Live 7 as main DAW?

jasinski · Post by **jasinski** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 7:54 pm

Hi Soarer,
Just to let you know- Cubase was my main DAW from Cubase VST all way to Cubase Studio 4- I also owned Live from version 1.5 and on but never really 'got into it' because it wasn't 'there' yet. I bought the CS4 and Live 6 at the same time and made the decision to port over to Live. I now never use Cubase. I plan on getting Live 7, but I found Live 6 with it's racks and other features did the job. Of course there are things it was missing- but it has so many more time saving features that it is much easier to use than the (imo) bloated Cubase 4.

Reading some of other posts on this thread- there are some valuable count arguments. I don't think that Live would be a catch all solution for everyone. I do a lot of remixing and electronic oriented music- I don't think it would be my choice if I was scoring a movie or video- and maybe not even for serious sound design.

Soarer wrote:Live's audio engine and effects has been improved so that raises this classic question again.

Live is my main DAW and I love composing music in Live's session view but I don't exactly love using the arrangement view as main sequencer but I could get use to it I think.

I have been thinking about either upgrading Cubase SX 2 to CB 4 (which is more than 2 times the cost of Live upgrade) or selling it (which could pay for an upgrade ).
Will I be fine with using only Live (+an audio editor)?

Or will I need CB 4 at a later time when I want to make an album for instance?

Soarer · Post by **Soarer** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 8:13 pm

Thanks a lot for your opinions.
I guess I really have to try out Live's arrangement view some more to find out if I can get use to it.
I have never completely finished a track using Live because I've been reluctant to use the arrangement view but I know I can't really blame Live for that.

The arranging and mixing is easier in other DAWs but if I start composing a track in Live an use Live's effects which I really like using, It may be easier to just stay in Live rather than having to export and Import everything to another DAW.

So I guess it's very possible to use only Live. I would just like to hear other's experience first. And then I may as well sell my CB license and get some money for it.
It's just that if I sell my CB license it will be too expensive to buy a new version of CB if I need it at some time. I'll see about that.

Anyone else here who use only Live? Anyone released anything?

nate_D · Post by **nate_D** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 8:42 pm

krank wrote:
nate_D wrote:triple post
Quadruple post?

shit happens

nate_D · Post by **nate_D** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 8:48 pm

leedsquietman wrote:The biggest misses in Live compared to Cubase...

good points. i used to love using dual monitors. anybody know why live doesn't support it? is there a reason why they haven't implemented it? i mean as easy as it is to hit tab and jump from session to arrangement i can't think of why it would be a problem.

glu · Post by **glu** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 9:34 pm

Live's 'DAWness' gets sexier with each update.

leedsquietman · Post by **leedsquietman** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 10:52 pm

Don't get me wrong - I listed 10 things in Cubase I prefer but I could probably list 3 or 4 times the amount of things I prefer in Live, and I was struggling to get those 10 items down the other way - each have their pros and cons, which is why owning both is so good, and Live rewires nicely into Cubase if you want to sync the two. Like I said before, I could now exist without Cubase, but I couldn't exist (musically at least) without Live, it's streamlined and intuitive interface is just so addictive and easy to get projects up and running, the fx and realtime elements inspire. Can't wait to upgrade to L7, running the beta was sooooo cool, I just love the new features and enhancements and most of the new instruments too.

Used cubase since vst 3.5 up to SX3 and have not yet decided whether or not to update to Cubase 4, the new 4.1 upgrade addresses a lot (finally sidechaining, 64 bit mixing like the new L7, flexible routing). However, the stability of this update is still not great, many people have had to reinstall windows to get it to work properly - yikes

On the other hand, upgrading to Live 7 is most certainly in my immediate plans as having beta tested it and found myself loving the new features and the general stability was good, had a couple of minor bugs but they got fixed in later betas.

Briangoodman · Post by **Briangoodman** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 11:10 pm

Hi guys I see your talking about the arranging view. I have a query regarding midi overdubbing that maybe someone could help out with. I wrote a query on the general page - How do I record in cycle mode

It would be great if someone could help me. I will stay here for a while to see if someone answers.

MarkH · Post by **MarkH** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 11:33 pm

nate_D wrote: i used to love using dual monitors. anybody know why live doesn't support it? is there a reason why they haven't implemented it? i mean as easy as it is to hit tab and jump from session to arrangement i can't think of why it would be a problem.

During the Live 4/Live 5 era this question was asked a lot. The best reason we could come up with is - the majority of Live's userbase is using Laptops (mostly for live performance) and therefore dual monitor display is not necessary..

Times have changed for sure..now that Live is being pushed so hard for DAW. The "live" aspect of Live isn't the main focus anymore.

Timur · Post by **Timur** » Sun Dec 02, 2007 11:43 pm

You can crossgrade (Competitive Upgrade) with Live to Cubase which makes Cubase alot cheaper (about 340 Euros less). This way you can use all the benefits of Live for Sessions/Liveplay whatever and use Cubase for arrangement, in-depth Midi editing and whatever else you need it for. I think that's the way to go if Arrangement View in Live offers to little for your needs. Live makes exporting audio-tracks (upto 32-bit) very easy as well.

Soarer · Post by **Soarer** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 8:58 am

audiomidi quote:
Competitive Crossgrades are available to US residents only.

Timur · Post by **Timur** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 9:59 am

I can buy them in Germany, too.

pat the dog · Post by **pat the dog** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 12:37 pm

dfusion wrote:I agree, the Arrangement view in Live lacks things like multiple track takes (great for vocals), folders, etc.. As much as Ableton is pushing Live as a main DAW app, I'm surprised they haven't added these basic things by now.

indeed, i was really hoping to see some improvements to arrange window in live 7. it's not impossible to complete an arrangement as it is, but sometimes it's a right headache compared to arranging in other sequencers which have had these tools for many years now.

top of my list for live 8 would be alias clips, folder tracks, and improved automation handling.

Cryptic UK · Post by **Cryptic UK** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 12:41 pm

pat the dog wrote:
dfusion wrote:I agree, the Arrangement view in Live lacks things like multiple track takes (great for vocals), folders, etc.. As much as Ableton is pushing Live as a main DAW app, I'm surprised they haven't added these basic things by now.
indeed, i was really hoping to see some improvements to arrange window in live 7. it's not impossible to complete an arrangement as it is, but sometimes it's a right headache compared to arranging in other sequencers which have had these tools for many years now.

top of my list for live 8 would be alias clips, folder tracks, and improved automation handling.

Fact is, is that nothing has really changed since about live 4 its still exactly the same apart from a few things here and there.

I'm talking about the arrangement page by the way for people who don't read properly.

pat the dog · Post by **pat the dog** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 1:03 pm

Cryptic UK wrote: Fact is, is that nothing has really changed since about live 4 its still exactly the same apart from a few things here and there.

I'm talking about the arrangement page by the way for people who don't read properly.

well, with the exception of multiple automation lanes, i suppose you're right. i'd actually really like to hear from an ableton member what their view is on this? is there any commitment to making some improvements to the arrange window anytime soon?

i feel live is great for sound design and getting ideas together, but still lets itself down when i want to develop those ideas into a full arrangement. don't get me wrong, i have completed a few tracks using only live, but each time it's a bit of a headache compared to the workflow in other sequencers.

Cryptic UK · Post by **Cryptic UK** » Mon Dec 03, 2007 1:06 pm

pat the dog wrote:i feel live is great for sound design and getting ideas together, but still lets itself down when i want to develop those ideas into a full arrangement. don't get me wrong, i have completed a few tracks using only live, but each time it's a bit of a headache compared to the workflow in other sequencers.

Spot on.

Live 7 as main DAW?

Re: Live 7 as main DAW?

Re: Live 7 as main DAW?