Should I learn Repear or Ableton over Xmas break?

joegrant413

Love these comments!

I especially appreciate hearing the context, motivation, and outcomes that have fit for you. There's times a post-it will do, other times I need to draft something and then have a lawyer hammer it out for the judge.

GovernorSilver

@joegrant413 said:

• Session vs. Arrangements IS confusing. I forgot how many unintuitive, inconsistent UI signals and states it creates. I can learned and get used to it, but it just is confusing. The dormancy of Arrangement track unless you press peekaboo play buttons is confusing.

This will supposedly be addressed in Ableton Live 12
https://www.ableton.com/en/live/

"Use Live’s Mixer in Arrangement View to get more information and control without moving to Session View and breaking the flow. Toggle the visibility of each Mixer section to fit your needs, and benefit from improved readability and feedback."

joegrant413

For Ableton fans, do you ever just work in the Session view? The Arranger view?

It's possible I don't care about Clips. It's also possible I want to use Ableton only after I've caught lightning in a bottle, sketched out ideas, and now want to shape them or apply different virtual instruments to them. And then polish them. (I don't even REALLY grok the value of Mastering after all these years.)

joegrant413

I still see myself working on MPC Key 61 for sit down sessions to play and try out ideas. Then export to whatever DAW.

On the go, I'm likely to use Koala more. Again, export to DAW or to MPC. Of course, Ableton is on the goto export capability for this and many other apps.

GovernorSilver

@joegrant413 said:
For Ableton fans, do you ever just work in the Session view? The Arranger view?

Arrangement view for importing audio files, seeing where the audio is in the timeline, and editing audio.

Session view just to use the mixer.

This is why Ableton is highlighting the mixer in Arrangement view for Live 12 - enough users have complained for years having to switch back and forth between the two views, just because the mixer is not in Arrangement view.

Tarekith

I use Arrangement View 95% of the time these days. Session View only when prepping audio files for my live set to feed the Octatrack.

joegrant413

Thanks, folks! That's good to hear.

Korakios

@joegrant413 said:
Currently, I mostly use MPC hardware and MPC 2 desktop software for music production.

Years ago - maybe 10 or so, I used Ableton and got burnt out and frustrated with it. It might have the feeling that it took forever each session to get my guitar and setup configured. But generally burnt out.

I've been taking a hard look at Reaper, and it's been my current goto for light duties when the MPC can't come through. There's a lot to love about it, but I keep suspecting I'll have to get pretty techy to use it.

It's clear Ableton is the big standard DAW in the forest. I have the latest Lite version from a recent purchase.

Given I really don't want to spend all my Xmas break learning two DAWs, but not one, which would you recommend I really dive into?

Thanks,
Joe

Actually it's very simple
If you plan using a clip based workflow then Ableton
If not , Reaper all the way

Vip8888

Might be worth also mentioning that if you run a dual screen setup, you can put the session view on one screen and the arrangement view on the other to use both at the same time.

joegrant413

Thx again for helping me in my indecision here, folks.

I suppose the biggest WHY? with Ableton is the promise of less fuss, less time, more ready-made integration with MIDI controllers. And integration with other apps and software, including other DAWs. And hopes to grow into other capabilities as I grow in music production.

Reaper might do this. But I fear the cost is a lot of head-scratching. I've bought the $60 license, and will spend time on a new Adam Steele course to learn more about it.

Probably I should just keep Ableton Lite for now, and put it on a Queue of things I will learn, but not make it a top priority.

rs2000

@joegrant413 This post pretty much sums up the differences and if you had troubles getting your setup to work in Ableton then expect to invest even more time to learn how Reaper works.
I've worked with both. Reaper is an excellent DAW but I would definitely go with ableton if simplicity and straightforward use is what you're after.

@jrjulius said:
Here’s an anecdote that seems to match the general vibe of the thread: One of my closest friends works as a professional audio engineer. They use Reaper for that because they can create scripts and macros to streamline, or even automate, large portions of their work.

When they want to write music (regardless of whether it’s for work or for fun), they use Ableton Live because it’s easy to get ideas down and refine them later. Projects also generally require a lot less prep.

For my part: I used Reaper from 2011-2013 and had a pretty good handle on the basic “DAW stuff,” but since trying Ableton during the “Buy Live 8 now and get Live 9 for free when it comes out” promo, I’ve never even considered going back. Not everyone clicks with the interface but I love how compact and tidy everything is.

AudioGus

i just upgraded Samplitude, similar vein to Reaper. I love finishing things as audio on an audio timeline, just mashing audio together.... mmmm, audio

kingvidorfan

This. I was introduced to Reason and now can't get into any other DAW; they just look weird.

@gusgranite said:
I learned Reaper first. Tried to switch to Live as I really wanted to collaborate with my brother. Couldn’t make it work and went back to Reaper.

Probably the opposite would happen if I learned Ableton first.