Ableton Forum

This question might sound strange, but still...

initial info:
PC; Core 2 Duo 2.8; 2GB RAM.

I am thinking of using Live 6 as a digital mixer for small format live performances. setup is very basic: sound card with multiple inputs and outputs with asio driver support (ex. Presonus FP10). Setting each input to its separate audio track in Live 6. tracks will have some basic effects (ex. Waves AudioTrack; Waves RChannel; Prosoniq Voxiter; Delay).

I would prefer this setup to a digital mixer in a way that yuo cuold use any custom low latency plugin in ths case, while on a digital mixer you have to use only the built in ones and have to use outboard gear for the special effects.

How bad/mistaken/unachievable/risky do you think this idea is?

Thank you.

P.S. I have found Motu's software called Digital Performer that looks like an ideal solution to what I need, but it seems like it's only on MAC.

The way I work with live these days sounds pretty much like what you are trying to.

I basically have an 8 port pair midi interface and a 16 out, 24 in audio interface. All my synths and fx have their audio routed directly back into Live with audio channels on monitor=input mode. Even have some hardware on Lives sends at times.

The biggest headache with this is dealing with latency compensation - I dont think live is very happy with high latency comp settins on alot of audio tracks - not suprising as it needs to buffer up all that audio all over the place. The same applies to midi note and CC data that driving all those effects and synths - you need to spend some time work out what timing advance setting to use on the tracks and sends etc to make it all work. And this get quite complicates when its more than just a simple midi+audio return - ie having to deal with addition advance setting to make hardwrae sends etc work.

Then the final headable is it get to the point where you have to get used to doing stuff well in advance of hearing it. If you doing any precision audio loop warping/cutting etc then that becomes really hard as well as the position pointer is way in advance of what you are hearing.

Its a scenario I do wish ableton would pay more attension to, but the DAWs are all going heavily soft synth and soft effects focussed and pretty much ignoring us folk who still use hardware. I do see myself moving over to soft synths anytime soon. Soft fx - yes, but even then I still use alot of hardware effects.

If this is really the way you want to go - then best start searching for the most reliable multi-channel very low latency audio interface you can find.

Im on the lookout for some way better to bring the round trip latency right down and that can reliably cope with similar numbers of audio channels being used simultaneously.

TBH - I think Ableton *need* to have a long hard look at how they do latency comp and inter-plugin audio buffering and external audio hardware/synth integration - at the moment its very obviously a week point in Live compared to the ease with with Cubase SX3/4 seems to handle it.

We all know how unwieldy Live can when alot of audio latency comp is needed in a set.