My name is Enrique, and although i’ve seen this site linked in many other places i had never actually gone to it until i saw it on Attack of the Show. I
I’ve been djing on vinyl for about 6 years and have gone fully digital for the past two. My current setup consists of an Allen & Heath Xone 4d and traktor pro and while i’m happy with what it allows me to do i just keep thinking there’s a whole other world out there i’m not familiar with, that being Ableton.
I have played around a bit with the lite version of Ableton 6,7 and have managed to warp tracks and do the standard crossfade A to B.
Finally to the question, i sometimes see some DJs laptops displaying ableton with tons of clips across many audio tracks. What is that all about? Is each clip really a different “song”? The same track split up as though they were cue points? That’s just a question that has been nagging me for a while.
Well, It can be set up however you like honestly! When I DJ with live I have upwards of 200 clips, but probably only around 80 tracks. Those tracks are cut into specific ‘cues’ or loops that I use for different uses in addition to a large selection of loops (I have a signature kick drum and snare that I play through most of the set.). Some people just have a large music library that they use. It all depends on what YOU want your workflow to be. I’ve found that when starting to work with ableton (when moving from serato and vinyl) My most difficult obstacle was developing a workflow that worked for me. It took me close to 6 months to find the right workflow where I felt comfortable playing out and that it became smooth and second natured to use.
Spend some time looking at other people’s workflows and asking questions and just playing around and I guarantee you’ll find that CHOICE workflow.
Remember, thanks to MIDI there’s no longer any rules to how you have to design things. Get creative and create something that is unique to YOU.
Welcome! similar story here, turntablist/bedroom DJ for many years but the past 1 1/2 have been entirely devoted to ableton; long time reader but joined the forum only to get some cool traktor mappings for my APC 40.
I cannot stress this enough: Ableton is the single greatest musical innovation that I’ve seen in my lifetime, and will completely change the way you approach and even listen to music. Its all the power and intricacies of a studio pro tools setup distilled down into decks and a mixer-type layout that becomes second nature to seasoned dj’s. What those decks do and what sounds come out of them, and how your mixer blends and effects those sounds are completely up to you.
DO IT. Im serious man, convert. It takes time, tons of time, to get over the learning curve, but especially now with max4live, you will see that you can do anything you can possibly dream up. Once youre comfortable, grab an APC 40 and prepare to fall in love with music all over again.
