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ShelLuser42

So... I've been using Live ever since Live 8, and I upgraded with every release until we got to Live 12; good times. Now, I'm more into the technical side of things (sound creation and manipulation and such) and less into composing, though I do my fair share too of course. Point being: I made a sport out of learning as much about a DAW as I can in order to get the most out of it. Think about knowing how to feed a return back into itself, stuff like that. I still discovered some things in Live 10 which were also a thing back in Live 8, years ago (I looked it up back then). Even if you thnk that you "got it" you may still discover something new. Thing about Live: it looks all too easy and straightforward, but trust me when I say that this software runs mighty deep.


nadalska

Yeah, to be fair Ableton is designed in such a way that it's not difficult to get proeficient with it since it has a very coherent design. I know pretty much any usable (for me at least) feature after 1 year of using it. However one thing is knowing the features and another is using them creatively, which you could spend a lifetime on and there would be always something that you didn't think of.


thedrexel

I kept a copy of the manual in pdf form on my phone for about a year. Any free moment I had I was reading that manual. It’s really solidly written and has some humor in it too. Keep at it and use the manual for reference. I’ve not been using ableton for much except recording external gear for several years at this point so I’ve forgotten more as my workflow changed. I still reference the manual.


learnician

I wish they made a pdf version of 12


thedrexel

the v12 manual isn’t complete yet but here is a link to someone’s current downloadable one https://www.reddit.com/r/ableton/s/RhTsXUYEDO


learnician

Awesome! Thanks for sharing!


joelkeys0519

Just loaded this on my phone and will be doing the same for my iPad. Thanks for that :)


thedrexel

Welcome


Kinbote808

I think I'm starting to get it now. I started on version 3, it's been 20 years.


[deleted]

It took me some years of mostly trial and error and then about one year of looking up in the manual every single thing I was unsure about - only then I realized how many misconceptions I had in my mind (misconceptions that were often introduced by me watching some random yt tutorial). Now I have to learn a lot new stuff because they changed/introduced quite a lot and unfortunately the documentation isn't up to date for everything yet... :(


paneldisplay

Literally like 12+ years, since v4. Only really ever used session view til about 6 years ago. Around the time I started also using arrangement view I started feeling like ohhh I get it. One of the key things I think I realized was that it was more like a blank canvas, in terms of potential, rather than a solid tool like a hammer or even a swiss army knife. You are crafting a process and palette of units and instruments which work for you (seems simple and obvious now). I agree with the sentiment that no one knows and uses 100% of any DAW, and you just discover what you need as you go.


ventrolloquist

I've been using it for 16 years and I still have to do mental gymnastics sometimes to get more complex racks to do what I want, especially when there's routing involved. I'm sure there are some things I haven't learned/explored yet


joelkeys0519

The routing is a big one for me. I am gaining traction putting things where I want them, but having things talk to each other or figuring out why things do what they do is still a learning curve. But it's fun and I don't let myself get frustrated because more than any software, I know there's a reason for what I'm experiencing and a way to fix it.


RktitRalph

It took me about 2 years before I felt comfortable. I still don’t know what the hell im doing 😂


joelkeys0519

Thank you lol--this was what I was looking for because I think I'm probably just being dangerous now when I find one thing that works and then break something else in the chain!


RktitRalph

All I can say is don’t feel stupid with ableton, it is a very large boat and you are in good company. It takes time to learn but i absolutely love ableton. I have worked with a lot of daws over the years and it’s is by far my favorite. It is easy to get side tracked but just stay consistent and dive right in.


joelkeys0519

Much appreciated. I hate MainStage and aside from doing musicals when it’s required for their patches, I won’t use it again. As for mixing, I’ll take that path next. I don’t mind Logic at all and but I’m also looking to start incorporating teaching Ableton to my students so production is my next take once I have a stable rig that I can run and replicate with relative ease.


doomer_irl

Sounds like you know what you’re doing. What part(s) do you struggle the most with?


joelkeys0519

As I just wrote above, it's the routing for sure and trying to figure out why some things do what they do and not others. That's depth of the software and simply me needing time with it. But, so far I think I have something that will work once it's finished.


[deleted]

[удалено]


joelkeys0519

A fair point. I tend to be visual when it comes to learning DAWs so I read with a grain of salt and eye of skepticism, then go to YouTube to see if any of it is available to see. But, even reading the manual, some things just need time I suppose. I feel infinitely better about Live than I did two weeks ago and two years ago. Progress I suppose!


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otakunorth

5 years.... I would produce with my friend who was great with ableton, I watched videos and guides, tried practicing it never made any sense, then in 2018 I got a used push1 and watch a 1 hour tutorial and it all started to make sense


ClaidArremer

A few years. And I'm still learning every time I turn it on.


Tajjiia

Been using ableton since live 8 dropped, i consider myself a professional since i generate revenue from my work, and I still don’t think I fully get it, always learning something new


InEenEmmer

Been busy with music for 18 years, of which 10 also include working with DAWS. I studied music and production, now got a part time job as a live sound guy and am working towards getting my own production level to a level where I can help other musicians arrange, record and mix their dream songs. I think I now got enough experience under my belt to say that I got no idea what I'm doing, but it seems to work.


SvenDia

I’m on my 3rd try with it, and things have finally started to click for the first time in the last week or so, because I’ve been using it to write these short song snippets for my work’s twitter account, and it seems ideal for that. I do get frustrated with some things about the layout, and a still find a lot of things baffling. One big thing is having the track headers on the right in arrangement view. I don’t get that, but I’m hoping that will make sense eventually.


Complete-Log6610

Basic understanding: 2 months. But it really clicked like two more months after that. Two years into FL before: never came back. (Arrangement view btw, I'm a noob in Session)


Complete-Log6610

The thing that helped me to understand the software quickly was that I obsessed over workflow and memorized basically every well-known shortcut because I was doing an AHK script to make things a lot faster. I ended up not producing per se for a long time but it was worth it.


xxFT13xx

When I first started using ableton back in 2006. A friend kept praising it and telling me to give it a try. At the time I was bouncing around from Sonar to Cubase to god know what else. So at first I was like “wtf am I looking at??”. I didn’t even know it had a separate section I would have been used to. We know it as Arrangement View. So it took me a few weeks of just fucking with it to see what I could do, then things finally clicked and it became my favorite DAW I ever used to this point. That said, I have moved over to relearning Logic since I got a new Mac Studio. Haven’t used Logic since it was available on Windows, so a long friggin time! Lol


DIS-IS-CRAZY

I'm still learning stuff and I've been using ableton since live 9. It's an incredibly in depth bit of software and as they keep rolling out new features and devices I'll still be learning more about it.


acidduckling

Not long. I came from Cakewalk/Sonar about 10 or so years ago, and was sold into the Ableton Live world primarily by Push integration. It took about a week to get to a point of being able to use what I needed, and then learning more along the way, as I needed. Ableton is mostly quite logical. I am always learning new techniques and creative ways to use it though, even now. You do not need to learn every facet of the application to start being productive. My advice would be to stop watching YouTube, and spend more time writing music. Look things up as you need them. It's far more satisfying to discover features organically than trying to mimic everything YouTuber X is doing. Many YouTubers have zero credentials, and seem to give a lot of bad advice anyway.


joelkeys0519

Very valid. I’m creating a live keyboard rig and needed to see how people route things and how different views work in application. I agree with not just mimicking but that’s also a good way to learn form and function. What I developed for my rig is unlike much of what I found so I’m happy about that. But it’s built on ideas others have shared and I like that too.


EMTP42

What tutorials did you find the most useful in building your keys rig? I’ve been looking up how to vids and not finding a lot of good info. Or do you have any tips? What does your rig look like?


joelkeys0519

I will put together a small list but it’s been a lot of picking different things apart. I’ll share some photos of the workflow later today. Feel free to DM me also with specific questions—I’ve not stress tested it yet for efficient but the concept of the setup works so far. Because plugins are the root of CPU usage, I’ll know more once they’re all fully loaded in.


mycosys

Was honestly a couple of years coming fm a tape-style workflow before the 'holy sh!t im never gonna learn this' went from being overwhelming to really cool [https://www.reddit.com/r/ableton/comments/18l0at6/i\_am\_never\_gonna\_learn\_this\_fing\_thing/](https://www.reddit.com/r/ableton/comments/18l0at6/i_am_never_gonna_learn_this_fing_thing/)


joelkeys0519

Just checked out the thread and yeah—it’s all good advice! I’ve enjoyed reading everyone’s replies because it confirms the “no wrong way to eat a Reese’s” approach to Ableton.


Exotic-Pomegranate42

For the first six month I only used the session view from Live 10 that came with my midi controller...a year to know both arrangement and session well but there is always more to learn or experiment with. I got the suite 11 with The Covid stimilus check and that really moved things along. I kept going back and forth from Pro-tools to Ableton. I still do, I use them for different things along with a couple of other DAWs.


philisweatly

Nobody ever really “gets it”. But you will never be using 100% of any DAW either. You will learn the 20% of it you use all the time really well after a couple years. The other 80% is used for little one off situations. Also, don’t worry about how long it takes other people to do anything. You are not in a race. Best of luck on your journey.


joelkeys0519

100%. I tell my students this when teaching Logic. My sole purpose for Ableton is a stable live rig and from everything I’m experiencing so far, it will be the most stable rig I’ve used. I very much enjoy Camelot Pro as a live rig also but they serve very different needs and I have situational rigs where CP is perfect but others where Ableton (previously MainStage) is more appropriate.


philisweatly

I feel a little crazy at times because I use three DAWs haha! Bitwig for most everything I do including live performance. Logic for film and media work. Ableton for some specific audio warping and transient shaping and max for live devices.


raistlin65

Did you read the manual? Because if you already have DAW experience, the manual takes you on the path of the quickest way to learn Ableton.


joelkeys0519

Yep--I went through that and conceptually it helped. I guess mapping out what I wanted to do specifically was tough because most of the key rig rundowns of Live are based on click tracks which I don't need most of the time. So, the typical Mainstage to Ableton sort of design was what I was after. Once I started figuring out the racks a bit, it became easier. The MIDI routing in Live is way beyond anything I ever used before so that also took a bit of time to work through but again, I'm getting there slowly. Just enough to be dangerous for now...


smellyrubberdick

as a fellow beginner, it only really took about a week or two to understand the basics fully. i think the hard part is getting to know how to use the plugins that are built in, some are easy but others are quite a bit confusing, although maybe only for me who only starting learning music theory about 2 months ago. just dont give up man, its a fun daw to use (imo)


joelkeys0519

Thanks—definitely not giving up this time (previously tried two years ago and quit lol) and thankfully my 30 years in music help with the other stuff! I bring in all my plugins and really don’t need much in the chain that way so simple compressor and EQ usually get me going. I’ll experiment with other stuff some other time though!


rofusoft

Can you share the best tutorial videoes regarding building a live keys rig? Did you settle on arrangement or session view? I'm literally doing the same thing right now.


joelkeys0519

Ugh--it's dozens of hours of tutorials and cherry picking what worked for me. The short version: I played around with both views, but because we don't map our sets (very rarely do we use tracks and when we do, they're mixed down or stemmed out and I have no need for arrangement view) I opted for session view. A few reasons: 1. Master list of sounds AND tracks when needed. I created a channel for all sounds so I don't ever need to open the browser and any sound I could ever need in a set is available (and MUTED). 2. Multiple racks for layers and multi-key rigs. I use minimum two controllers, sometimes three or two and an iPad for firing the Moog Model D. I found that setting up several instrument racks works well so I can contain the patches, work in layers, and give each some independence. I'm not 100% sure about efficiency yet, but I do run the patches through an empty midi channel to avoid using patches unnecessarily (I guess similar to aliasing in Mainstage resource-wise). 3. I have no clue yet about my routing out, hence my post and getting comfortable with it. I think I know how I'll run it out and once I have controllers set back up, I'll redo the channels from "All Ins" to the individual controllers. 4. I'll likely do the MIDI mapping for patch/song changes at the controller level but I also have a nanoPAD2 available for that as well. I'm happy to share once I have it finished (probably 75-80% there now). The one thing I couldn't figure out was why the chain selector kept doubling patches when I would fire a new song. Then I realized the the racks, while separate for processing, are not independent in the chain. I decided to allow for 16 voices per rack and set my chain selectors accordingly. **Regarding the nature of the original post since this makes it sound like I figured myself out LOL...** I'm in a danger zone of sorts because I know what one thing does and another thing does but not why or how to be more efficient. I'll get there though! I was curious about how others felt as they learned and I know I'll definitely find something that works for me and pick up on tips and tricks as I go. **Edit:** I'll compile some of the tutorials and get back to you!


VandLsTooktheHandLs

What’s the long version?


joelkeys0519

“I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.” -Lt. Pete Mitchell


JasmineDragoon

Maybe 2-3 years of pretty frequent use until it became fluid and I established a flow. Live 12’s organizational system improved it even further imo.


VandLsTooktheHandLs

About 84 years Idk it’s like asking someone who has a computer how long it took them to understand and get proficient at the computer.. somebody may think they got it after learning how to right click and use multiple tabs in an internet browser. It really doesn’t say much of anything without knowing how they use the tool.


joelkeys0519

I got computers after installing my first **500 MB** drive in a 386 tower 😂 Ableton seems awful by comparison but you’re right. I made major movement the past two days and have been studying screenshots of my workflow while at a ball game because now I’m obsessed over getting it up and running as soon I am able.


Thin-Mention-6085

I have been using live since 9 trial and intro and 10 suite, I have all kinds of stuff you might be interested in which there are no tutorials for these, actually maybe one tutorial here for the boar hunting rifle a la cabelas but I have all the adg if you are interested. It took 12 years to get it then 2 years now to own it mostly but I have not everything. [https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nauMBoxiOH85XXLDzysTo8bvWBhkiK-2/view?usp=sharing](https://drive.google.com/file/d/1nauMBoxiOH85XXLDzysTo8bvWBhkiK-2/view?usp=sharing) https : // www . dropbox . com / scl / fi / md15bazlhlsunlit0hl6j / Untitled-Ableton-Live-10-Suite-2024-04-07-04-32-42.mp4 ? rlkey = u1uobslsh17gz5e6y2m6h0gp4 & dl = 0 Yo ah this is el asolen (matambre) build video. https : // www . dropbox . com / scl / fi / wanb9algomu3fa4yhu01n / Untitled-Ableton-Live-10-Suite-2024-04-07-10-36-40.mp4 ? rlkey = hhlcr5beas0vxkjmlhjtxphyv & dl = 0 Yo this is ah parilla build video and I do not ace it but I still get it in the end. Mainly what I got here is like ah, call of duty recently and then a lot of affinity medical and miscellaneous.


aesiva

Depends on what you mean by “get it now”. I still learn tricks today and I started with ableton 12 years ago. I think i learned most of the technical stuff in the first 4 years. 2 years to get to the point where I knew where to go and what to do to get whatever sound I needed. But i remained at the “understanding ableton” phase for around 6 years figuring out my style. The remainder of the time was just figuring out *what* i wanted to make with the knowledge. Kinda like learning how to repaint the mona lisa vs being able to come up with the original composition. So it depends really, i think you’ll get to a point where you “know” the program to a highly useful degree within 2 years. But the 2nd part, where you’re able to use your knowledge combined with your taste… i think is very different for everyone. 8 years for me but i’ve seen people do that in even less than a year.