Ableton Forum

I dunno - he sounds like a genuine beginner to me.

Mixer - Will let you route and effect all kinds of AUDIO in and out of Ableton.

MIDI controller - Will let you effect many kinds of SOFTWARE/DATA parameters.

Do you understand this difference, friend?

so...without any midi control i can't control ableton?

Tommysham wrote:so...without any midi control i can't control ableton?

Correct. With an external mixer, you can control the audio signals. But not the actual software.

but if I get a soud card with a midi outputs it could work or not?

No one is this stupid. I hope.

Maybe Smutek was right.

Guys!!don't be so shocked....i'm a super newbie here...i don't understand anything of this shit...(electronic and connection exc...)

This can be a little confusing:

DJ mixer: You set live to play to 2 seperate outputs. Treat Live like 2 turntables. you can't control turntables with the mixer just the sound that is coming out of them. anything that you do with Live you have to do with the mouse. you are ignoring the mixing, crossfading, equing ablitiles that are part of Ableton Live. http://www.numark.com/dxmpro There are no MIDI or USB connections

MIDI Controller: you are controlling all aspects of the performance inside Live. assign knobs and faders on the controller to do specific tasks like those on a DJ mixer but also many more possibilities. (and more customizable) http://www.behringer.com/BCF2000/index.cfm?lang=eng
There are no Audio connections


There are also some mixers that have some MIDI controlling abilities these are usually very expensive. $800+ (USD) http://www.allen-heath.com/US/DisplayPr ... p?pview=68 There are both audio and MIDI/USB connections.

Look, if you are pulling our chank good for u have your laughs..
I'll proceed out of vague karma ideas:

LOOK, even if your soundcard has midi i/o (that's input output capabilities) you'd still use those midi ports to send midi information. Midi information IS NOT audio. Your mixer, unless of a special breed, will only understand MIDI.

If you are happy mixing all your audio inside the computer, then you don't need a mixer *an Audio Mixer*, and just mix and play your music straight from inside your OS and out to whatever speakers you like. Down this path, you'd maybe still want to take control *physical control* of some of the knobs and faders inside ableton: this is when you'd want to configure your midi controller, to take control and effect all parameters you want, inside ableton. What you would be doing is manipulating data/information NOT AUDIO, the same was as dragging and clicking with a mouse. Even with a midi controller, your mixing, would still be done inside the computer.

If you are not happy mixing audio signals virtually, *inside the OS* or *ITB(<---- inside the box)* then you maybe want to place your hands in faders and knobs that effect the actual audio signal coming in and out of your soundcard. To do that, and only that, you buy yourself a mixer *an Audio mixer*. This will let you route and effect Audio, not information, so you can Mixdown many wave sounds, to just one or two (for mono and stereo) final products.

I strongly suggest heading to tweakheadz.com and reading everything there.

I am spent; definitely cannot put it in easier form. If you have more questions I suggest you keep them, as you'll definitely be able to answer them yourself - if you do your reading.

-h

but he doesn't want to control midi, he wants to control EQ in Live!

Sorry to go OT, but I got this CD burning software called Toast, but I can't get it to respond to my toaster at all. Do I need a Toaster oven? Or a microwave? I put bread in the toaster, and hit toast, but my Toast software does nothing... it doesnt toast or burn anything.

OK, seriously.
Audio cables transmit sound. and nothing else. If you hook up a mixer to your computer via audio cables, all you can hope for is sound going one direction or the other.

MIDI cables carry notes... instructions for music.... but no sound.

USB cables might carry both.

A good number of DJ mixers have EQ on their channels so you can EQ using the DJ mixer.

Well now you guys have me confused, too, and I know the subject fairly well.

But Tommy...I still don't believe you.

So, either your parents are Mr and Mrs Sham, and your birth certificate says "Thomas A. Sham", and "09 August 1992"... or you can appreciate your handle may lead people to believe you are taking the piss? for me, the fact that several people have called bullshit on you and you're not angry suggests that, yeah, it's flamebait.

Happy 15th birthday, btw.