Is it just me, or is Electric quite limited in what it does?

[Citizen]

I’m progressively working my way through all of Ableton’s instruments, so as to familiarise myself with each one better.

I spent about an hour playing around with Electric last night, and with some of its presets, and my initial impression is that it is somewhat limited in the scope of sounds it can make.

Bascially it does little more than replicate a small range of sounds from an electric piano, and some tweaking of the tine and tone settings will create a sound more akin to a Rhodes organ.

Is that it?! Or is this instrument actually more diverse than I perceive it to be? And why wouldn’t I simply just use any or a number of plug-ins to acheive essetnially the same sound?

[kb420]

I’m progressively working my way through all of Ableton’s instruments, so as to familiarise myself with each one better.

I spent about an hour playing around with Electric last night, and with some of its presets, and my initial impression is that it is somewhat limited in the scope of sounds it can make.

Bascially it does little more than replicate a small range of sounds from an electric piano, and some tweaking of the tine and tone settings will create a sound more akin to a Rhodes organ.

Is that it?! Or is this instrument actually more diverse than I perceive it to be? And why wouldn’t I simply just use any or a number of plug-ins to acheive essetnially the same sound?

It's funny you started this thread. I spent a lot of time experimenting with it a few weeks ago, and to be honest, I found the the MK II samples in the Essential collection seem to work better. For some reason, Electric really sounds muddy in the middle of the keyboard, and no matter what I did, I couldn't make it sound clean.

[nathannn]

electric is suppose to be limited to electric piano sounds. i don't look at it as a synth because it really isn't. its just an electric piano emulation (or digital electric piano module).

[Citizen]

electric is suppose to be limited to electric piano sounds.

Cool. Pretty much just what I thought. Just wanted to confirm. Still, there is bugger all variety in its sound, no?

i don't look at it as a synth because it really isn't. its just an electric piano emulation (or digital electric piano module).

And why wouldn’t I simply just use any or a number of plug-ins to acheive essetnially the same sound?

???

[anamexis]

And why wouldn’t I simply just use any or a number of plug-ins to acheive essetnially the same sound?

???

I don't quite understand the question - what's the difference between a plugin and an Ableton instrument, besides their source?

[Citizen]

I don't quite understand the question - what's the difference between a plugin and an Ableton instrument, besides their source?

Sorry, I wasn't being very clear.

Thats kind of my point - what is the point of Electric, when there are many more options out there that are capable of achieving the same sound, but do it better, and with more variety.

It doesn't seem like something that I will be using a lot of, thats all.

[anamexis]

I don't quite understand the question - what's the difference between a plugin and an Ableton instrument, besides their source?

Sorry, I wasn't being very clear.

Thats kind of my point - what is the point of Electric, when there are many more options out there that are capable of achieving the same sound, but do it better, and with more variety.

It doesn't seem like something that I will be using a lot of, thats all.

Well, you could say the same about Ableton's reverb

It is what it is, I guess.

[Citizen]

Well, you could say the same about Ableton's reverb

It is what it is, I guess.

True, true.

Just wanting to confirm my suspiscions before I move onto exploring Ableton's other instruments next.

Next stop.....Tension, Collision and Operator!

[anamexis]

They certainly won't disappoint!

[Citizen]

^^^

Thats want I want to hear - they all look very tweakable, and offer the potential for some more varied, cool sounds.

[kanuck]

I'd have to agree with what's been said. It's meant to be an electric piano.

the advantage over samples though is that you can manipulate each individual part of the piano..

and it's more expressive than samples imo.

[ollyb303]

Next stop.....Tension, Collision and Operator!

You got a real treat coming there...

[toph]

what is the point of Electric, when there are many more options out there that are capable of achieving the same sound, but do it better, and with more variety.

Electric is the AAS Lounge Lizard with Ableton GUI (and I think a little shrinked down parameter set). Lounge Lizard was released years back, when sampling technology wasn't at the point it is today. Memory was more expensive, loading times could take their time, internet bandwidth was smaller and so it wasn't that easy to produce and sell epiano-libaries with many velocity layers to give a sample set the dynamic and sound of a real rhodes or wurlitzer.

I think the Lounge Lizard must've been released in 2001 or so. And back then physical modelling of "real instruments" was very popular and hip.

When I remember right, Lounge Lizard was released not so long after Emagics EVP 88/73, what I used a lot back then. Lounge Lizard was called to sound even warmer and more realistic and many people loved it. To me Electric was a welcome compensation, when I switched from Logic to Live - but when I use it today, I'm not looking for the perfect Rhodes sound, but for a little muddy percussive sound (that I use quite often).

Maybe that clears some of your questions aspects... provided that you didn't know already.

C.

[3dot...]

yep...

Electric=Lounge-Lizard
Analog=Ultra-Analog
Tension=String-Studio
Collision is a mallet emulation synth

all from 'Applied Acoustics'..which specialize in what is termed "physical modeling synthesis"

Operator Sampler Simpler and Impulse are conceived by Ableton

[Tone Deft]

Lounge Lizard was way better than Electric, difference being the Abes left off the FX that AAS put after the piano. I dig the sounds but Ableton screwed up in the feature set port. I like screwing around with it but TBH none of its sounds have ended up in tunes of mine.

I'd love to get some updated racks for Electric. Puremagnetik, you reading this?