Ableton live 8 on Macbook pro

[lem]

Sorry Patrick,
I meant my friends use it like a DAW rather than a live performance tool. I would definatly use session view for my live set.
I am just wondering how live are people live sets?

[Hades]

I'd agree with mr American Psycho,
from what I've seen, most people use the Session View for live,
and in fact for composition as well.

It's what sets Live out from other sequencers, the fact that you can very easily change the setup of a song because its so flexible with the clips instead of the fixed timeline of the arrangement view.

[Hades]

Thanks for the interest Hades!
I made them in Logic Pro 9. Most of it is using the built in plugin Fx and synths. I think its one of the best things about Logic, the really good plugins.
I am not too sure on the ableton plugins, but I will stick with them and will get a good sound out of them eventually.

I think too much emphasis is put on using a certain synth for this and a certain reverb for that. But it really doesn't matter. Ultimately they can all do the same thing, its just some plugins make it easier than others.

Don't worry, I didn't ask this in a "what piece of gear do I need to get blablabla".
I've been too long into synths to do that stuff.
Only out of pure interest, because I feel that whatever you've used, you used it "to the max", so to say.

I agree that too a lot of times people focus to much on getting the "right" gear instead of making music.
And you can do a lot more with a few pieces you know very well than with a whole setup you don't know sh!t about.
but saying "ultimately, they can all do the same thing"
that's just incorrect.
I've had many many synths over the years,
and sold many too.
I've used software and hardware, and still got about 10 hardware and a good selection of software ones here.
I use subtractive, additive, FM, wavetable, granular,...
Yes, you can do a lot with most synths, but there sure as hell are things that can't be done with certain synths.
definitely if you talk about sound design.

A small example :
even if you just stick to subtractive, which - let's face it - is the weapon of choice 85% of the times for most people, if you don't have a synth with a pitch envelope, there's already quite a few sounds you simply can't produce.
You can try to work around it by using an LFO instead, but you'll never get it exactly like you want it.
Or if you can't use your filters in parallel or serial.
Or take ring modulation. Great stuff can be done with it, but how many synths have this properly integrated ?
There are defenitely differences between synths, even if you only talk about softsynths.
ever tried something complex like Omnisphere ?
Or used the modulators in Massive ?

If you're not really into sound design, and just wanna make music using presets or using simple sounds you made yourself, then maybe this matters less for you. And then no doubt, you get the impression they all do a bit of the same.
(and which is perfectly fine btw, to each his own, and your top track was a real nice one, the bottom one was a bit less interesting, but the top one had a real nice groove, great work)

But to me, this matters.

[lem]

You 100% right. I was mearly making a statement that most virtual analogues can create the same sounds. Most FM synths can make the same sort of sounds...you know what I mean.
Give me a break bro...it was too early in the morning!

But there are always work arounds, like you said about LFO etc..
You might not get the exact sound you are after, but you will get something similar.
Im sure you know exactly what I am getting at really.

I have got Massive, but I find it bit of a pig to use. I don't know why, there is just something about it that I really can't get on with!

I am very much into my sound design, but I find it alot easier with simple synths and controls.
If I want to do modular type stuff I use a Nord G2 as I find the interface much easier to get on with.
I still feel like I haven't fully explored what my current tools can do to warrant getting more and more plugins.

Thanks for the interest on my tracks, will check yours out as soon as I get a chance.

[Hades]

I still feel like I haven't fully explored what my current tools can do to warrant getting more and more plugins.

Thanks for the interest on my tracks, will check yours out as soon as I get a chance.

cherish that thought !
you get a lot further with knowing a few good tools inside out than getting new tools all the time. (as I said above I think)

you won't find any tracks here.
I'm too much of a perfectionist to put up stuff I'm not 100% happy with yet.
my strong point is sound design, my weakness is beats.
so unless I can't further craft my beat-making skills untill I'm completely happy, I won't be putting up stuff yet.
the web is flooded with halfwit producers that put up boring stuff and go "please listen to my new track".
I don't want to be one of those.

the stuff that's finished that I am happy with is miles away from what is posted here, so not much point in putting it here.

[lem]

I'm too much of a perfectionist to put up stuff I'm not 100% happy with yet.
my strong point is sound design, my weakness is beats.
so unless I can't further craft my beat-making skills untill I'm completely happy, I won't be putting up stuff yet.

Yeah I used to suffer the same thing. Probably still do to a certain degree.
I found that I got loads better at making beats, then everything else didn't sound as good next to those beats. So I would have to get better at sound design again.
If you have trouble with beats concentrate on them at the start of the project...

i.e. If you have trouble with the hats in one project, remember for the next project to start with the hats.

I think that helped me a lot with my beats....
Pm me some of your music if you want? I'm quite keen to hear your sound design!
Lem

[Hades]

my email is in my profile.
if you send me an email, I might send you one or two ambient pieces I made that I'm happy with.
or demo's I'm making for presets for Analog (softsynth in Ableton),
I've made a few hundred patches for that synth, but I'm shifting through and fine-tweaking the best of them to put them up on my site (yes, still under construction, so no, no link, although it already looks cool, like I said, I'm a perfectionist )

thx for the tips btw !

[lem]

Pm'ing you now dude!