“adjusting the swing”… subtle! I have not even played with that Ableton feature yet. The Share Sydney group focuses on minimal techno so your unegotistical attention to detail would be perfect for our jams. If you get around to working in session view that is.

I haven’t worked in Session view myself yet, chosing to actually jam with Traktor while the others use Ableton and because external sync is one of the major *MAJOR* bugs that Traktor has, the workaround is not trivial (and requires obscure hardware). Ableton still crashes when pushed hard but in general it does everything it sets out to do well.

By the way, I really appreciate the timecoded accurate tracklisting: helps us understand the creative process and is respectful to the original artists.

I did indeed use the arrangement view for this. I agree that Live works best with a little prep work, and it wasn’t really designed for DJing. That said, I actually think it’s an excellent tool for arranging studio mixes. I approach mixes intended for listening in a very different way than live mixes, though it’s been years since I’ve played out live. I’ve used Traktor before (an old version, quite a while ago) and it is definitely a different kind of beast. It is much more like mixing records or CDs, for better and for worse.

One thing I did with this mix was really deconstruct many of the tracks, making custom edits, adjusting the swing on some tracks and extending some sections to try to improve the flow. That is the sort of thing that Ableton shines with, but it’s obviously not something you could easily improvise live with any tools.

I also really like Live’s capabilities for sound design, especially with the fully decked-out Ableton 8 suite. Recently, though, I got a Native Instruments Maschine, and I actually find a lot of comfort in its more-limited UI. Ableton’s flexibility can be overwhelming; Maschine strikes a great balance.

I have actually started picking tracks for two new mixes recently. I hope to put them up here soon.

Thanks again for your kind words. I’m looking forward to meeting you in person at the next Immersants meetup.

“using software to beat-match and mix is the easy way out”…

Actually it *is* but you may have been using Ableton in sequencer mode (ie “arrangement view”) rather than loop mode (ie “session view”)? If you come to a Share Sydney gig feel free to ask any of the several Ableton heads for tips.

Ableton is not the best DJ tool though. Despite being called “Live!” it should be called “Live?” because you need to import your tracks in advance. Traktor is *the* DJ tool (albeit buggy).

Since you obviously have a keen ear for detail (your cross-fades are perfect) and now have the Ableton editing knowhow I’m sure you will enjoy its potential for fine detail in making remixes and originals (which is the only thing I ever use it for… especially for acoustic tracks). And with your fine choice of tracks I look forward to them!

I’d love to collaborate with you on something some time. Maybe a back-to-back coast-to-coast tag team. You drop some tracks in ableton, ftp it someplace, I grab it and add stuff, and back and forth.

That could be neat.

-&rew