- In this video, we'll take
a look at Ableton Live,
specifically Ableton Live 10.
other digital audio
workstations like Logic,
FL Studio, and Pro Tools, and why we think
it's the best DAW for both new
and advanced DJ/producers.
Let's get to it.
create, record, manipulate, and mix
different sounds together;
stuff like drums,
vocals, synths, guitars, bass lines,
pianos, you name it, and
then output all of them
into a single stereo audio file.
That file can then be played on any
playback device, like a CDJ,
your DJ software, or your smartphone.
Ableton Live is known for being a DAW
while the bottom has track controls
like volume faders and knobs.
You can launch any
number of clips in a row
to play simultaneously
in a quantised manner,
and they can keep on playing in a loop
until you stop them.
This makes session view really good for
performing onstage because it lets you
play sounds on the fly
while staying in time.
It lets you improvise with little risk
as far as timing goes.
It's also great for sketching up
musical ideas quickly because you can just
drag and drop sounds and
everything plays in time.
Apart from adding sounds
like loops and samples
onto clip slots, you can
also add in MIDI clips.
MIDI clips contain MIDI data.
Think of them as musical instructions;
stuff like what notes to play
and how hard to play those notes.
They trigger those notes in a synthesiser
or drum plug-in that you've added
in a track in session view.
What's a plug-in?
Think of a plug-in as
an extension to a DAW.
It can be anything from
an effect, like an EQ,
or an instrument like a piano, a synth,
a drum machine, or a sampler.
This is another reason why session view is
great for both live performances
and sketching out ideas
because that means that
you can create your own melodies,
your own chords, bass lines,
and even your own drum
patterns using MIDI clips
together with soft
synths or drum plug-ins.
It's got a timeline that goes from
left to right, and you place your audio
and MIDI clips into your tracks.
This is more for arranging your tunes
since you're now able to place them
within a definite timeframe.
This is also commonly used in
studio situations where you're recording,
or tracking in studio engineer parlance,
instruments, musicians,
and outboard MIDI gear.
This is the kind of
workflow you'll find in
other DAWs, including Pro Tools, Logic,
Studio One, and Cubase.
These include the drum rack,
which is an instrument that lets you add
drum sounds and trigger them,
Simpler, which is a sampler that lets you
tweak, re-pitch, and
manipulate a piece of audio,
and Impulse, which is a drum sampler,
but with extensive modulation options.
It's got filters and a
bunch of other controls.
Apart from instruments,
Ableton Live also comes
with effect plug-ins.
And for effects, Ableton Live has a tonne.
There are up to 46 audio effect plug-ins,
ranging from essential ones,
stuff like compressors,
EQ's, and reverbs, to
more creative-use plug-ins
like vinyl distortion, pedal,
amp, and frequency shifter.
These can be placed in either audio tracks
which hold actual audio clips
or in MIDI tracks which
contain MIDI clips.
And speaking of MIDI
clips, Live also comes with
up to 16 MIDI effects which can only be
used in MIDI tracks.
These include the arppegiator, chord,
pitch, and velocity.
but there are some controllers that
work with it straight out the box.
Ableton's own Push 2 is
a grid pad controller
that's got a high-resolution OLED display
and rotary encoders at the top.
Other controllers from
other manufacturers include
Novation's Launchpad,
which is also a grid,
and the AKAI APC40 MK II.
and its ability to dig in deep,
thanks to the Max For Live platform that
comes with Live's suite.
Sure it's pricey, but it really includes
everything you need to make
electronic dance music,
whether you're going for
house or techno music,
hip hop, and even
experimental or ambient stuff.
With features and plug-ins this compelling
straight out the box,
Ableton Live is one of
the best DAWs for DJ/producers for music making
and is one of the most intuitive apps for
live dance music performances.
It's a platform that's
really worth investing
time and effort into
not only because it just
lets you do so much, but also because its
constant development means
that you're likely to
use it for a very, very long time
without it missing a beat
as far as cutting-edge features go.
That's it for our look at Ableton Live 10.
I've got the full review over at
the Digital DJ Tips site.
The link is in the description box below.
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Get good, get out there,
and make the moments.
