I just find myself getting lost in that huge grid mode, if that’s what you’re talking about. If there’s an alternate way, that would be awesome. I’ll look into that more tomorrow.
Thank you
Hi gang,
i just found a nice post from our “Ex- Octa -Demigod” / Now - Ableton Forum Administrator Tarekith.
Nice read, great music.
“I wrote an entire album in one month with Push 2”
https://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php?f=55&t=219202
Have fun.
Just a colour box - I have all the sequencing I’ll ever need already.
I’ve just started doing a sample-based project, lots of my biggest inspirations - KDJ, Theo Parrish, MAW - did loads of sample based stuff, but I’ve always been more into synths, very possibly because I started off working in Live.
Plus, I’ve never quite been able to get a bunch of disco/soul loops to gel properly - I suspect that part of the problem may be that modern DAWs are too good at faithfully reproducing audio in minute detail … aside from my own lack of skill, obviously.
I had been wedded to the idea that only a 12bit 60/12/1200 would do, presuming that it was only the file handling that’s important, I’m now coming around to the idea that maybe a s3000 or something might help, having factored in converters. Could get one for a third of the price of a s950 - s5000/s6000 are around the same. Mirages are pretty hard to come by around here for decent money, funny enough. Out of the Ensoniqs, the ASR-X seems to be the easiest to pick up cheaply where I am, any thoughts?
Although, in the Rytm I already have a beast character box in my setup, will be doubly so when the OB update lands allowing for easy routing of audio out of my daw (presuming it works). Did a quick and dirty experiment this morning that you can get here with audio examples if anyone’s interested.
Still hasn’t quelled the GAS, but I’m certainly going to wait until I’ve bedded in with OB 1.1 and see if this rumoured Roland sampler actually materialises at NAMM before moving on it.
History is: I have used Live quite a bit but never owned a Push before. I own a Virus TI and Rytm.
I sold my Octatrack and bought Push 2 recently and sold it within the week. Nicely built hardware though. I just found it pointless trying to learn a controller in detail. Not being Push literate I found myself reaching for the mouse anyway. I like Live 9.5 and it goes well with Rytm and Virus but thought it pointless having soo much money tied up in a controller which I would have to upgrade along with Live software and OS software.
For some reason I can easily find the motivation to learn standalone hardware but couldn’t bring myself to learn a controller when the actual software is there in the background where I can quickly dig down to a feature with a mouse.
I might buy an APC mini down the track to fire off sequences in session mode and currently looking at a Pyramid sequencer to replace Octatrack midi sequencing.
For cheap color boxes, think Mirage, EPS16+, s612. All of these will give you what you want for $150-$250.
;)[/quote]
Thanks for the suggestions!
Hey, did you ever get around to trying out the TAL Sampler? I’m interested to hear your impression of it.
Just a colour box - I have all the sequencing I’ll ever need already.
I’ve just started doing a sample-based project, lots of my biggest inspirations - KDJ, Theo Parrish, MAW - did loads of sample based stuff, but I’ve always been more into synths, very possibly because I started off working in Live.
Plus, I’ve never quite been able to get a bunch of disco/soul loops to gel properly - I suspect that part of the problem may be that modern DAWs are too good at faithfully reproducing audio in minute detail … aside from my own lack of skill, obviously.
I had been wedded to the idea that only a 12bit 60/12/1200 would do, presuming that it was only the file handling that’s important, I’m now coming around to the idea that maybe a s3000 or something might help, having factored in converters. Could get one for a third of the price of a s950 - s5000/s6000 are around the same. Mirages are pretty hard to come by around here for decent money, funny enough. Out of the Ensoniqs, the ASR-X seems to be the easiest to pick up cheaply where I am, any thoughts?
Although, in the Rytm I already have a beast character box in my setup, will be doubly so when the OB update lands allowing for easy routing of audio out of my daw (presuming it works). Did a quick and dirty experiment this morning that you can get here with audio examples if anyone’s interested.
Still hasn’t quelled the GAS, but I’m certainly going to wait until I’ve bedded in with OB 1.1 and see if this rumoured Roland sampler actually materialises at NAMM before moving on it.[/quote]
Man if you dig Parrish and KDJ then do yourself and spend $400 on an emax or a s900. Don’t be scared by the high auction prices, they don’t sell at that price, mostly.
You won’t really get that sound on the Rytm - you’ll get a different, great sound though, but not quite that Detroit thing.
I struggle with the one filter on the Rytm - one filter on a drum machine? It’s the biggest flaw on the machine, I think, bottom end kicks are meaty!
Don’t worry about how many bits your sampler is. ASR or EPS16 will give you something pretty special 
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Ah, my laptop died three weeks ago, and I just picked up a new one.
I will try it - I’m sure it’s very good and useful and not as good as the real thing. Now, the difference between the two is totally subjective…
I’ve been watching your thoughts on samplers and preamps vis-a-vis color while simultaneously realizing that one of the things behind my love for hip hop is how colorful it can be due, I think, to the fact that by sampling they’re dipping their brushes into an infinite number of colors as their samples were originally recorded in all sorts of different ways with all sorts of different signal paths, instruments, so and so on (all while using a single sampler/process to Put like a finishing shine on it) I think it’s ruined me, actually. I find myself these days more able to listen through a hip-hop record than other genres. Ive also enjoyed the music you’ve posted so take seriously what you have to say about things.
I’m going to wait until after NAMM to see if this rumoured new Roland sampler is for real. Whatever happens, I’m going to dive head first into cheap samplers, preamp colors (In doing research on this I discovered the api 500 system…droooool) and that TAL Sampler looks bad ass.
Thanks for your input on the matter. It’s got me buzzing.
No problem bro.
Good luck with those endevours! Dropping $400 for a nice 12 bit sound isn’t for everyone, especially if you can get halfway there with software.
But, I feel that you should pursue what you love and be honest about the elements which you love which are lacking in your own music.
So, good luck with your pursuit! My advice, try everything!
Nuts? Nah. Its important to have a configuration of tools that are both productive and inspiring.
Push 2 together w/ Overbridge devices brings a wonderful workflow that gives you the best of everything.
I have an OB/Live template setup right now for tracking that includes Waves API 550 EQs across 16 channels and damn does it sound good. I can get a great mix balance prior to recording, and since I record in realtime, making decisions based on instinct and feel, it influences the composition greatly to have an already polished mix going in during tracking. Push 2 just adapts a world of software (and other hardware, if using M4L editors for other gear) to the Elektron-ish workflow. Hard not to be inspired by that.
I miss my OT, but went for push2. Still trying to learn the new push things, but I am getting better. Here´s a new video and track I did today on a jam.
I’ve been going through the same dilemma as some on this forum, and have decided on, and just ordered a push 2, hopefully to run alongside my AK with OB for recall etc.
I also have an OT, which I think I will keep completely separate from the Live / Push setup.
I think my MD and MnM will take a back seat, and will be sold asap.
For me, as much as I love the sound and electron workflow, I just haven’t got any work finished recently.
I can’t be completely Electron free though, so hopefully the OT with my iPad will be a nice compact live setup, fed with material that I have constructed with Live / AK / punch drum plugin, and also some live looping, fed from a send on a compact mixing desk (we will actually use it as part of a band setup).
For me it’s all about simplifying now, which brings more creativity, through having to learn less tech. Fingers crossed 
My musical world consists of 3 elements:
- Turntables and a mixer
- Hardware synths/sampler (here Elektron gear)
- Ableton + soft synths and MIDI keyboard
Everything has it’s place.
I don’t own Push, but even if I did it wouldn’t replace anything in my setup.
I’ve been watching your thoughts on samplers and preamps vis-a-vis color while simultaneously realizing that one of the things behind my love for hip hop is how colorful it can be due, I think, to the fact that by sampling they’re dipping their brushes into an infinite number of colors as their samples were originally recorded in all sorts of different ways with all sorts of different signal paths, instruments, so and so on (all while using a single sampler/process to Put like a finishing shine on it) I think it’s ruined me, actually. I find myself these days more able to listen through a hip-hop record than other genres. Ive also enjoyed the music you’ve posted so take seriously what you have to say about things.
I’m going to wait until after NAMM to see if this rumoured new Roland sampler is for real. Whatever happens, I’m going to dive head first into cheap samplers, preamp colors (In doing research on this I discovered the api 500 system…droooool) and that TAL Sampler looks bad ass.
Thanks for your input on the matter. It’s got me buzzing. [/quote]
Before I had a few hardware options I’d always be using this plugin on stuff to give it some dust. Saw you mention TAL (which I need to check out asap… Looks great) so if you’re doing work ITB or hybrid check this one out if you haven’t before. I still use this/u-he satin/klanghelm sdrr/waves mpx and other plugs pretty often during mixing if I’m feeling lazy. They all do interesting/nice things to colour sound.
http://www.toneprojects.com/products/plug-ins/sonitex-stx-1260/
I kept my A4, but Push 2 helped clear out a lot of extraneous outboard gear including a few Elektron pieces.
If you don’t have Ableton Live Suite, I can see how it would seem underwhelming.
Once you start messing with Max For Live and the Ableton instruments it begins to open up options you simply don’t have with hardware.
With a UAD Apollo Twin and Octo for my Thunderbolt ports and the A4 and Push 2 taking up my USBs I don’t have room for much else and decidedly don’t need it.
The UAD plugins round out the analog-ish sound I desire quite nicely on things like Operator and Reaktor.
As far as the limitations of hardware helping things productive, I can see that side of it.
If you just use 8 tracks with preloaded instruments and a few effects you can get the same basic limitations.
With Simpler/Sampler and Max For Live I can do polyphonic sampler playback or chop things up and go Octatrack crazy.
Honestly, this is making software so much more viable than even with the first Push.
The pads are light years ahead of the Rytm and I can easily do linear and looping sequences without effort.
The best part though is, if I play live, I can put my MacBook somewhere out of sight and just have my A4 and Push 2 in front of me to perform.
10 out of 10 to Ableton.
Best hardware bridge to a DAW yet.
Would you care to elaborate on this? I’m really interested in a change of work flow at the moment
Aside from things like, say, Operator’s brilliant implementation of FM synthesis with general routing and AFO flexibility, which is IMO far more robust than any hardware FM synth I’ve ever seen, Max opens doors you would never have previously had without a lot of space and a lot of money for different hardware modules.
I’ve heard a lot of complaints on the board about the MNM having 3 LFO’s per track with some pretty flexible routing and other Elektron gear not following suit.
With MFL, I can use, for example, Robert Henke’s (of Monolake and Ableton fame) LFO 2.0 and route as many LFO’s as I want to anything.
Done and done; no more tears.
Furthermore, I can open up that project, assess the guts, and then apply that to something I’ve built and route that to anything I want.
Today, in around an hour, I stitched together a Karplus-Strong patcher I found and modulated 3 parameters with LFO 2.0’s guts to give me slow, crawling delay/flange effects on a wavetable oscillator running through UAD’s Fatso Jr and another A4 oscillator working in tandem with it via midi.
It sounded insane.
MFL alone opens you up to thousands of little knick knacks you can try in tandem with others or bust them open and use the guts for whatever you want.
The addition of Beap makes it even easier because it puts the language into the terminology of modular synthesis.
You can get your feet wet without having a meltdown over advanced visual programming and just experiment.
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Just wondering with the push 2 have you set aside your keyboard too and just using the push 2 entering notes?
Not totally. I play a lot of minor triads and the keyboard is just so easy for that. Plus, I simply enjoy learning different scales on the keyboard.
I use Push as more of an experimental way to play around with melodies and come up with alternate approaches from predictable patterns I might tend to fall into on the keyboard.
Also, for finger drumming or just entering step-sequences for drums, it’s fantastic. Beats the hell out of the old Push 1 pads and Rytm pads. I might even give this a go.
Well, it’s probably going outside my area of expertise, but I’ll just say that even with Push 1 I had a blast controlling my Vermona DRM1-mkIII with the Push pads and step sequencing. You just find the relevant MIDI settings for the instrument and set up a corresponding Drum Rack in Ableton. I’m pretty sure at one point I had control of my MachineDrum UW as well.
Beyond just building ordinary Drum Racks to control MIDI notes, can’t vouch for these but I found them on max4live.com. Might be worth a shot?
http://www.maxforlive.com/library/device/853/elektron-machinedrum-sps-1uwmkii-controller
http://www.maxforlive.com/library/device/2021/machinedrum-love