Ableton Suite

[SlavikSvensk]

okay...all ableton users who have used the synths/samplers/other stuff in suite...

how useful do you find this stuff? do you think it is worth the upgrade fee? what instruments do you like and why? which ones do you not like and why?

[morbid]

im mixed opinion about how much I'd use the full suite

I have ableton 6 with operator and sampler which I use ALL the time

I also run the demo of 8 on the 30 day trial with the full suite and I use hardly any of the extra instruments. Even though I have projects in 8 I tend to just stick to what I know although I do like the sounds I get out of tension

Maybe its my inexperience

Although if I had the money it would go on something else than the upgrade as 8 crashes a lot for me on my setup, 6 does what I need but I couldnt be without at least operator and sampler.

[The_Laughing_Man]

Operator is proving to be really really useful, it appears simple but has great depth.
I absolutely love Collision, it`s unconventional though, but it is great for metallic and feedback based textures, which is something I am very much into.
Analog seems really good so far, although I`m not sure the oscillators hold up that well down real low. But I`m still playing with it and working it out.

I think as an all in one package it should fullfill pretty much all your needs, maybe more so if you are more doing this as a hobbyist.

I`m finding more and more depth with the ableton synths, I`m not convinced yet of abletons analog styled stuff (both their synths and the saturation/tube effects), but I haven`t had the analog synth that long so I¬m still playing.
Electric and Tension do their specific tasks very well, but again I`ve not fully dove into them yet.
And Sampler is fantastic, but ableton are masters of audio manipulation, so it shouldbe expected.

As for performance issues, I have had none with 8, both on the studio workstation and on my laptop. I`ve gigged with version 8 and had zero problems.

[SlavikSvensk]

i use ableton 8, just not the suite.

i was mostly considering it for sampler and collision, both of which should come in handy for me. i don't have a sampler anymore, and have been making do with recycle and various freeware samplers, none of which i particularly like.

have heard great things about operator. i don't necessarily need another FM synth at the moment, but i don't not need one either.

plus it's on sale at the moment :)

[The_Laughing_Man]

yeah at the moment the upgrade price is well worth it.

Operator is actually a very good place to start expanding your FM skills as it is fairly easy to get to grips with compared to monsters like FM8.
I`ve managed to make some cool evolving soundscapes with it, fairly easily.

Collision is great, and the effect unit you get that comes with it also has a lot of other applications.

[herman]

As Steve said Operator is top drawer. Collision is proving to be something of a monster as well once you get your noggin around it. I seem to be getting a lot of mileage from analogue also . The drums that come with Suite as well are worth a mention they might be mostly the standards but when you need those I find them to be a better source than almost anything other than the real thing.

[SlavikSvensk]

i've got FM8 and love it. really powerful...makes beautiful sounds. i'm not exactly an expert with it (i'm trying to teach myself how to make good kick drums with it at the moment), but it's great.

pretty sold on the suite now, fellas. thanks for the input!

[CTRLS]

operator=invaluable to me now, not the cleanest sound but you can get a million different tones from it and a lot of them are big and warm, and as mentioned in the kicks thread it can do some damage percussion wise.

tension=i've actually gotten this to sound pretty convincing when running it thru guitar amp emulators and it can do some fun stuff if abused.

electric=meh, not really that amazing. there are much better rhodes and wurlitzer emulators out there. look into lounge lizard maybe.

analog=as mentioned not capable of delivering huge bass but i've found it pretty effective for creating classic stab type sounds (good for detroit and dub techno. it sits somewhere inbetween an oldschool analog emulation and a digital synth. it definitely has its strong sides and is actually pretty versatile once you dig into it but i could do without it if i had to.

sampler=very cool. i love the fm oscillator and the morph filter. i also like how the modulation section is pretty flexible.

as far as stuff like session drums, drum machines and latin percussion i wouldnt bother. there are better alternatives out there like addictive drums, BFD drums, the d16 plugs and the goldbaby samplepacks.

[herman]

electric=meh, not really that amazing. there are much better rhodes and wurlitzer emulators out there. look into lounge lizard maybe.

Electric is actually coded by AAS so basically it is Lounge Lizard ;)

[CTRLS]

Electric is actually coded by AAS so basically it is Lounge Lizard ;)

i did a shootout, alltho not a very scientific one. everyone (inc real rhodes and wurlitzer players) i know agrees, lounge lizard sounds much nicer. electric's too thin and sharp.