Ableton Live
I’ve heard of Ableton Live for years, but I never considered it to be “DJ software.” Not like PCDJ, Traktor, Serato, or Virtual DJ anyway. However, after learning that Ableton won Club Systems magazine’s Best DJ Product award in 2006, and won the “Best DJ Software” award in 2004, 2005, and 2006, it opened my eyes to the possibilty of Ableton being a serious contender for the best dj software title on this site.
As a DJ myself, I am not very fond of programs that allow you to “auto-DJ” by automatically matching bpm’s. In my opinion, that’s not really DJ’ing. I originally thought that this was what Ableton Live was, but after researching it further, it seems that I had it all wrong. Ableton Live is a live remixing tool that will allow you to DJ like never before. Or, if you’re in the studio, you can use Ableton to create remixes and mash-ups to add to your live sets. You can even work with video in Ableton Live Version 6.
You can download a free trial of Ableton Live 6 from their website, which I plan to do. With so many top names in the DJ industry singing it’s praises, it’s got to be a very nice product. If I decide to purchase the full copy, it’s going to cost me a hefty $499.
Here’s a little more information about Ableton Live and it’s DJ applications taken from the company’s website:
Powerful Real-Time Remix Features
Live’s Elastic Audio engine allows for real-time remixing and endless experimentation. Mix as many tracks or track elements as you want, Live keeps everything in sync all the time. Create remixes on the fly by reworking song structures and mashing up beats and a cappellas from different tracks. Play the loops and tracks you produce in your sets.
Infinitely Effective
Find your own sound with Live’s uniquely creative effects. Live’s effects are easy to use, yet allow you to dig deep and experiment. Create your own custom effects and assign the key effects parameters to a simplified, performance-friendly interface for quick tweaking. Or choose from Live’s studio-proven palette of EQs, filters, delays and more. Full VST and AU plug-in support opens up even more possibilities.
From DJing to Production
Take your DJ skills to the production realm with Live’s powerful production tools and inspiring workflow. Live makes it easy to create your own loops, customized remixes, rearranged songs and unbelievable mash-ups, and incorporate them into your DJ sets. Before you know it you will be producing completely original tracks within Live.
At Home in the Booth
Live integrates easily into existing DJ setups and brings new creative possibilities along. Simply plug your audio interface into your DJ mixer and add Live to the mix. Mixing from decks to Live and back is as simple as mixing with two decks. Live also acts as a powerful effects box, sampler and, of course, recording device for capturing and mastering your mixes.
I have been a dj for about 17 years and can honestly say say…been there done that. I have experiment with almost all the top dj software and if you are an experience dj, you are certainly looking for a software that will motivate you into going beyond your limits. I am also a musician and recording engineer and currently working on my album. I use the following softwares in my pro home studio…Cubase 4, Reason 3, FL studio 6 and my main squeeze…ABLETON LIVE 6. Listen boys and girls, do not spend 99.00 and five different softwares cause that’s exactly what I did when I started out, dont waist your money, get ableton live 6, 7 is out, and spend 1 week it, there are a lot of online lessons that will help you. The one thing you will need to learn in ableton live is how to warp audio kind a like cueing but better, once you learn that, trust me as god as my witness, you will love this software. This is the kind of software that pushes your creative edge. So there you have it and if you think I am lying, I have serato scratch live and final scratch i really want to sell. Thank you and hope I have been of some help.
MB
Yes Ableton is the Shit for going really creative – however! the warp thing often ruins the sound in Ableton if you don’t pay attention. You might not hear that with any club equipment in existence but you will with top notch studio gear or headphones! I find I have change Ableton to Pitch mode and/or mess around with the markers a lot. Not really suitable for playing old songs Live that you haven’t played before as now you have to spend lot of time adjusting the markers and all the bullshit or risk bad sound.
Well , I thought of getting Serato or Traktor but I really could do some intresting things with Ableton Live 6 and I’m a musician . If your cool with mixing 2 songs live with the turtable feel and scratching and that’s it, well then shell out the 600 $ and stick to Scratch and Traktor . But if your about mixing and throwing in 2 , 3 songs on the fly , tweek’n the sound , and composing while you spin, and even throwing a record or 2 in between sets, then Ableton does all that and more.
If your a musician or beat composer ,You can lay tracks when your not mixing, lay synths , add effects, remix tracks . It’s really everything in one software for the same prive of the Serato . You can really add any type of midi controller your want for spinning or recording.
About the Time-Warping of old songs. You really have to use Complex Time warping rather than Pitch or Beat setting. It uses a much more sophisticated algorithm to strech and contract tracks which gives it a much smoother transition. It takes a little more CPU from your computer but if you have a core dou from intel, your perfectly fine. I guess with Ableton it’s not just mixing anymore for me . I like to roll to a club with my laptop , controller and hardrive , hook up and really push myself to do more than to mix 2 songs . I have to admit though that on some songs time warping could be time consumming but the payoff is when all your tracks are time-warped correctly , the mixes of different songs are endless. So at least for me it has to be Ableton, and Ableton 7 is out now so you decide.
i used v5 and loved it and even to this day…but i never use it anymore. 1 day i will!!! i juz love traktor 3, deckadance and virtual dj 5 at da moment…
i used v5 and loved it and even to this day…but i never use it anymore. 1 day i will!!! i juz love traktor 3, deckadance and virtual dj 5 at da moment…i’ll checkout v7 if it’s better ^_^
SHIT!!!…v7 is much better!!! juz got it today and am gonna get hooked again!!! aaaahhhh…those simple but sooooo cool to the eyes skin tones!!! warp, multi-track recording, multi-sampling and etc. v7 can beat my 3 main softwares with flying colors!!! get 1 now and get your ass hooked!!! hehehe ^_^ HOORAY ABLETON!!! PEACE 2 ALL!!!
shit…i’m gonna give-up my vestax vci-100 mc for vestax vcm-600 mc!!! i’m so addicted to live 7 right now!!! awesome!!! keep it up ableton and thank you!!!
That’s all cool and shit but as long as you have awesome music and you are a master at beat matching…there really isn’t a need for ableton. At least, jot for hard trance and club trance, there isn’t. If you are a hard trance3 DJ and you feel the need to use, ableton…maybe you need to work on finding better music, instead…The trick is to get people to dance…not to sit there and watch you spin….Cause, if they are watching you, instead of dancing, you are not doing your job as a DJ….
damn, i have ableton live 7 and i love it to death i was thinking about buying serato scratch but fuck that now lol
now that ive seen so many people saying that ableton is the way to go then ill stick to it. im relatively new to this djing this but ive been wanting to do it my whole life. eventhough i would consider myself a musician first im still looking forward to djing. thanx alot guys =]
I use Virtual Dj and I have problems matching the beat sometimes also it can lock up the system occasionally so that is always a fear when DJing, which I do at personal parties nothing professional. I will try Ableton, it sounds good from the comments.
MORE RESPONSIVE than EVER!!! ABLETON LIVE 8 MAC VERSION! get it NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!