Best practices for installing Live to swap computers?

[franknputer]

Hey all,

Been searching a bit, but not finding anything so pardon me if this is redundant.

I'm wondering how I might best install Live in such a way that all but the absolute core is on the computer itself, and the rest (sounds, instruments, whatever) is on a portable drive. I have an iMac in my studio, but I'd like to set up a laptop as well for going out. Ideally, I would configure both machines with minimal data & keep the bulk of it on a portable.

I'm wondering if anyone here has set up something similar? Is it basically as simple as relocating the libraries & updating locations in the Preferences? Any "gotchas" that I should be aware of?

Thanks!

[kitekrazy]

A Live license allows for two systems.

[re:dream]

It should work.

(@ Kitekrazy: You can install Live on two computers, but the challenge is keeping sets and sounds synchronised)

I keep all my computers synced via dropbox but I am sure you could do it via a portable drive.

The thing is to understand that two versions of Live can't share the same core library, but can share everything else... just about. So you can share samples, user libraries, sets, and (to a lesser extent) Live Packs between two different installations of Live.

The thing is simply to make sure the paths are correctly specified on both computers.

Create 3 folders on your portable drive: one called "Ableton", one called 'My sets", and called "My Samples"
- Copy your entire user library to the first.
- Copy your entire sample library to... you guessed it, samples
Then in Live's preferences, set the paths to the new locations.

Live will find it on both computers no problem.

I think it would be best to move the sets over from within the Live browser.

You may have a problem with Live Packs. The routing to locations seems to be dependent on which computer you used to install it. Then on the new computer it will tell you they are missing, but in my experience it will only tell you it once.

Try it and let us know how you go.

[franknputer]

thanks re:dream, good stuff. I'll give it a go, I guess, and see what happens.