Features you would like to see in Ableton 9?

[djphenaproxima]

Two things spring to mind:

-Better reverb. I think they should license whatever is used in FL Studio.

-A generic LFO device that can be dropped onto a track and modulate any parameter on any other device in that track.

[ethios4]

Freeze Group tracks!!

[xzusa8ky]

No bugs feature......

[Willyum]

Timestretching in Simpler or Sampler

Please, please, please.

That's all I've been really wanting for a few versions now! What's the hold-up?

[Angstrom]

Dear Mr. Angstrom,
Let me apologise for my flippant post.
I come from the old tape based analogue studio days. (Yes, I'm an old c"*t).
I remember when MIDI reared its ugly head and Atari 1040's and S700's were state of the art.
I took a few years out and when I came back I was like "WTF"!
Now I consider myself up to speed but generally have no need (or desire) to delve into modular synthesis
or complicated methods of sound design. I do use the tools that the great God Ableton has provided but there is more
than I will ever need.
My problem is that I can spend hours tweaking Operator / Analog and lose my creative flow.
What I would like to suggest is a MIDI /USB brain to CPU processor for direct translation of ideas to music.
That's my positive input for today.
Cheers,
Z.

I too come from the olden days, when we had to weave the electrons directly onto rusty iron and I know what we have now is a thousand times better than that. As do most of the people here I think, most of them are quite ancient too.

In that vein, you'll find that a lot of the suggestions here are not pie-in-the sky stuff but are quite practical suggestions relating to the easier use of existing features.
EG: the oft requested 'recording automation in session' means that while recording a guitar part you might play a 'wah' pedal controlling an effect in the app. Currently that wah control is not recorded. That can be quite a limitation.

Alternatively the suggestions for 'tabbed sets' or new methods of handling presets, or arranging. These derive directly from common user experiences. I'm sure you've seen mention of peoples' "mega-set". When most people play live they include every sample, preset, effect and instrument they might ever use into one set. This is resource heavy, as all the presets remain active, and the sample load can be quite monstrous. It also removes spontaneity as it 'linearises' what is possible to perform into a relatively standardised set-list.

Although some requests here are esoteric, the majority that seem the most nerdy are often the most generally useful.
Although many people could get by without a new reverb I bet there would be a monstrous cheer around the globe if the 'live' features relating to presets, sets, and device interaction were enhanced in the next cycle.

[Rinsemeister]

Hi Angstrom,

Please don't get the idea that I'm a luddite.

I use Live for creating music but NOT for performing. I find it a great DAW as it fulfills all my needs.
There are times when I scratch my (still full of hair) head, because I'm trying to equate audio routing
and midi routing and whether or not to commit midi to audio (which I generally favour).

I'm not trying to hi-jack the thread or enter into a personal discussion but my experience with Live has been
a rich and rewarding one.

Sometimes when I'm trawling through the forum I must admit that some of the tech goes over my head, but I learn something
new every day, and wherever possible or necessary, put this newly acquired knowledge to good use.

What would really "do it" for me would be dual monitor support. This would help my workflow immensely.

Tweaking VST's, Operator etc. on one screen and mixing as you go on the other...........

A quality reverb would be good but there are some good freeware tools out there.

Cheers.

Z.

[ctx]

2. Betting track comping ability ala Logic 8

This, I don't care if it's ala Logic or whatever else, it's a common task, very useful, and Live is not very good at it.

[Spikee]

64 bit native support.

Better core optimization.

Frankly, I wouldn't care at all if no new features were otherwise put in, it's truly insane that Live doesn't already have this.

[forge]

BACK.TO.ARRANGE.BUTTONS.PER.TRACK.

[Tohtruck]

Dual Monitor Support

Timestretching in Simpler and Sampler

Ability to apply Groove Engine to select midi notes

Dedicated (midi assignable) note repeat/roll button in drum racks, as well as other drum hit type articulation buttons (i.e. flam)

[bosonHavoc]

64 bit native support.

Better core optimization.

Frankly, I wouldn't care at all if no new features were otherwise put in, it's truly insane that Live doesn't already have this.

true that jack

[Goran@Irrupt]

SELECTION TOOL!
+1 on tabs for multiple projects.
+1 on analog delay
...

[porfiry]

Going back a couple pages,

My problem is that I can spend hours tweaking Operator / Analog and lose my creative flow.

I have a suggestion that is presently helping my rate of accomplishment a great deal. I have finally decided to act on a notion that hit me shortly after I got Live 7 last year: Live is more a set of building blocks than a series of individual instruments and effects to be pulled in channels the way you'd use a typical DAW. It's natural for people to start threads like this wanting more of the building blocks, but there are already too many of them in a way...you end up getting mired down in something really complex like building an operator patch from the ground up, and you don't get a song written.

So my response to this idea is, I will take these building blocks and build myself a set of flexible-yet-limiting tools, and then I will set out to record an entire album using nothing but those tools. Within reason of course...there will be places that call for a certain effect or something, and I will pull it in.

The first tool of this sort that I've started building is a 16-voice synth drumkit, finished 10 voices so far. I'm going through the individual operators and doing some major fiddling with them, finding the eight parameters that do the most interesting things to the sound and mapping them to macros. So for instance I have a kick drum voice that can go from a huge, long decay hip-hop sound all the way down to a tight, thin, knocky minimal type, and it's very easy to get from one to the other, and anything in between, dicking with nothing but those eight macro knobs.

Part of this is helping me get over my lust for an Elektron Machinedrum, too. Why spend $1500 on a lust object when I already have similar synth power at my disposal? Hell, I can even ape the 12-bit sound of those things. When I make my first million on my all-Operator album, I'll buy a MD and MM.

At any rate, my point is that I'm sacrificing finishing songs right now to get all the major fiddling out of the way, knowing that when I have the instruments built, I will be able to create efficiently. I love the way this kit is sounding, and it's inspiring...I threw down some really excellent beatery with it last night, even in its unfinished state.

At the risk of dragging on way too long here, and completely off topic even...another aspect of this "limit yourself" mentality has been to move my big dumb midi controller off the desk and replace it with a padKONTROL, nanoKONTROL and nanoKEY...this minimal/limiting/highly usable setup has been an inspiration in itself. padKONTROL + homemade synthdrum rack = nuanced, hi-po beat throwdowns.

And now that I've written War and Peace, I will throw in my feature request: a totally overhauled Analog that's easy to use. I suppose some people think it already is - I do not.

[Spindrift]

The one thing I'm really missing is the possibility to have follow actions that is based on position in the clip rather when the clip was triggered.
Then I could split up a track in sections and still use looping.

[ze2be]

an internal LFO that can be assigned to anything

..with similar layout design as clip envelopes in live, but here it can be used as an lfo + envelope with some new envelope futures. And ability to macro map it to anything in Live. That would almost be the final puzzle into making this app modular.

speaking of Macros, would be nice with an upgrade with what they can do at some point!


..Im amazed you guys can dream of 9 right now, there's so many things I haven't tried in 8 suite and that im looking forward to learn!