switching ableton live 5

[heavy beats]

ive been a cubase user for a long time now. ive been getting bored with it, and i think it's time for change. would ableton live be the way to go? and why?
is it easier to program and assign knobs to midi controllers? hows the sequencer? etc etc

[findthesolution]

I use ableton live 5, and from my personal experience, its more of a sketch tool than a workhorse, "do-it-all" type DAW. Its great for performing your music at gigs, as well as getting some ideas for tracks layed out. You can use all your favorite VSTs and AU plugins that your heart desires.

the sequencer is actually pretty nifty. There are a couple of different ways of using it, but neither is anything better than what you would use in Logic or Cubase. Its like peeling a grapefruit, or cutting it in half.

I use Live as a suppliment to Logic and Reason...I make loops in those programs, then sequence and manipulate those loops in Live. It makes for some very interesting results.

[fresh_an_funky_design]

if your bored of cubase, use logic its spot on

[heavy beats]

i dont want to switch to a mac though.

[davethedrummer]

to be honest
you'll probably find ableton a real pain in the ass after using cubase
but if you stick with it you'll begin to see the benefits
and creatively it might inspire you.
but you can't beat the cubase arrange window , it's the best layout of all
even logic doesn't quite beat it ( and i use logic now )

anyway i've just got ableton 5
and it's wicked but using it to play external midi hardware is a bit sloppy
and it's midi sync at the moment is crap too

4 was better , 3.4 was better still for reliabliity and tightness
but 5 has a load of cool options and the arrange page has been improved.
definitley worth checking out
download the demo and try that first before you buy

www.ableton.com

[curly]

I used to use cubase but have now switched to ableton live 5. For creativity and insperation live is the way to go as it is very quick to try out some ideas, There is also the abilty to save your parts and use them in other tracks. One of the main draw backls of ableton was not being able to use the cubase vst's so I couldn,'t just import some of my old tracks, but that is a stiegburg limitation. on the whole i feel ableton to be a good choice. You also get a t shirt if that makes any diffrence, but no cake.

[rhythmtech]

y not try sonar? i just switched from cubase a few months back and i love it!

[SlavikSvensk]

i like cubase but have trouble using it for cutting up digital audio. maybe it's just me being stupid though. wouldn't be the first time... ;)

[tekara]

I too have also been a heavy Cubase SX user.

I am now facing a very similar position as Heavy Beats. I can either upgrade and get Cubase SX3, and never look back again......or i can try Abelton Live 5.

Everyone keeps telling me how much of an awesome program Live is, and how much more 'inspirational' it is than Cubase. I dont exactly know what is more inspirational about one program more than the other, but i am very tempted to find out myself the credibility of such remarks by giving Live a shot.

The problem with me, is that im constantly thinking whether SX3 is such a major upgrade from the original SX that it will inspire me to use the program more often. I can only afford to buy one, but not both. Any suggestions?

[TechMouse]

I'm still using Cubase at the moment.

If I was going to move into something else it would probably be Max/MSP or Reaktor.

If I'm going to take the time to learn something new, I want to learn something totally new, which is likely to take my music in very odd and different directions.