mostly to farm out guitar and bass parts. It's gotten to the point where it's so much more intuitive, plus for me.....I really don't get allot of crashes in live (any version really)

Live is simply the most useful daw around, what you can do with it for quick stuff, working out arrangments and such is untouchable!

I really don't use the aranger much, It's more of a scratchpad with session for me and I'll move it to logicpro for arranging. Especially for picky midi stuff, logic is the king for deep midi editing. Oh, there is nothing really wrong with live's....logic's just seems to be able to do more.

Every update is another step to ditching anything else.....there are some things that are not achievable in live yet, lop-sided toward guitar, bass, mic recording, etc.

Machinesworking · Post by **Machinesworking** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 11:00 am

eyeknow wrote:I really don't use the aranger much, It's more of a scratchpad with session for me and I'll move it to logicpro for arranging. Especially for picky midi stuff, logic is the king for deep midi editing. Oh, there is nothing really wrong with live's....logic's just seems to be able to do more.

Every update is another step to ditching anything else.....there are some things that are not achievable in live yet,

But really, if you have to got to another app for deep midi etc. then Live is not really that functional MIDI wise is it? I'm in your boat, and honestly I would like to just stick in Live, but for what I do, other applications are used as well.

jamester · Post by **jamester** » Mon Jan 01, 2007 7:56 pm

headquest wrote:
2. SONAR 5 Producer - which I have had for around a year or so, and have now given up on. Basically I spent long hours learning how to use the thing, but never really *clicked* with it. So I have now retired it, pending de-installation. But a couple of its plugins are useful in other programmes, so it wasn't an entirely wasted investment!

Interesting...I guess I feel the opposite. for me, Sonar is way better for recording/mixing/arranging audio. But I can't imagine what plugins are so good you use them in other programs? Sonitus FX are the best of the bunch, and they're Sonar specific. I guess Pentagon is ok, though I never use it. I'm curious what you use in other programs...

mission · Post by **mission** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 3:34 am

Machinesworking wrote:
eyeknow wrote:I really don't use the aranger much, It's more of a scratchpad with session for me and I'll move it to logicpro for arranging. Especially for picky midi stuff, logic is the king for deep midi editing. Oh, there is nothing really wrong with live's....logic's just seems to be able to do more.

Every update is another step to ditching anything else.....there are some things that are not achievable in live yet,
But really, if you have to got to another app for deep midi etc. then Live is not really that functional MIDI wise is it? I'm in your boat, and honestly I would like to just stick in Live, but for what I do, other applications are used as well.

i work 98% in midi originally and was a logic user.

5.0 kept me back, some changes in 6.0 and me learning more about the arrange window has me flying around in live now. id say the midi is pretty good.

the only thing that really pisses me off is how some of the midi recording will all be staggered over a 16th or something even tho its not REALLY... it's just the midi is displayed and it's a pain in the ass when your first kick LOOKS like it's hitting on the 2/16 when it's really the 1/16. doing drum edits from that point when you're used to a certain system, and having to compensate, needs to be fixed/switchable/whatever. i dont see the benefit of it for anyone...

has there been a Live Wishlist thread? if not, we should make one and keep it organized (moderated a bit) for the live developers to reference and prioritize.

headquest · Post by **headquest** » Tue Jan 02, 2007 8:17 am

jamester wrote: But I can't imagine what plugins are so good you use them in other programs? Sonitus FX are the best of the bunch, and they're Sonar specific. I guess Pentagon is ok, though I never use it. I'm curious what you use in other programs...

Mainly Perfect Space (fantastic reverb) and yes, Pentagon I - both those shipped as VST versions with Sonar 5PE, so by moving them to your VST folder they are available in Live, etc.

The Sonitus effects I use lots, too. Originally I used the freeware VBAudio ffx4 wrapper for them in Live - more recently though Cakewalk ran a group buy for the VST versions which I joined and picked up the VST versions for just £49 which is a steal - using the VSTs directly in Live means I can now automate them, etc - much better.