ABLETON SHOULD MAKE A STRICLY DJ MODE

[rsaulo]

Implementing features is easy. Avoiding to add too much is complicated. Every single thing we implement has to stay in this software for ever. I spend a lot of time watching other users. Every single button on the interface is a potential problem and confuses users. The software is supposed to be simple and powerful at the same time and this is extremely hard to achieve. Not just for Ableton, it's a big problem for every software product.

Yes, it´s a big problem for every software product, and what make people change from on software to another, or combine 2 or more softwares. Basically you begin with an simple product and after you learn and go deep will probably want to do things that you cannot do with the simple software, changing to another more "complicated" and customizable.
I think Live has today an very consistent interface and you can tell that Live is simple and powerfull, ableton need to add features that make sense and cover more users with less complication and minor risks to stability of the product, it´s the big challenge, I agree on that.

Power users on production side will use Live together with Logic or Cubase or wherever for arrange, mixing and mastering, Power users on DJing will use Live together Traktor or Serato for DJing and so on...

And you have M4L too, that you can use if you are an programmer and like to go deep on building devices or to use devices developed by others that Live don´t provide to you.

That´s I think the OP is talking about, maybe we will go to an time when Live goes so deep that just makes sense to split the product in 2 or 3 products, everyone full featured for your purpose.

Today I do all my work with only Live, I use session for DJIng, arrangement for mixdown and mastering, and have a lot of M4L devices that I like, and all it´s OK, but I´m a hobbist, maybe if I begin to be a professional I need more tools, who knows ?

[3phase]

meta remote buttons that act relative to a selction make things easier...easier to setup..and easier to operate..and its not a 100 new feature thing because theese meta assignment only get visible when the remote assign modes are on..

The GUI for normal operation would stay the same..also having a page for mety device buttons like the apc 40 offers wouldnt make the program to complikated..

and navigation.. when you swith from arrange to session mode there is no real connection.. that would show you in session the clip that is just playing in arrange..such a navigation could be designed in a way that it also does the selction job for dj´s.. it´s a quite natural demand to jump to the active playing clip..

of cause thats need some additional thoughts and i am really no friend of unoperateable feature monsters...

but control and navigation are really core functionality on stage. and also in the studio time safers.

THats defently an area where life should improove..or have been improoved allready because the basic concept and technology is all there ..just comfort and flexible acces is missing..

also with remote script you need 2 moves to acces a device on stage..thats a secon thought operation which is not musical.. best instrument design achives no or just one thought operation for all main modes of operation.

There are many areas in live where the handling is not optimized for that.. the navigation of the dedicated controers for example... Its pretty clear to see that ableton expects to have the users to have 2 free hands on stage.. While this might apply to many loop thrower or fake or dj´set´s it dont applys for example for keyboard players or other instrumentalists that just operate live additional to an instrumental performance..

For theese people any operation that needs a second thought or move or hand is painfull or even performance damaging.

In many areas live follows a logical symetrical design strategy.. which is better than a chaotic one.. but dont takes any care about optimized handling concepts..

the navigation on the dedicated controlers for exampl has as primary one move/thought functionality a sift of 1 track to the left or right.. and as a secondary.. two thought/move operation the jump in 8 blocks..
perfectly logical ...

but on stage highly unpractical because when you start to move in single tracks you loose overview imeadeatly.. actually a function that should be locked.. by the secondary operation mode..

while the jump as a track page is the one you need on stage to have a quick overview.. in ideal evry page would get an optical indication.. so you really dont have to spend a second thought which page is there..

but in any case..the jump of page should be the single button press operation..


that all just as example for the kind of optimisations live should see in my opinion.. not just adding additionsl functions..adding them with the goal to streamline and ease operation..

The only problem with that is that you have to give the original mode ofoperation aswell to ensure compatibility..thats again the problem with implementations you dont do right in the first place.

[qbas]

Better to have great product but no support because company is gone, or product intentionally limited but with fast support, great forum and new updates?
I hope there is a third option.

Thanks 3phase for showing current problem with using Live from keyboard player perspective. It was really constructive criticism I think.