Arragement/Session confusion

ukemike · Post by **ukemike** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 5:28 am

Hi everyone.
I've got ableton live a little while ago. I've read the manual. Everything makes sense except one thing. I dont understand the different between the arrangement and the session views. Its not even that I dont understand the difference, its that i dont understand why would someone use session view for lets say a couple of minutes then switch to arragement.
First of all i learn how to deal with it. I only used Arragement view to play clips. I used the Session view to plug in some effects, etc.
Then i wanted to record while i was mixing a couple of things. This is where the confusion set in. I guess when you automate, for example, the track's volume in arragement, it freezes that track from being modified. Until you hit the 'back to arragement'. When you do that your volume jumps to what it is set in the session view.
Could someone please help me understand this little problem. I could see someone either use Session or Arragement for the whole mix, right? or do people which up?
Thanks a lot guys
Mike

Cryocon · Post by **Cryocon** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 9:41 am

I use the session view to add/edit all my clips and then do a live jam and record the output to the arrangement view for final tweaking. I find this a very quick way of creating arrangements and it's much better than moving 'blocks' around.

ukemike · Post by **ukemike** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 2:12 pm

Ok, but lets say i am going to do live pa.
Which one should i use?

ukemike · Post by **ukemike** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 2:31 pm

Cryocon, you play live pa/DJ ??

spiderprod · Post by **spiderprod** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 2:37 pm

use the arrangement view to edit & the session for live purpose

ukemike · Post by **ukemike** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 2:43 pm

Hi,
First of all I appreciate you guys helping me. So in the arrangement you edit and in the session you play live. What do you arrange in arragement though. Maybe this is messing me up is that im thinking that the arragement is like a piano roll (as in cubase) on which you draw midi notes, and the clip in the session view of that track get played when the arragement midi note that was drawn comes up.
This is not the way it is right?

spiderprod · Post by **spiderprod** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 3:23 pm

the arrangement is like cubase & the session view is a patern sequencer

ukemike · Post by **ukemike** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 3:28 pm

So you load:
loop1.wav into spot one of track1 in session view.
loop2.wav into spot two of track1 in session view.

you should be able to draw some notes in Arragement view and loop1.wav and loop2.wav should play once the song gets to that part where you drew the notes.
Right?
I couldnt figure out how to draw actual notes in arragement. I know you can drag and drop .wav loops there.

Thank you
Mike

ukemike · Post by **ukemike** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 3:38 pm

HEHE wait... i see a moment of light. i think im beggining to understand this a little.

forget my last post.

ukemike · Post by **ukemike** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 3:55 pm

So basically,
I have two options of what to play in ableton. One is to play loops horizontally in the arragement window, or two i can play a couple of loops at the same time in the session view. its the same track that runs through the same effects. Its just that either session or arragement view can play at the same time. Not both.

Is this correst?

Thanks
Mike

DJ Precious · Post by **DJ Precious** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 4:58 pm

I use Live mostly for song writing / multi-tracking (so far). Usually I work mainly in the arrangement screen and use the session screen to audition samples.

On one occasion I did more of the DJ-style approach to lay down basic tracks for a pop song. In the session view I put together groups of loops that made up sections of the song (one strip would be the intro, the next would be the music for the verse, the next a bridge, etc.) I spent a few days getting the parts of the song just right. It was great because on the fly I could hear how the song worked with the different combinations of its parts. Eventually I had the sequence I wanted, and then it was time to record. I hit record in the session view and I had to actually play the song. For that three and a half minutes I was the band playing the song and the computer was the engineer on the other side of the glass bobbing its head. It was fun.

Then I finished the rest of the song in the arrangement screen, overdubbing vocals, instruments, etc. Automating the mix, etc.

Awesome software. Can't wait to do more!

ukemike · Post by **ukemike** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 5:29 pm

DJ Precious:
So in what part of the song did you actually switch between session and arrangement?

Thanks
Mike

Cryocon · Post by **Cryocon** » Tue Nov 16, 2004 9:52 pm

ukemike wrote:Cryocon, you play live pa/DJ ??

I don't i'm afraid so can't help you there. But if i ever did i'd use the session view to do a live arrangement, just as i mentioned earlier, but i probably wouldn't record it. I could then keep parts going if the crowd are loving it or move the track on if it's getting a bit boring.

udp · Post by **udp** » Wed Nov 17, 2004 1:57 am

ukemile try this: load a bunch of clip/loops into the session view, keeping like loops in the same tracks. Ofcourse you'll be using audio tracks for this. Now map the clips to your computer keyboard or controller and play the session view as an instument. Now once you get some idea of form going with what you've got for loops, hit the record botton at the top and then the play botton. When you're done switch to the arrage view adn edit panning volume levels, add effets to track or sends. Experimenting is the key here. don't give up to soon Live is extremely deep. I'm just now finding how to fully control the mixer with multiple output vsti's, but for this will come later. Most of all have fun! Good luck.

logicat2001 · Post by **logicat2001** » Wed Nov 17, 2004 2:06 am

ukemike wrote:So basically, I have two options of what to play in ableton. One is to play loops horizontally in the arragement window, or two i can play a couple of loops at the same time in the session view. its the same track that runs through the same effects. Its just that either session or arragement view can play at the same time. Not both.

Is this correst?

Not quite correct.

The interaction of session/arrange is more interesting because you can play combinations of audio between the two views. Also, in each view, you've got the ability to "jump" to a known set of audio: via the red "Back to original arrangement" button in the transport, or by triggering a scene in Session view.

Keep trying to figure it out, keep trying to use both views, and pay attention to how they work in tandem. Once you do have your eureka moment, it'll be incredibly clear.

Best,
Logicat