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Live 11 is out. Opinions on Live vs Logic (considering the recent big updates)

I’m writing an article about how Live and Logic are battling each other. Live 11 adds comping, and the last big Logic Pro update added a bunch of Ableton-like features.

My question is, who prefers Ableton over Logic, and why? Did the Logic clips feature tempt you away?

What about the other way around? Anyone moved to Logic from Live after the last update?

I’m looking for broad reasons, not super nerdy deep feature comparisons.

Any opinions?

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Comments

  • edited February 2021

    I turn to Logic when I just want to record more typical long tracks (songs, compositions). It can do everything, but I find it really annoying and often unintuitive. Commands are all over the place and just generally convoluted workflow in my opinion.

    For a more creative process of pulling together a lot of sources, mining for gold and rearranging, I turn to ableton. Great visual environment (I think), easy timestretching, max for live (including modulators, which I often prefer to automation), works great plug and play with controllers like Akai apc40, excellent built in devices, smooth and I think pretty logical workflow. Huge user base to help with issues and efficiencies.

    But ableton’s features have also grown a bit convoluted and limiting through the years, so I’ve started to use bitwig too ... which is like a clean slate version of ableton. When I’m going right to sound design I start in bitwig. Still has a few more generations I think until I switch from ableton ... but things like every modulator everywhere are awesome.

  • logic pro low latency mode is what got me to switch. Extremely helpful when recording in bigger projects on my laptop. But also i switched for logic's comping features, which now that live has it, maybe i'll have to try it out again.

  • There is no battle. Simple as that.

    The workflows are different enough to let quite a number of musicians end up using both. I do as well.

  • I don't prefer one over the other, I like and use them both for different things and workflows and they both bring out different things. I also use ProTools and MPC hardware and software. I use my iPad for production and my MacBook Pro. I just installed the new Ableton update, haven't used all the new devices but some of them definitely look very cool

  • @PZoo said:
    I turn to Logic when I just want to record more typical long tracks (songs, compositions). It can do everything, but I find it really annoying and often unintuitive. Commands are all over the place and just generally convoluted workflow in my opinion.

    For a more creative process of pulling together a lot of sources, mining for gold and rearranging, I turn to ableton.

    This is exactly my take. I do wonder how Live 11's comping is, because Logic's is just great.

  • edited February 2021

    @mistercharlie said:

    @PZoo said:
    I turn to Logic when I just want to record more typical long tracks (songs, compositions). It can do everything, but I find it really annoying and often unintuitive. Commands are all over the place and just generally convoluted workflow in my opinion.

    For a more creative process of pulling together a lot of sources, mining for gold and rearranging, I turn to ableton.

    This is exactly my take. I do wonder how Live 11's comping is, because Logic's is just great.

    I tried it in the beta and the comping had a nice quick workflow. I bounce between Ableton and Logic. Both are great, and my preference just pretty much depends on my mood!

  • @rs2000 said:
    There is no battle. Simple as that.

    The workflows are different enough to let quite a number of musicians end up using both. I do as well.

    True. I'm not writing a "which is best" piece. That would be pointless, and has already been done too many times. I'm more interested in what people prefer and why. And also, how well they have copied each other recently. These latest updates are all about them copying each other's last unique features imo

  • The recent looping features in Logic, along with the LaunchPad integration definitely got me using Logic more (really dig the loop extracting function), but I still like Live's follow actions, which are easier to access now in 11. So I like to use Logic now to extract loops from my samples/recordings - but for arranging, launching, modulating and automating - Live is great.

  • I’ve used both and often flip-flop on which I prefer. Right now it’s Live 10 for the following reasons: Ableton has upheld a streamlined interface, and while the workflow has gotten more complex over the years, I don’t feel the same “legacy bloat” that Logic suffers from. Basically, to me, LPX feels like a new DAW retrofitted onto an old DAW whereas Live feels like one tool that’s been improved and expanded over time.

    It also doesn’t help that LPX’s library functions basically the opposite of how I want it to — it’s very context-aware, which can be great once you learn it. But if you want to import, say, a sample, sometimes you need to use the Library and sometimes you need to use the Media Browser and sometimes you need to use Finder, whereas in Live, you always have access to the sidebar that you can customize at-will.

    Another love-it-or-hate-it piece that I hate is how certain presets will load Aux Sends, etc. It can save a lot of time, and it can give newcomers a nice foundation of “best practices,” but as someone who prefers to stick to a very specific minimal project setup, I don’t appreciate how many elements of the overall project a single preset can change.

    Finally, as an iOS user, Ableton Link is far preferable to MIDI Clock. And Drum Machine Designer makes me extremely angry; Live’s Drum Racks are a lot easier to work with.

    LPX has some wonderful quality-of-life considerations that often bring me back, including seamless integration with my Apogee Duet, animated compressor and EQ panels on the mixer, plug-in organization, and frankly wonderful reverb options (I’m still using Live 10).

  • I find Ableton Live more conducive to getting into a “state of flow” while composing. The integration with the Push2 is second to none. It’s a magical connection to Live.

    I really love the workflow of stacking Devices and the way everything is wired together in a modular fashion within Live. It feels natural and similar to adding pedals and effects in the real world.

    I find Logic to be rooted in the “old” way of doing things from a workflow standpoint and find myself fiddling with it too often to achieve a desired result.

    Logic is a fantastic piece of kit and i really like where it’s going, but for now Live just suits me best for the type of music i make...iterative, exploratory and a manifestation of my emotional state at the time of composing. It allows me to sing the song i have inside each and every time.

  • I’m using Live way more now I got a launchpad pro.
    It’s integration with Logic is a bit clunky compared to Live obviously.

    I’ve also built up my 3rd party VST library so I don’t need to depend on Logic stock sounds anymore.

    Live still bugs me how I can’t just slice up an audio file on the timeline.. have to “consolidate clips”

    In Live I wish I could zzoom in more sometimes, like blow the drum rack up twice as large. Or something like that.

    I Better go download the new version now!!

  • edited February 2021

    @mistercharlie said:

    @rs2000 said:
    There is no battle. Simple as that.

    The workflows are different enough to let quite a number of musicians end up using both. I do as well.

    True. I'm not writing a "which is best" piece. That would be pointless, and has already been done too many times. I'm more interested in what people prefer and why. And also, how well they have copied each other recently. These latest updates are all about them copying each other's last unique features imo

    Live has been my toolbox to get things going when composing, almost as quick as Korg Gadget which I'm still using more often.
    Clip based arrangement and spontaneous clip launching really is my thing so naturally I'm drawn more towards Live for composition.
    Sometimes I have to work on linear arrangements and do some deep MIDI editing, this is where LPX comes in. It also has many more MIDI features and built in MIDI processing to an extent that Live can only dream of.
    Theoretically, LPX would be the stronger package with all its incredible instruments and FX but even after many years, using Logic still feels like I always have to do it the Logic way while Ableton "does it the way I want it to".

  • Live is so fast and intuitive to me. Logic is the opposite but I do like some things about it more than Live.

  • @ruggedsmooth said:
    Live still bugs me how I can’t just slice up an audio file on the timeline.. have to “consolidate clips”

    Slicing up an audio file on the timeline and consolidating clips seem like opposite things to me. I'm assuming you know ctrl e and ctrl j. Simpler is great at slicing too.

  • Live all the way. So much more intuitive, creative and powerful.

  • Love Live, but they’ve effectively doubled the price of upgrades, not cool given the economic climate.

  • I use it only for being able to host m4l plugs.
    Ton of amazing plugs - a lot free etc (see the new "Inspired by Nature" pack)
    Also sometimes to warp samples.
    But still doing everything in Reaper:)

  • @Aud_iOS said:
    really dig the loop extracting function

    What is this? I’m interested but couldn’t find it in a google search

  • @PZoo said:

    @Aud_iOS said:
    really dig the loop extracting function

    What is this? I’m interested but couldn’t find it in a google search

    I think its called ''Comping'' function.. For Vocals, Midi/Audio.. ect?..

  • @studs1966 said:

    @PZoo said:

    @Aud_iOS said:
    really dig the loop extracting function

    What is this? I’m interested but couldn’t find it in a google search

    I think its called ''Comping'' function.. For Vocals, Midi/Audio.. ect?..

  • @studs1966 said:

    @studs1966 said:

    @PZoo said:

    @Aud_iOS said:
    really dig the loop extracting function

    What is this? I’m interested but couldn’t find it in a google search

    I think its called ''Comping'' function.. For Vocals, Midi/Audio.. ect?..

  • @studs1966 said:

    @PZoo said:

    @Aud_iOS said:
    really dig the loop extracting function

    What is this? I’m interested but couldn’t find it in a google search

    I think its called ''Comping'' function.. For Vocals, Midi/Audio.. ect?..

    Thanks a lot ... my fault for quoting such a small piece out of context :), but I thought he was referring to a feature in Logic for helping to pull loops out of longer files for use elsewhere

  • Just found it -- there is a command in the new(ish) loop launcher to extract best loop. Will explore. Thanks for that!

  • edited February 2021

    @knewspeak said:
    Love Live, but they’ve effectively doubled the price of upgrades, not cool given the economic climate.

    that's what keeps me from upgrading right now as I'm totally broke atm

    new features seem to be very interesting though

  • @PZoo said:

    @Aud_iOS said:
    really dig the loop extracting function

    What is this? I’m interested but couldn’t find it in a google search

    @PZoo In the Logic Manual it's in the "Work with live loops cells" section. I think it does a great job extracting loops, especially auto-adding fades at the beginning/end. I rarely have to make any adjustments to the loops, tho you can. I like to select the "any size" for loop extraction and then once extracted you get some nice playable loop cells that are set up well with the LaunchPad

  • Thank you!!!

  • 11.1 is out now, and it runs natively on M1 Macs. I’ve been using the beta for a month or so, and the final version seems even snappier.

    Still no AUv3 support though.

    Anyone else tried it?

  • I think Logic is still the only DAW to run AUv3 right? But is this feature really worth to prefer Logic even if you don’t like it otherwise? How many iOS plugins did you really use for real projects on an M1 Mac?

  • Good point. I mostly use built-in Ableton stuff, Pigments, and a few Audio Damage plugins. But I would use Drambo just for its sequencer. I can do it via MIDI, but then it doesn’t get saved in the project.

    Also, Moog’s iOS apps have a wrapper that makes them work. So I guess technically those are iOS apps too.

  • I've got rather pedestrian reasons. :) My modest musical activities really don't warrant having more than one daw on the Mac, and both can surely do way more than I can even think of. But Logic comes a lot cheaper, esp long-term with all those free upgrades, and that kind of settles the question for now. Garageband integration is another plus.

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