Ableton Live finally got me!
Posted: Wed Dec 27, 2023 7:40 pm
I've been a Reason user since V1, before it was even a DAW. I tried Ableton Live off and on over the years, but I had so much time and money invested in Reason that, even if I did get over the proficiency hump with Ableton, I couldn't justify jumping ship.
But recently digging into Live again, I'm at the point where I can't justify NOT jumping ship. The Live workflows and the clean, modern way everything is handled is too compelling, especially for electronic music. Plus, a couple of other pieces of software that I use support export to Live projects, and I've been missing out on that.
Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of love for the hardware rack emulation of Reason, but for so many of my projects, all that virtual wiring and those rack devices start adding up to a bit of a mess, no matter how organized I try to be.
And I'm finding that even the base stock Ableton Live (I'm on Intro for now and will most likely upgrade in the near future) is getting me "there" much more quickly than Reason. Despite having used Reason professionally for YEARS, there's something elegant and easily absorbed about Live's workflows, and it seems easier to get to those sonic sweet spots and polishing. Sometimes, I feel like I'm fighting Reason's signal flows, even with the SSL console emulation and bus compressor, and all the devices and effects at hand, there's too much jumping around to tweak and signal process and juggle EQs, just to get a good mix.
Live's way of doing things with clear L-R signal flows, instrument compartmentalization and a unified UI has me flying through sound design/selection, performance, editing, polishing, etc.
And even the stock "Intro" level is extremely serviceable. No reason not to continue with that for a while just to get stuck in and really find its limits. $79 was a small investment to get 16 tracks and some additional goodies. I'm going to spend more time with Live "Intro" before I dive into the Suite version and all its glories, but I think I'm hooked. I suppose I can always bring in a Reason rack to Live, maybe have the best of both worlds, and also bring my Elektron devices into Live using Overbridge. But for now, Live on its own is keeping me busy.
Probably should have done this years ago.
But recently digging into Live again, I'm at the point where I can't justify NOT jumping ship. The Live workflows and the clean, modern way everything is handled is too compelling, especially for electronic music. Plus, a couple of other pieces of software that I use support export to Live projects, and I've been missing out on that.
Don't get me wrong, I have a lot of love for the hardware rack emulation of Reason, but for so many of my projects, all that virtual wiring and those rack devices start adding up to a bit of a mess, no matter how organized I try to be.
And I'm finding that even the base stock Ableton Live (I'm on Intro for now and will most likely upgrade in the near future) is getting me "there" much more quickly than Reason. Despite having used Reason professionally for YEARS, there's something elegant and easily absorbed about Live's workflows, and it seems easier to get to those sonic sweet spots and polishing. Sometimes, I feel like I'm fighting Reason's signal flows, even with the SSL console emulation and bus compressor, and all the devices and effects at hand, there's too much jumping around to tweak and signal process and juggle EQs, just to get a good mix.
Live's way of doing things with clear L-R signal flows, instrument compartmentalization and a unified UI has me flying through sound design/selection, performance, editing, polishing, etc.
And even the stock "Intro" level is extremely serviceable. No reason not to continue with that for a while just to get stuck in and really find its limits. $79 was a small investment to get 16 tracks and some additional goodies. I'm going to spend more time with Live "Intro" before I dive into the Suite version and all its glories, but I think I'm hooked. I suppose I can always bring in a Reason rack to Live, maybe have the best of both worlds, and also bring my Elektron devices into Live using Overbridge. But for now, Live on its own is keeping me busy.
Probably should have done this years ago.