Going back to Ableton Live

Little bit background. Ableton Live was my first DAW. Three or four years ago I moved to Cubase because I wanted to have MPE. Change was refreshing. I got new inspiration. Felt my music got better. Mainly because of all chord and scale assistant functions. I missed few things from Live but tried to make it work in Cubase. But after initial inspiration boost it wasn’t that motivating. Didn’t want to have two DAWs. I kept using Cubase because it had some functionality I really liked.

After setting proper studio space and learning joys of hands on control problems of Cubase became more and more obvious. I started to think what I could do if I used Live instead. There were more reasons than just MPE why I changed the DAW. Latest version of Live has fixed those. Cubase still has some advantages over Live but Live has now more advantages over Cubase. At least on how I use DAW and what I want from it.

Cubase is really bad with external gear. New studio setup is mostly external gear and few software synths. Cubase’s midi remote has helped with midi controllers but it isn’t anywhere near what Push can do. There is reason why midi keyboard demos show DAW connectivity with Live. Live’s interface allows controllers do much more than Cubase’s. Cubase’s DAW controls have been limited to quite basic functions. Midi remote helps with that but it still isn’t as good as Live’s.

Cubase lacks even some basic functionality when you want to control external synths. They have broken device panel system and you can’t rename CC controls. If you want to control hardware synths, best option is to buy plugin that controls the synth. Then you have to hope makers of plugins update plugins when synths get firmware updates. I had to leave synths from setup because there wasn’t controller plugins for them. Live has Max4Live. You get free Max4Live devices. You can make easily your own controller if there isn’t one available. You don’t have buy plugin controllers for your synths.

I don’t uninstall Cubase. It is still better if you want to make music for videos. It is better if you want to have lot of tracks. My music don’t have many tracks. I want to set tracks quickly. Live is better for that. In Cubase you have to spend lot of time to create templates you can use when you want to do something. After you have set the templates it is quicker but only if you do things those templates are made for. Live is better for quickly trying different ideas. Most importantly Live has Push which minimizes need of mouse and watching the screen.

Now it is time to learn to use Live again and set it up the way I wanted. I wasn’t thinking about the change but Live had Black Friday sale and so did Udemy. Udemy had Live tutorials. Couldn’t find similar tutorials for Cubase. Situation was almost like when I made change from Corel Painter to Clip Studio Paint. One program had online courses and one didn’t. Cubase’s situation isn’t as bad as Painters. Cubase has tutorials online. You can find how to do everything after you learn Cubase has that feature. Or you can follow few Youtube channels to learn about the features. Painter basically didn’t have anything like that. But it is better to have online course which teaches you everything- Music theory courses I have bought use Ableton Live. I bought them when I wasn’t planning to get back to Live. They aren’t Live specific but it is better if you use same software.

I might have to change my opinion on software synths

I am trying to concentrate on drawing. Have drawn almost everyday since Inktober. Got idea for drawing project. Started drawing course for that. But for some reason I find other things to distract me from drawing. Setting homestudio and playing with synths have become really interesting.

This started from watching OB-X8 vs Arturia’s OP-Xa V blind test. OB-X8 is analog synth and OP-Xa V is software synth. Both sounded so similar guys couldn’t tell which one was analog and which was software. I couldn’t either. I have OP-Xa V. Wanted to do similar test. I don’t have OB-X8 but I have OB-6. I know those are two different synths. In blind test both synths tried to sound like OB-Xa. There very few times when OB-6 and OP-Xa V even should sound similar. Different modulation, filters and oscillators. That wasn’t the point. Both have Oberheim sound.

I wanted to test if OP-Xa V sounds analog or digital when compared to similar sounding analog synth. I was surprised how well it did. Have done similar test with Prophet 6 (analog) and U-He’s Repro 5 (software). Again different instruments which don’t try to sound like same instrument. That time test was short one. Prophet 6 just sounded better. This time it was different. OP-Xa V sounded more usable. OB-6 sounds magical but it doesn’t fit everywhere. Point is OP-Xa V sounded analog enough against OB-6. It sounded more processed but still analog.

Found it useful to have with OB-6. That is a big thing. Software sounded analog enough when compared against analog synth. Before this I felt software synths were good for sounds analog synths can’t produce but not good enough if you have similar analog synth. Now I know there are software synths which can hold their own against analog synths. OP-Xa V is one. Latest version of Arturia’s CS-80 V is another. I can’t compare it to similar analog synth. Those are really expensive. Arturia’s versions add functionality originals should have had. It is hard for me to justify getting analog clone of CS-80 now. Deckard’s Dream is closest to obtainable but at the moment I can’t see no point in getting one when CS-80 V does so good job.

Not saying all Arturia’s V synths can hold their own against analog synths. These two can, Can’t name third one. Haven’t tested all of them. Talking about Arturia’s V synths. Arturia hasn’t advertised it but some of the synths work with MPE. Not all. OP-Xa V and latest CS-80 V do. I was surprised to find that out. It is on manual but who reads those.

I have seen videos where software synths are compared against analog synths. In those they can be made to sound similar. It is different when you use the synths. This was the first time software synth sounded analog enough when I compared it against analog synth.

I am on Mastodon

Twitter told me threatening pull someone’s arm off from its socket is not threat of violence. So I checked Mastodon.

After couple hours I have found few accounts to follow. When they activate after eventual collapse of Twitter I should have best parts of Twitter at Mastodon. Mastodon is not as easy to use as Twitter. Took instruction from other user to learn how to follow users from different servers. It is not too easy and depends on what version of Mastodon the server uses. To tell Mastodon I really own this site I have to add link with certain attribute in it to site. What happened to doing it in meta data like before? If first paragraph looks weird that is the reason.

Can’t say much about user experience yet. I have just added new users to follow. This post is mostly for announcing I am at Mastodon and to get that verification link to site. After initial confusion it looks something I could start to use. After Elon bought Twitter I went to check what Tumblr looks like today. User I followed before weren’t active anymore with few exceptions. Not sure where to activate now when Twitter is going down. I give Mastodon a shot and try to post something to Tumblr too. Links to both sites are under Links.

Old new keyboard

That keyboard post I promised earlier. Home studio is ready now or what is the correct word. But there is always something that could be changed. Been looking for 61 keys midi keyboard. There isn’t “that is the one” keyboard on market. Native Instrument’s Komplete Kontrol S61 would be nice but you have to you Native Instrument’s own plugin to get the scales functionality. Novation’s SL61 mk3 don’t have too much functionality with Cubase and I haven’t been too happy with Novation’s keyboards before. Arturia’s Keylab 61 would just be what I have but with more keys.

Then I remembered I still have M-Audio’s Axiom Pro. It is quite old but it has my favorite keys. Only semi-weighted keys I have had. Stopped using it because I didn’t have room for it. Didn’t think too much of it because I thought it wouldn’t work well as DAW controller because it is quite old. But Cubase 12 introduced new Midi Remote functionality which allows you to map controllers to Cubase’s functions. So it was time to give Axiom Pro a change.

Transport controls and moving from track to track worked when I set correct profile. I was bit surprised. I didn’t expect it to work. Basic track controls (solo, mute, record, monitor etc.) had to be mapped in midi remote. Mapped sliders and knobs to quick controls. Got basic controls mapped. Keylab can do more but I don’t like its keys as much as I like Axiom Pro’s keys. Keylab with hammer action keys or semi-weighted keys would be nice. Haven’t seen any 61 key midi keyboards hammer action keys. 88 key version have those but not 61. Don’t have room for 88 keys.

Getting back to Axiom Pro made me realize how much feel of keys means when you play. Axiom Pro gives more control and feel more like playing with real instrument even when you play software instruments. I think people miss that aspect with midi keyboards and that is why we don’t have hammer action on midi keyboards with 61 or less keys. My “that is the one” midi keyboard would have 61 keys with hammer action and today’s basic DAW integration almost all new midi keyboards have. I don’t need arp or sequencers on midi keyboard. I understand eurorack connectivity is nice but hardware sequencers are better for that. Good keys and enough buttons, knobs and sliders is all I need. Axiom Pro is almost the one. It lacks in DAW integration but I value good keys over DAW integration.

Inktober 2022: Crossover with Cartoonist Kayfabetober

I wanted to do one Inktober/Cartoonist Kayfabetober crossover drawing. Plan was to have it as last drawing. Idea got bigger and bigger. Wanted to do it properly outside Inktober which I keep minimalistic black and white. This is how I normally draw.

Drawing has farm which is 31st day’s prompt in Inktober. Cartoonist Kayfabetober prompts are Street Angel (5), The Crow (11), Jim Rugg (12), Ed Piskor (13), Red Room (17), Cartoonist Kayfabe (26), Lovecraft (30) and The Great Pumpkin (31). Lovecraftian version of The Great Pumpkin counts as both. That makes eight Cartoonist Kayfabetober propmpts. Tom Scioli is the third man. I don’t know what is his status in Cartoonist Kayfabe but he visits the videos quite often. Tried to add as many prompt as possible without making it obvious I try to add as many prompts as possible.

Inktober 2022: Farm

It is over. Inktober 2022 done. Still one bonus drawing to come but that was drawn over a week ago. Nothing special to say about this. Last drawing of Inktober and I just wanted it to be done. Got idea what to draw next during weekend. Spend almost whole day preparing for it. Try to get something publishable some time early next year. If it works out there will be much more drawing.