New to Ableton

[roobear]

I've just got Ableton 6 lite with a controller and thought I'd have a bash. However, I can't get anything to work. The instructions with it seem only useful if actually know what you're doing (which I don't). I currently use Cubase SX2 and prior to that Cakewalk. Ableton just looks very confusing and very difficult to use.

Basically - I can't get any midi sounds out or in and audio that I managed to record I can't hear. I appreciate for all you guys you must think I'm really stupid but I'm at the point where I am going to burn this software if nothing happens!!!

[Machinate]

hi,

it sounds to me like you're having trouble with the monitoring settings. First of all you will want to click the little I/O button on the right side of the session view screen to show the inputs and outputs. Secondly, set your monitor setting to "Auto" -that will get you through most situations. Also, if you don't know what you're doing, reading the manual is always a good start... Really, it's quite good, and (Shocker!) explains all of these things, so we don't have to.

good luck!

Andreas.

[roobear]

Thanks. I did read the manual but it just seems to talk as though you know what you're doing already.

I've done what you said but it hasn't made any difference whatsoever.

In the audio section the setting are as follows:

Mixer

Speaker On

The to the rights it reads

1 S Black Dot (Record)

0 C

inf

And then the latency (I amagine is set to 0.00ms

I've not changed anything on this.

Any ideas. If I get it up and running what would be the use of rewiring to Cubase and how do you use virtual instruments with it? I would like to use Absynth.

[leedsquietman]

Oh come on Roobear - I use Cubase SX3 and that is about as difficult a program to get to grips with as they come. Live is WAY simpler to get ideas and clips going in session view. Read the manual or watch some of the videos at www.ableton.com or follow some of the inbuilt tutorials. Live's learning curve is a lot less steep than Cubase, so if you can work Cubase, you can definately work Live - just be patient and read your manuals or tutorials !

Rewiring Live to Cubase actually works brilliantly, it allows you a whole myriad of possibilities, I just remixed an old funk track in Cubase by rewiring a whole bunch of messed up beats and sounds from Live, the end result was twisted and evil, so it was awesome !

[roobear]

Yeah, I've been trying EVERYTHING and still can't get no bloody sound. If it's that difficult to get some sound out of the thing then in my mind it's not worth bothering with - absolutely ridiculous. Is there a electronic shrine within the program where you have to pray to it to allow you to listen to your audio?

Cubase at least once you've set the tracks (which you can do really easily with the default templates) allows you to listen to what you've just played into it. You can then mess around if you want but with this thing I've tried everything I know and still can't get it to work.

Is it Ableton Live because it has that in built human trait to annoy everyone it meets, or is it just me?

[breedsound]

its you. trust.


you must be overlooking something very simple.

double check your midi device settings. make sure your controllerz drivers are selected / enabled.

double check your audio settings. make sure your CORRECT audio device / drivers are selected in lives settings.

to record anything (midi and audio) in live make sure your track is "armed"...(the button at the bottom-most point of a track).

you can do this, man.

i made the transition from fl 6 to live in 3 weeks. i haven't loaded another DAW since i started using live. its the best, IMO.

good luck.

_breed

[roobear]

I've managed to record it I just hear it on playback. I've checked absolutely everything and the whole thing to me is just rubbish.

I tell you what I'm getting more and more annoyed and should just uninstall it and turn the the bloody thing off and go and live in a log cabin but I can't and then I just get more annoyed!

As this is only lite - thank God I didn't buy it, it will only let me route an output through channels 1/2 which is the normal speaker channel - this is selected. My favoured output is through the Creative labs ASIO driver - selected. But it just won't let me do it. There will be some letters going to people and some (more) swearing being done. How on earth can you express yourself creatively when you have to be some computer genius to get stuff working - %**!^!% thing it is!!!

[roobear]

I've finally managed to get the audio to work - but no midi as yet. I'm happier but it seems just a bit like using ACIDpro. If it can it to work better I might use it instead of ACID but I'm still not impressed as yet. Watch this spot - so what's this about Rewiring and how do I use Absynth?

[leedsquietman]

hmmm - if you think Live is like Acid and are having so many difficulties with it and are unsure of what rewire is ... I think you're right in saying you should move on and use other tools... I think Fruityloops is beckoning..... Your audio problems should be fixable either in the Preferences tab or manipulating your audio cards settings in Control Panel (did you make sure you downloaded the latest drivers for your card btw). You could also try downloading asio4all, this has helped some people with creative cards achieve better results latency wise (creative is not a great choice in most cases for pro audio imho).

Also which version of Live lite are you using. You can upgrade from version 4 (included in many soundcard bundles) to a newer (and more feature rich) version !

[leedsquietman]

ditto 'preferences' tab for setting up MIDI.

Read the manual or do tutorials, setting up audio and MIDI on Live was no more difficult than doing it in CUbase for me and operating the program was much easier !

Rewire - you can read about it in the Cubase manual or Live manual, basically you open Cubase, then Live and open rewire channels in Cubase and volia, audio from Live is piped back into Cubase in sync via a rewire audio channel. You can also use Cubase's midi to control a MIDI device in Live via rewire. People often use Reason as a rewire slave in a DAW and Live can be used like this too...then you solo the track in Cubase and export audio mixdown file/s so you can import the bounced audio back in to your project.

[roobear]

Ah, I see. I've not got the most up to date driver so I'll do that now. I can always System Restore if it messes things up!

I only said it was like ACID because of the way it chops loops into the correct bar size rather than in Cubase where you have to time stretch it.

Don't hold it against me because I didn't like Ableton. I've got lite 6 by the way. I think it would be really useful for me in creating drum kits because of the way it works and then mixing it down and rewiring it to Cubase. I'll have a play around.

Sadly I'm just a guitarist who is getting deeper into the old computer music thing, even though I've had a system for a few years now I've only stayed within the boundaries of what was "safe" so now I'm exploring a bit I'm finding some problems and in desperate need of some knowledge (obviously)

[difference]

My favoured output is through the Creative labs ASIO driver

*snigger*

[roobear]

Yeah, well it's worked okay for me. In actual fact I used to use the Full Duplex one. Nobody told me and it worked fine for what I do (did). I record most of my stuff live using real guitar processors and get some great effects by way of a Fernandes Monterey Pro with infinate sustainer unit. It's all well and good sniggering but it's probably why a lot of home taught people don't ask questions in music shops - there's no need!!

[roobear]

Thanks to the other people by the way

[mike holiday]

Secondly, set your monitor setting to "Auto"

Speaker On

when monitor is "on" recorded audi will not play thru. only real time audio playing tru the track

this is why you can record and not hear