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Subject:Ableton Live 4 / Sonar 4!?
Posted by: buckaroo
Date:8/15/2004 5:56:28 AM

Just been trying Ableton Live 4, its a nice prog (just like Acid 5 could be)

I hope Sony are taking notes! :-) There is rumours of Sonar 4 soon too!

Come on Sony Knock em dead with Acid 5! - Live 4 is good with VST's/and External Midi (i still use some hardware) but dont get me wrong, i still think Acid 5 would knock these dead if it was done right...

Just my 2 cents..

Subject:RE: Ableton Live 4 / Sonar 4!?
Reply by: Rajah
Date:8/15/2004 3:28:49 PM

Do you really think Acid can catch up?

http://www.computermusic.co.uk/issue/issue.asp

Subject:RE: Ableton Live 4 / Sonar 4!?
Reply by: buckaroo
Date:8/16/2004 12:11:46 AM

EXACTLY!

I have just bought this issue and im wondering the same thing Rajah - Can it catch up? its been ages since Acid 4 and that still has loads of issues.

Ableton 4 is being touted as a brand new DAW that changes everyones concept of Audio/Midi now, so not just a looping tool like Acid

I hope Sony read these posts?! :-)

Subject:RE: Ableton Live 4 / Sonar 4!?
Reply by: JohnnyRoy
Date:8/16/2004 6:40:34 AM

> Do you really think Acid can catch up?

Do you really think ACID wants to catch up? Sonar and Ableton Live are multi-track recording tools that complete with Sony Vegas, which is Sony’s multi-track DAW software. ACID is not, and I don’t think it will ever be, a multi-track recording tool so why are you even comparing the two?

The real question now is, when will Vegas get MIDI support like Sonar and Ableton Live? Now that Vegas supports ACID Loops, MIDI support is the only thing that’s missing. There lies the real problem. Sony doesn’t have a software package to compete with Sonar and Ableton Live, they have the function split into two packages: ACID and Vegas. Since ACID and Vegas can’t even be ReWired together, you still don’t have a multi-track MIDI/Audio solution from Sony!

I would compare ACID to Reason and Project 5, not Sonar and Ableton Live. That would be a more fair comparison to me. The most glaring difference that I see is in the price/performance. All of there programs cost about the same as ACID and they all give you a nice collection of DXi or VSTi SoftSynths. ACID gives you no VSTi’s! I would like to see Sony make some deals with VSTi vendors and include some in the price of ACID.

If Sony made a deal with Native Instruments to include the XPRESS KEYBOARDS package with ACID that would be sweet. Then you would have NI’s B4 EXPRESS, Pro-53 EXPRESS, and FM7 XPRESS as a good starter set of VSTi’s. It only costs $95 retail so I’m sure NI and Sony could work a deal to include it cheaply.

Anyway, it would be interesting to know who Sony thinks ACID’s competition is.

~jr

Subject:RE: Ableton Live 4 / Sonar 4!?
Reply by: Iacobus
Date:8/16/2004 10:16:36 AM

My feelings mirror JohnnyRoy's. ACID has always been touted as a loop-based music tool. It's a looper, not a multitracker like the "swiss army knife" apps like SONAR.

Live needs to catch up to ACID in the flexibility department. It still cannot render to or work with MP3, WMA or other media formats such as QuickTime or MPEG. ACID Pro (and the other apps in Sony's line) is more of a perfect fit for the multimedia producer than Live is. Live is more geared toward just the musical, while ACID Pro is more geared towards the multimedia professional, not just music. We really are talking apples and oranges here.

If you wanted my opinion, apps like Live could also take a lesson from Sony in regards to the GUI department. I look at Live and I want to scream in frustration.

And no digs or anything, but personally, Computer Music sucks.

Iacobus
-------
RodelWorks - Original Music for the Unafraid
mD's ACIDplanet Page
Guitars 4 Kids

Subject:RE: Ableton Live 4 / Sonar 4!?
Reply by: merlyn60
Date:8/16/2004 11:15:44 AM

I'm completely with you when it comes to Vegas getting Midi added to it. That's all thats missing from it. I've been saying that for ages!

Subject:RE: Ableton Live 4 / Sonar 4!?
Reply by: rome
Date:8/16/2004 11:18:53 AM

Live is is amazing. It's pretty much geared towards looped based material, but it's one of the most flexible programs out there. It's GUI is intimidating but once you get past that you'll see that it is needed and perfectly fits it's functions. Multitrack or not, It's definetely a competitor to Acid.

What the heck is computer music?

Subject:RE: Ableton Live 4 / Sonar 4!?
Reply by: JohnnyRoy
Date:8/16/2004 1:37:12 PM

> What the heck is computer music?

It’s the magazine from the UK that was referenced in Rajah’s post.

~jr

Subject:RE: Ableton Live 4 / Sonar 4!?
Reply by: buckaroo
Date:8/16/2004 2:13:22 PM

Vegas with Midi would be cool... and i agree that Live's GUI is like Microsoft Excel on Acid! ( NO PUN INTENDED!)

Acid 5 should be : Vegas 5 with MIDI and VST's and stability.. plus a few other things that ive forgotten right now!!!

Acid GUI is straight fwd and great - but when will we see this elusive software?

I may ask for Acid 5.0 for my 40th Birthday..




(i'm 27)!!

Subject:RE: Ableton Live 4 / Sonar 4!?
Reply by: Zacchino
Date:8/16/2004 4:56:17 PM

Live 4 competes with Super Duper Music Looper™. Not Acid 5. Acid 5 will burn them out ^^

Subject:RE: Ableton Live 4 / Sonar 4!?
Reply by: buckaroo
Date:8/17/2004 12:00:09 AM

Live 4 competes with Super Duper Music Looper™. Not Acid 5. Acid 5 will burn them out ^^

Lets hope so, but many people are starting to wonder as no one gets any info on here from Sony...

Subject:RE: Ableton Live 4 / Sonar 4!?
Reply by: Spirit
Date:8/17/2004 5:41:56 AM

Project 5 doesn't record audio so I can't see how that could be compared with Acid ! Reason's big strength is its "complete bundle" aspect - again nothing like Acid.

Of course Ableton4 is Acid's big competitor - why do you think it's the number one app that gets mentioned by people in this forum again and again ?

And Vegas died as a music app a long time ago. There was sweet f.a. added for musicians in the 5 release. If Sony were serious about audio in Vegas they would have done a lot more.

It's up to Acid 5 to come up with audio goods.

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