"Bring up the subject of laptop DJing and you’re likely to spark a debate as heated as the argument about whether Macs are better than PCs. One thing’s for sure though, love it or hate, digital DJing’s here to stay. So where does Ableton Live fit in? Well it’s a lot more than DJ software, that’s for sure. Released in 2001, it’s now at version 7 and has grown into a fully fledged DAW (Digital Audio Workstation) to rival the likes of Logic or Cubase, with a lot of unique features that make it stand out from the crowd. There’s no doubting that the line between DJ and Producer has never been more blurred, and I could certainly write an in-depth review about all the production wizardry contained within Live. Much of that’s really out of scope for me on this occasion though. What I want to focus on is how it can be used to DJ. With the likes of Richie Hawtin and Sasha using Live as a core part of their DJing set ups, and Daft Punk making it the centre piece of the amazing pyramid they perform in during their live shows, it must have something going for it. So what’s all the fuss about?
What really makes Ableton Live so special is its immense versatility. You get traditional DJing features like a crossfader, headphone previewing (with an appropriate soundcard) and EQ on each track. But you also get the ability to manipulate the music you play like never before with a host of advanced controls (more on these in a minute). It’s not necessary to be clicking away with your mouse all the time when using Live either. You can make changes to nearly any setting you like with an external MIDI controller. There are lots of different controllers on the market, and Live is pre-configured to work with many of them, so it shouldn’t be hard to find one that’s right for you. This means the experience of performing with Live can still be hands on.
As with many CD decks you can set and store cue points and loops for later use, meaning you can jump to the right point in a tune and extend or re-order different sections to your heart’s content. This is just the start though, in Ableton Live you can have a whole raft of different songs and audio clips loaded at the same time. You can beat-juggle with multiple copies of the same tune, overlay several different tracks at once, and when you’ve got the hang of it the only limit to the unique arrangements you can construct is your own imagination.
But how do you keep all these different tracks beat-matched together? By the magic of beat warping. This is the process Live uses to set markers in your song wherever the beat falls. Once a track has been warped Live can increase or decrease its speed to match the tempo of your mix. This can be achieved almost automatically with beat heavy, electronically produced, music such as Techno. The same process can also be applied to other styles. If the beat is less distinct, or there’s a bit of fluctuation in tempo, you’ll probably need to make some manual adjustments to get everything set up properly. Fortunately this process is quite intuitive, so you can be mixing your favourite old Reggie or Rock track with some brand new Hip Hop in next to no time. But that’s just one example - anything you’ve warped will automatically be altered to match the tempo of the mix when you add it to your Live set. Maintaining the pitch of tracks is no problem either. Depending on the settings you chose, the track will either maintain its original key when played at differing tempos, or alter with the speed like on a traditional turntable. You can also use the transpose feature to set up versions of the same tune in different keys and create your own melodic progressions." Source & full article available at www.thedjtoolbox.com.
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