Submitted by thewhippinpost on Tue, 10/10/2006 - 18:20.

Sequencers for Digital Audio And Midi for Computer Music work

In the sequencers for audio and midi work category, Ableton are offering up the LIVE 24-Bit Recording Software  for our consideration... What's it all about then?

Ableton LIVE 24-Bit Recording Software
Ableton LIVE 24-Bit Recording Software

Used by DJ's and musicians alike, Ableton Live has literally stormed onto the music scene big-time.

Ableton Live is the music-production solution that allows you to spontaneously compose, record, remix, improvise and edit your musical ideas in real-time - Yes, it's very much designed to let you produce music on-the-fly, breaking down barriers that would ordinarily force you to otherwise stop... which can get in the way when you're in the groove (No dialog boxes here!).

Freedom to Live

  • Map audio and MIDI files to MIDI keyboard ranges and computer keys for instant triggering
  • Record all actions as editable arrangements and automations
  • Set and jump to arrangement locators complete with quantization
  • Scene concept for non-linear organization of audio and MIDI files for live and jamming purposes
  • Customized and random sequencing of audio and MIDI files for generating ideas and preparing performances
  • Follow actions can allow for automatic jamming and generative music

Live brings your acoustic, electronic and virtual instruments, as well as your digital audio recordings, together in a single interface.

When Thomas Bangalter of Daft Punk was asked what he likes about Live, he said:

Live is by definition one of the most transparent and simple creative software I have ever used. Its interface is streamlined and its features, though with a minimal approach, offers endless possibilities. The whole process is easy, simple, and fun, yet with accessible possible sophistication and professional results.
Thomas Bangalter, Daft Punk

(He's French, hence the translation.)

Live 6 (current version) runs on both Mac and Windows operating systems. It also works perfectly in Pro Tools M-Powered too.

Live is crammed with cool tools and features - Here are just a few (Click the link below for a comprehensive list):

You can:

  • Preview and cue via separate audio-outs
  • Drag and drop audio and MIDI files (which can trigger Live's own instruments, VST synths or external hardware)
  • Have up to 12 send/return tracks
  • Supports ASIO, MME, DirectX, Sound Manager and CoreAudio audio interfaces
  • Manage unlimited number of MIDI ins and outs
  • Configure as ReWire master or slave
  • Setup multi-destination MIDI and key mappings (giving you the power, for example, to assign a single knob to control multiple parameters)
  • Use control surfaces such as ProjectMix I/O (Has Mackie Control support)

It will perform beat analysis on audio samples and shift them to fit into loops which are bound to the global tempo of what you're working on. There's a boat-load of effects - too many to list here (again, see link below), but the usual one's are there plus things like Beat Repeat and others, and it can do real-time pitch shifting for individual notes in a sample.

The list goes on, trust!

Ableton Live is a beast - Buy it now while the price is good!

Ableton

Sequencers for Digital Audio and Midi

All your favourite sequencers for making and managing your chart-busting compositions can be found below, whether audio, MIDI or both. These days, sequencers (especially the leading brands like Cubase, Logic etc...) try to be everything a full-blown recording studio provides... as well as be the musician!

Be aware though, that what you get with all this power often means more resource-intensive software (though Pro Tools is slightly different). So consider carefully what you actually think you'll need/use. I've yet to find a sequencer that does absolutely everything I want, as easily as I want. Conversely, I've yet to find a sequencer that doesn't come with stuff I don't want either.

Remember in all this though; that even paying top-dollar for the top dawg sequencer is still ridiculously cheaper than building a full-blown studio, equipped with instruments!

What others are saying:

feature:
dude. this has infinite features. one of the coolest is the ability to draw various envelopes (volume, sample offset :), pan, etc.) in real time, whether it be in quantized steps or freestyle. i could go on and on all day about this software! and now with v.4 including midi tracks and vst.....holy sh*t!!!!

quality:
yeah, again. the best. forget cubase and logic. get ableton live!!!!!!!!!

value:
in my opinion, for what is offered with this software....it should cost twice as much. but i ain't complainin'.

sound:
top notch!!! better than cubase. i don't care what anyone says. not that it matters, but read the magazines, interviews, etc. look at how many artists are using it and raving about it.

support:
never needed any.

overall:
hands down. the best......and no, i am not a rep or whatever some assuming reader might think. i own an akai mpc2000xl, korg microkorg, technics sl1200m3d, schecter omen-6 (w/ gibson burstbuckers), mesa boogie v-twin preamp, tc electronics g-major fx processor, mackie onyx 16 (w/ firewire interface...as of 9/15), alesis ineko fx box, electrix filter factory, and run ableton on my dual 1.8 powermac g5.......so you can see i run an ok setup (he he).

More Details

If that's not enough then check out the following link for the full specifications - LIVE 24-Bit Recording Software