Breakfast With Steve

I’ve been screwing around with Ableton Live 6 for about a week now and I’m hooked.

Now, I’ve been using SAW software for 13 years now, and Live is the most radical shift for me since I started using VSTi instruments. Finally a program that takes away the learning curve and lets you just CREATE!

I started out using Live with DJing in mind. I imported the Simian Mobile disco remix of The Klaxons’ Magick. This tutorial I found on Youtube showed how easy it was to “warp” the track, which basically means setting up the tempo of the track and allows it to be stretched. (Thanks, “clowwny”!)

Then I did the same thing with another song ( Audion – Mouth to Mouth) and within a minute, I could cut freely between them, loop a section, and add audio effects instantly.

The included effects range from pretty standard (eq, compression, reverb, delay) to pretty innovative. My favorite is Beat Repeat. This effect capturers frgments of your audio clip and repeats it in sync with the track. There are endless possibilities with it’s controls for pitch, duration, filter, and segment size.

I’m really interested in using live to write music. I’m gonna take Live on the Small Sins tour, and hopefully I’ll have a track to post by the time I get home.