Ableton Forum

okay, so im a little behind the times... i just checked out the touch-able site, and as an avid MAC user I'm sort of excited about this crossroads.... i own a novation launchpad... it seems like the iPAD and touch.able have taken over in a BIG way.... as in DREAM EVERYTHING..... am i right? opinions? im about to sell my launchpad, dive into the iPAD *which ive been wanting to do anyways), and get touch.able. so all the functionality of the launchpad i can find in touchable (solos, mutes, stutters? how is is the tactile feel (i've played with iPADs, but never controlling Ableton or any other DAW)?

I'd think it more so replaces/crushes lemur.

Pfft. I sold every last controller I had once touchAble landed on my iPad. I cannot think of a single hardware controller that would be more all-encompasing, more versatile, and more expandable moving into the future.

The joy I feel at not having to lug around the extra hardware is indescribable.

Tactile? Pfft. Don't miss the feeling of knobs and sliders one fucking bit. Not after gaining total control over nearly everything in Live on one small device. Sure I'll have to keep my eyes open whilst playing, but that's a small price to pay for minimalism.

i was dubious, but im so glad i got the ipad, im selling all my hardware, i just dont see a use for it now.

it feels like the ipad/touchable combo is the next level sh1t for me.

its changed everything

Same here, ..

Touchable and nothing else anymore, all sold.

Other apps may seem fine but don't buy too much of them since it's mostly fun for a couple of times but not the real deal. Touchable, TouchOSC, iMS20 and maybe StepPolyArp are the foremost musical apps you will need. However I've seen that there is a drum sequencer out now where you can load your own samples.. Forgot about the name..

+ all the added functionality of the iPad like mail, internet, games, calendar, music apps, news apps .. it's almost like a child for me and my girlfriend. If I'm not using it she is and visa versa. I don't know what iPad2 will bring but if it's worth it we'll be having two of them.

I have to disagree a bit here...

IMHO, there is some tasks that you simply cannot do with an touch interface with the same "feel" that you do with some "real" interfaces...

The computer keyboard for example, I cannot feel confortable writing on the iPad as I feel with my laptop keyboard, It´s simply horrible use the iPad keyboard to do tasks that demand more time writing than to simply write an email or type an internet address on the browser...

The same with music production and performing, when producing for example, you can feel right using the iPad apps to control some parameters of your DAW, but you cannot replace a midi keyboard for example, you still need the piano keys, or pads to build a drum loop, you simply cannot do without the hardware "feel".

On the other side, when performing you maybe does not need the midi keyboard or the PADs, BUT IMHO It´s a performance risk use an interface like iPAD to control volumes, faders, etc as you cannot "fine tune" and "feel" the control of the parameters as you have with an midi controler or an mixer, I need some "real" knobs, faders to control parameters as you need this to make better Live performances.

I´m not against touchable interfaces, but only think that it´s not replace the other tools that we have today.

Just my 0.02 cents....

Im dumping my touchscreen phone for a normal one.. I frickin hate the damn touch-crap. Cant even answer your phone with gloves on.
Goes for controllers aswell..

i won't move to touchscreen only until i can feel what i touch, too.

lots of great things happening in the touchscreen scene, of course. exploring it is great. but it does't ever take away "tweaking a knob".

If you're not playing an instrument and purely doing knob tweaking then I can see how it might be a bit unsatisfying to only use a touchscreen.

While I've also dumped my regular keys for live work (I don't do a lot of fancy synth work during a show anyway so the small keys on touchAble work great), I can see how a serious keys player would need something of more substance. For me, the touchAble only method was perfect for my workflow; allowing me to concentrate more on my Stick playing and less on remembering what I've mapped to what on a hardware controller(s).

rsaulo wrote:I have to disagree a bit here...

you cannot replace a midi keyboard for example, you still need the piano keys, or pads to build a drum loop, you simply cannot do without the hardware "feel".

Depends on what you need from keys or pads, I'm no piano player and I'm not a drummer, there are velocity ranges and settings possible within TouchAble and the way they're implemented are MORE than what I need actually.

Actually I'm a lot more creative with the TouchAble keys than I would be with any midi controller. You can do very ! fast keyglides by just swiping over the keys, it requires less finger lifting and the way that you can get different octaves above each other is a fast way of building some top and bass notes. Having the undo arrow at the same time on the screen is basically my way of relaxing in the sofa and just building some clips as much and as fast as I want.

Agreed, it depends a lot on musical style and requirements but I'm sure a lot of people would benefit instead of using there old midi keyboard and keyboard shortcuts for undo, redo, record, stop, quantize ..

One thing I would like additionly is actually instead of keys a ribbon control of some sort to play some sine bassline but I don't know how that could be implemented with existing soft synths.

Frederik654 wrote:Agreed, it depends a lot on musical style and requirements but I'm sure a lot of people would benefit instead of using there old midi keyboard and keyboard shortcuts for undo, redo, record, stop, quantize ..

That´s my point, you´re complete right...

If you want to do something NEW or it adds something better to your workflow, it´s OK!!!, but we have a lot of people that stands that iPAD will take over the "hardware" controllers and instruments, and this is not true, it´s the same bullshit that people say when compare DJIng with turntables with DJing with Live, it´s another "instrument", another peace of gear, only this...

antarktika wrote:I'd think it more so replaces/crushes lemur.

Then you haven't used a lemur.

LoopStationZebra wrote:If you're not playing an instrument and purely doing knob tweaking then I can see how it might be a bit unsatisfying to only use a touchscreen.

While I've also dumped my regular keys for live work (I don't do a lot of fancy synth work during a show anyway so the small keys on touchAble work great), I can see how a serious keys player would need something of more substance. For me, the touchAble only method was perfect for my workflow; allowing me to concentrate more on my Stick playing and less on remembering what I've mapped to what on a hardware controller(s).

it's (like in certain other topics *cought* "presets" *cough*) not what you have, but what you use it for.

and i will sure integrate more touchscreen stuff in good use. in the end, if you find a use, and it serves you, it's great. if it's a knob, or a touchscreen, a button, what ever.

for me, the laptop keyboard was so far good enough of a keyboard to play music on most of the time (is mostly the thing with "it's always there when i need one", not that it's in any form good)