OK, I know I’m probably about to open a heated debate but, do I buy Ableton Live or Logic Express (Logic Pro is not an option).

Here’s my situation –

I produce mainly electronic music using loops and Soft synths, although I occasionally record guitar and vocals.
I have previously used Sony Acid but having moved to a Mac this is no longer an option.
Since moving to the Mac I’ve been using Garageband, and whilst I’ve now outgrown it I have found the selection of instruments and effects very useful.
I also DJ, at present using standard vinyl and CD turntables.
I’m on a budget, Logic Express will leave me with a few dollars spare, Live will clear out the piggy bank.

I like the idea of the all in one solution that Logic provides, and am worried that Live will fall short in the soft instruments provided, will there be enough to keep me going until I can afford to purchase some more soft synths?
Logic is probably also closer in concept to the DAW’s I’ve been used to.

However, having tried Live I loved the alternatives provided for song arrangement, the spontaneity of it, and I can see the possibilities for Djing, none of which Logic would provide.
The only thing that concerned me about Live is the audio quality, which seemed a bit rough if tempos are radically changed (is this something to do with warping?).

I’d love to try Logic too, but Apples trial download page doesn’t seem to work (anyone any ideas on this as Apple themselves don’t seem interested).

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated, particularly if you have experience of both products.

I have had the same issue when I changed platforms. So I decided to try both..I went for the Live as i had been using it for a while as well. Logic is a gr8 product, but to be honest I think it is own to pref ion the end. I have friends who use CB and swear by it. I could never get my head round it...

Good Luck!

I would go with Live. I have considered Logic but Live is very intuitive and lends itself really well to the kind of work you do. I wouldn't entirely brush aside Logic though. I would contemplate using Logic in the future as a mixing medium or use it for more complex editing work with audio or midi.

I'm an avid Logic user, and when it comes to Logic vs (Fill in the Blank) I always support Logic, but lately I've been tampering with Live Lite and given the work you are doing it seems like a no brainer to me...Go with Live. And don't discount the soft synths that Live comes bundled with, there are plenty of solid sounds there, they'll keep you busy for quite awhile. in addidion there are also a great deal of tutorial vids on youtube for Live, you should be able to pick up the GUI in no time.

Good Luck

redstrype,

You say you are using Live Lite ? Which features are omitted from the full version of Live, are there a limited number of tracks available for instance.

I had considered buying an M-Audio soundcard (which come bundled with Live Lite) and buying Logic Exp. That way I could upgrade Live in the future and I'd effectively get a soundcard for nothing (I won't bore you with the math!).

Thanks for the replies guys (and gals ?).

Philthy, I just thought I'd throw in my few pennies...

I see Live as being fundamentally different from the other DAWs, such as Logic, DP, Cubase, etc., all of which largely work in a similar way. Live is a great, intuitive and inspirational compositional/constructional tool, but - for me, at least - it's weak for detailed editing and mixing. And there are sound quality issues if you push your processing power too far. So I tend to knock around initial ideas in Live and then export sound files into DP, my favoured DAW, where they evolve in a more conventional way.

But it sounds from what you say that Live would be the ideal tool for the music you're making, and I've no doubt that it *is* possible to produce great finished products completely within Live. My advice would be to go with Live (and maybe add a more conventional DAW at a later date).

I'm not sure what the situation is with Live version 6 is, but Live Lite 5 had a limit of 4 audio and 4 MIDI tracks, and I believe it could also only record 16-bit audio.

Terry

http://www.terryburrows.com
http://www.myspace.com/terryburrows

Thanks for all the replies,

I think I'll go for Live and maybe add Logic Exp at a later date.

Terry I checked some of the tunes on your myspace, nice tunes and nice production, thanks.

I don't think logic express only supports 5 plugins per track. I work on logic pro and whenever you fill up the last plugin slot, a new one appears automatically. Isn't that the same for express??

Sorry, posted this in the wrong place...

This post has been edited by kwasi: Thu 12 Apr 2007, 05:49

Thanks Philthy!

Terry

http://www.terryburrows.com
http://www.myspace.com/terryburrows