I’m kind of stuck in a creative rut. I’ve been working on a new mixtape project over the past month. The first few weeks were crazy productive, and ultimately very good in that I have a solid concept. However, as of late, I can’t seem to keep up the momentum.
I started working on the mixtape when I got my hands on a copy of Ableton Live. For some stupid reason, I’d been hesitant to use Ableton. I didn’t really know what it did, exactly. Was it production software? Editing? Mixing? Turns out it’s all of that. You can produce tracks and loops, but there is also a separate mode for non-linear mixing.
I’ve been trying to find a more advanced equivalent of MixMeister, but had never considered Ableton as mixing software. In turn, I – like probably many others – was stuck with some pretty mediocre software.
What’s great about non-linear mixing software is that it lets you make very precise mixes, and lets you endlessly tweak, add, and delete loops and tracks to get your mix just right. It’s perfect for making mixtapes, allowing for very tight grooves and smooth transitions. I’ve been using Mixmeister for years, and it’s come a long way. However, the software is a little “dumbed down” and still geared towards techno/house music – the beat detection system never quite gets complex hip-hop beats, requiring painful manual manipulation.
When I made the switch to Mac, Mixmeister was no longer an option for me until version 7.2 came out. I downloaded the demo, and quickly found myself dragging it to the trash. It was very clunky and slow, and not optimized to take advantage of any OS X features. It looked and felt like a Windows app (not a bad thing if you’re, you know… in Windows).
Ableton, on the other hand, is available for Mac. It looks and feels like a polished Mac app (even though it’s multi-platform). It interfaces with iTunes quite nicely, and even plays purchased iTunes music. While more complicated, Ableton has very specific, precise beat detection and production options. I have a feeling I can do anything I want without having to make any compromises.
Hopefully something I listen to in the near future will catch my ear and spark my creativity, and enthusiasm. I really like where it’s going so far.
Oh yes,
Ableton is incredibly good for making mixes as well as all the other features. From the sound of this blog, I’m sure you can relate to john cusak’s character in “high fidelity” when he talks about making mixtapes.
I typically find that I make my best mixes when I don’t give myself too much time to think or second guess. I’ll make a new playlist in itunes and just start clicking through potential songs and dragging anything that strikes my fancy into the playlist keeping in mind a great opener or closing track (sometimes a good movie clip or ambient sound works nicely as well).
Next I go through those songs once again, only now I keep a pad of paper next to me and write down each song
and put an E(early), M(middle) or L(late) next to each song. I try not to spend much more than 10 seconds on each track before I decide. If I am torn between 2 lists I might put a, EM or ML next to the song. These become potential transition tracks between early and middle of the mix.
From there it becomes easier to see where the mix is going and pick the best few tunes from each section that fits the vibe. Then grag the chosen songs into ableton and away ya go!
This technique helps seperate left and right brain functions and I find it to be alot of fun.
If you are looking to learn ableton more deeply I have a free video minicourse which is excerpts from my full 4 hour dvd. Just join the mailing list at the link below…
http://www.musicsoftwaretraining.com/abletondvd
feel free to hit me with an email if you have any ableton question.. cheers,
Jason
innerstatejt@gmail.com