producing with ableton.... where to start?

[tekara]

I'm in the exact same situation as you.

Although for me, I have tried several times to make this transition, but I always end up going back to Cubase because of comfort. Maybe it's because i've used it for 7 years now and cannot get used to a new layout.

Ableton is amazing for loop manipulation. It can do things to loops that Cubase can never dream of. But for me, in terms of workflow, and midi design, I think Cubase takes this easily. Theres something about Cubase that makes sense for me. I can't wrap my head around the Ableton layout. I find it difficult to use, but I know people that swear by it's workflow.

The Ableton midi programming is still not as superior as Cubase IMO. But one good thing i've noticed about Ableton is that its midi clock is much more accurate than Cubase's. I've found myself pulling out my hair why my 909 keeps drifting out of sync on Cubase, but it locks on perfectly when synced to Ableton.

There's tradeoffs to both applications. I have been trying to make this transition to Ableton myself, but I can't stop going back to Cubase. In hindsight, if I had to start again, I would defintely go Ableton, but for me, its simply now too late.

If you want to get the best of both worlds, I guess you can always sequence in cubase and rewire Ableton for other purposes, but i've noticed this can be quite buggy.

I'm also a bit torn as well.