DJing With Ableton Live – Is it still fun in 2024?
We run through the pros and cons of DJing with Ableton Live.
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Many producers swear by the DAW for their music but how about DJing with Ableton Live? For some, it may be the perfect DJ software. Read on to find out if this is you.
All about DJing with Ableton Live
DJing With Ableton Live
There are many different software applications for DJing. From Serato to rekordbox to Traktor and more, the modern DJ is certainly spoilt for choice. One piece of software that doesn’t often get mentioned though is Ableton Live (now version 12). You certainly can DJ with the DAW; but should you? Especially in 2024 with so many other options?
The short answer to this question is yes. The long answer involves a few caveats. I’ll jump to the chase and say it’s probably not for every DJ. If you’re looking for something that will mirror the old-school two turntables and a mixer setup, you’ll be disappointed. However, for those attracted by a hybrid DJ approach and for whom production is a big part of their life, it could be perfect.
Today I’ll break down the pluses and minuses of DJing with Ableton Live to help you decide if this route is for you.
A Brief History of Ableton Live
Before we get into the specifics of DJing with Ableton Live, it may be instructional to first look at the history of the DAW – and its original intention.
The keyword is in the name. Although we tend to shorten it to just Ableton, that’s the name of the company. The DAW is called Live and that’s because the developers intended it to be used in a live performance context. This is why the Session screen exists. Clips (and all that they entail) are the building blocks of a live set. To get from this to DJing, all you have to do is replace your own songs with those by other people.
A few years after its release in 2001, this is exactly why I bought my first copy of Live. I wanted to explore digital DJing and it seemed the easiest way for me to do that at the time. In fact, I resisted using it for music production for almost 10 years. Coming from Logic, I had a hard time understanding how to use the Session view to make music (I still do, to be totally honest). But I could embrace it as a DJ tool right away and was soon playing gigs with just my laptop and a cheap MIDI controller.
DJing With Ableton Live: The Benefits
Ableton Live is not DJ software so it stands to reason that it doesn’t look like what you might be expecting. There are no “decks,” nothing that looks like a software DJ mixer. It’s much more open-ended than that. For the adventurous DJ, this is in fact a benefit. As they say, it’s not a bug, it’s a feature. It’s easy enough to organize the Session view into something that resembles both track organizer and player. You just need to be creative about it.
Other benefits include deep effects chains and routing, loops and even headphone cueing, but the real bragging point is Follow Actions. Designed to make live performance more flexible, Follow Actions let you set up how clips interact with each other. This can be as simple as playing in order down a column to wild glitch effects. Used in combination with traditional DJ song selection and a controller, it can add a powerful element to your sets.
Those with Live Suite can also take advantage of third party Mac For Live devices. Tom Cosm, a certified Ableton Live trainer, makes a nifty M4L device called Advanced Ableton DJ Deck Strip that essentially turns Live into standard DJ software. If this sounds too complicated, you can always just map the mixer volume sliders and crossfader to your controller (see below).
DJing With Ableton Live: Preparation Is Key (The Drawbacks)
Although DJing with Ableton Live has a number of pluses (as outlined above), its biggest minus is that it’s not purpose-built DJ software. If that’s what you want, no amount of custom devices and Follow Actions can save you.
Additionally, there’s no manual beat matching. It’s all sync, all the time. If this sounds boring to you, stay away.
Another downer is the amount of preparation that’s necessary to effectively DJ with Live. For tracks to stay in time, they have to be properly analyzed by the software. This involves setting warp points for any and all tracks that you want to play. Heavily quantized dance music will probably line up quickly but songs with looser tempos like those played by a band will need some finessing. This all takes time.
DJing With Ableton Live: Best Controllers
Pretty much any DJ controller will work with Ableton Live. They’re just specialized MIDI controllers at heart. Given that there’s no beat matching, you probably don’t need a controller with platters. Instead, look for something with a combination of sliders, knobs and buttons for clip launching.
A popular controller for DJing with Ableton Live is the Akai Professional APC40. You could also try an APC mini MK2 or add a keyboard for live playing with an APC Key 25 MK2.
Novation makes a number of controllers that work well with Live, like the Launch Control XL MK2.
For something a little more DJ-like that won’t break the bank, try the Hercules DJ Control Inpulse 200 MK2 or 300 MK2.
DJing With Ableton Live: The Takeaway
In conclusion, DJing with Ableton Live isn’t for everyone. If you’re looking for a more traditional DJ experience, you’d be better off with rekordbox or Serato or even Traktor. However, if the idea of playing tracks alongside MIDI clips with access to effects and third-party plugins, then Live could be a solid option for you. As a hybrid DJing environment, it can really excel. Bonus if you’re already a Live owner.
More Information
- Ableton Live product page
- All about Ableton
- All about DAWs
- All about DJing
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2 responses to “DJing With Ableton Live – Is it still fun in 2024?”
Never understood the benefits of dj-ing with Ableton Live, if anyone does it, please comment, would love to hear! I either bounce separate stems with own productions to use in Rekordbox/CDJ or use Ableton Link and use separate apps.
We’ve a lot to thank Ableton for. The clip and scene based idea has a place in music now. DJing on it is itself an artform, ask Sasha who was expert on it donkey’s yonks ago. For me, it’s hard enough to get the playlist right, never mind Ableton for all its creative stuff. To the contributor above who asked why DJs like it, it’s the facility to play and mix tunes, timestretched to tempo/pitch etc for ‘key’ mixing, but also the ability to add samples/clips over the top to make each mix unique, and/or contruct stuff on the fly. That why DJ’s like it, it’s half way between DJ deck and production console, and Ableton can do either without crashing (often).