If you’re an electronic music producer, then there is a big chance that you might have faced a serious dilemma in choosing your Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). There are a lot of choices in the market, but it all boils down to the BIG 2: Ableton Live 9 and Logic Pro X.
In this article, we will help you choose which one suits you better by naming the pros and cons of each. However, we should acknowledge that each software has its limitations, and it is up to us to make use of it to our own advantage.
Logic Pro X
One of the most popular and widely used music studio softwares is the Logic Pro X from Apple Inc. The software offers an elegant music production solution that works for almost everyone. It has amassed immense popularity for being easy and intuitive, something which is expected from Apple products. Offering the right kind of functionality, Logic Pro X has improved from its predecessors and has surely established itself as a trustworthy DAW.
Pros
Cons
Ableton Live 9
This is one of those DAW’s that threw away the rulebook and established its own identity. It made a name for itself for not only being the best recording program for composers, but also for being one of the best performance instruments in itself. The Live 9 is a great improvement from the past. With great refinement in MIDI editing, and the brilliant audio to MIDI conversion feature, this software is one of the best out there. Pros
Cons
However to make things a little easy : Ableton + Push = Logic + Maschine
In conclusion, we would like to say that Ableton has created a niche for itself with its live element and proprietary plugins that have helped define the EDM sound. The only thing stopping it is that the Logic has a really great and easy user interface, and is practically offering a more complete and satisfying experience at half the price. Ableton Vs Fl Studio Vs LogicComments
Producing music used to be prohibitively expensive. The advent of Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs) has changed this. Of the many DAWs available, Ableton Live and FL Studio are two of the best picks.
Ableton Live and FL Studio are pricey purchases, but both have free trial versions you can download and test. However, to help you decide between the two, we compared both Ableton Live vs. FL Studio.
The Best for Beginners: FL Studio
FL Studio receives praise as one of the best DAWs for beginners. Ease of use is built into the design, and no previous digital music production experience is required. Many aspects of FL Studio aim at people who haven’t traditionally trained as musicians.
FL Studio also comes with template projects set up for different kinds of music production. These templates are the perfect way to get to grips with the software. The intuitive nature of FL Studio, along with the vast online tutorial community, make it ideal for first time producers.
![]() The Best for Professionals: Ableton Live
Ableton Live has a devoted following with good reason. Several features of the software are unique. While some beginners find it daunting, long time users swear by its advanced audio warping and envelope controls. FL Studio allows limited warping, and envelope control too, but it’s Live’s other features that set it aside.
The Session view, which enables users to arrange tracks in grids rather than on a timeline, is a good example.
Within the Session view, Follow Actions allow users to automate clip triggering, and even create music using random logic. Max for Live uses the visual programming language, Max, to create unique instruments and effects.
Ableton Live’s advanced workflows take time to learn, but once mastered it’s unmatched in its ease of use. The ability to approach music and sound creation from so many angles makes it the ultimate Swiss Army Knife of professional music production tools.
The Best for Mac Users: Ableton Live
While both pieces of software are available for Windows and macOS, Ableton Live takes the prize here. FL Studio is still in the process of being ported to macOS, whereas Live has been entirely cross-platform since early in its development.
Alongside being a better fit for macOS, Live has another advantage in this regard. Many people swear by Apple hardware for music production due to the reliability of the operating system. Setting up audio is also widely believed to be a much easier process in macOS.
The Best for Making Electronic Music: FL Studio
If you are planning on making mostly electronic music, FL Studio has the workflow for you. The “everything in one place” nature of FL Studio makes it quick to get your ideas out. Many users find the Midi Piano Roll much better to use in FL Studio too, and it has been a long time go to product for Hip-Hop and Techno producers.
Templates and grouping make it easy to work on different groups of instruments and samples at a time. A single click can mute the entire set of drum or vocal tracks, allowing you to work on specific groups of sounds.
There are many effects in FL Studio designed with simple things in mind. The perfectly named “Soundgoodizer” is a perfect example, which can take any sound and give it more punch in your mix.
Both Ableton Live and FL Studio have a considerable amount of samples and presets which can help anyone build a track quickly. They both also allow for the use of external effects, and there are plenty of high-quality free VST effects available.
The Best for Audio Recording: Ableton Live
Early versions of FL Studio didn’t support audio recording. While it now does, Ableton Live is still far ahead in terms of audio recording and manipulation.
Ableton Live has a robust I/O system allowing simultaneous recording from multiple inputs. It also doesn’t skimp on the effects, with many presets explicitly designed for different types of voice and instrument. FL Studio also has this functionality, but Live has something else up its sleeve.
According to some, Ableton Live’s Warp feature is worth the cost of the software alone. In short, it takes any piece of audio and warps it to fit with another’s timing or pitch. Different Warp modes allow for different types of stretching, some natural, some strange sounding effects in their own right.
The ability to record audio and manipulate it without destroying its natural sound is one of Live’s most powerful features. Of course, your recorded audio will only sound good if you use these essential tips to help you record better audio.
The Best for Sound Design: Ableton Live
Alongside music production, DAWs used extensively in sound design for film and video games. Being able to import and manipulate sounds quickly is essential to fast production workflows. Adobe allows linking between Audition and Premiere/After Effects, but in terms of sound design Audition is somewhat lacking.
Live shines as a sound design platform due to the Session view and powerful Warp functions. You can quickly assemble a palate of sounds, and apply effects to them in batches. Export of each sound is possible as an individual clip for use in game development software, or a video editor.
The Best for Performing Live With a Midi Controller: Ableton Live
Ableton Live lives up to the “Live” part of its name. For a long time, it has been the top name in live electronic music performance. Alongside countless DJs using the platform, many musicians use it in conjunction with live instruments.
Both Live and FL Studio allow the use of Midi Controllers to trigger samples and control FX. Both support almost every controller. Once again, however, Ableton Live does have the upper hand here.
Ableton’s Push controller was explicitly designed to use with Live and combines many different forms of Midi/software control into one package. The combination of pads, knobs, and screen of the push are designed to almost entirely free the user from the mouse and keyboard.
While a good Midi controller can help with both music making and performing on any platform, FL Studio doesn’t have an answer to the Push.
Ableton Effects RacksThe Best Value for Money: FL Studio
So far, Ableton Live seems to be pulling ahead somewhat. However, price is the one area in which it suffers.
Ableton Live is currently on Version 10 and costs $449 for the Standard version and $749 for the Suite. FL Studio 20 has several versions, from the $99 Fruity edition all the way up to the $899 All Plugins Bundle edition.
This means that most of FL Studio’s options are cheaper than Ableton Live. Historically FL Studio has always been the more affordable option, adding to its beginner-friendly reputation.
Ableton Live further suffers here as each version of Live is an individual purchase. Owners of one version get a discount on upgrading, but it will still cost you $229 for a Standard upgrade and $299 for the Suite. In comparison, whether you own the $99 Fruity version of FL Studio, or the full priced bundle, updates are free for life.
Ableton Live vs. FL Studio: The Best DAW for You
Which DAW is best for making music is an ongoing argument. While both pieces of software certainly excel at specific tasks, it is difficult to choose which is best.
It’s important to not that neither piece of software will make you a star musician overnight, and spending some time learning music theory is going to help more than any program you purchase.
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Regardless of which DAW you choose, any piece of software requires time to learn. So, with that in mind, this Ableton Live tutorial for beginners could be essential reading.
First, there was software – and mapping it manually to controllers. Then, there was integrated hardware made for specific software – but you practically needed a different device for each tool. Maschine Jam is a third wave: it’s deeply integrated with software workflows, but it can swap from one tool to another without having to change how you work.
That’s possible because Maschine Jam is focused on some fairly specific workflows as far as triggering patterns, creating melodies and rhythms, and controlling parameters. The “jam” part is really focused on live control. So it’s not quite about deep sample editing and studio production like Ableton Push or Maschine Studio, but it is then adaptable to lots of other contexts.
In short, even if you keep your beloved Push in the studio, Maschine Jam wants to be the lightweight live gigging controller you toss in your backpack.
And it doesn’t necessarily force you to choose a particular tool. Even if you never touch Maschine, it’s now a reasonable controller for Ableton Live, FL Studio, and Bitwig Studio in its own right. And significantly, if you do use Maschine, you can now switch between working with Maschine and your DAW of choice, and the control mappings stay the same. (Of course, that may make you decide you want two Jams, but you get the picture.)
Ableton Vs Fl Studio For Edm
I was already impressed by Maschine Jam’s Ableton Live integration. It’s not a Push, mind – there’s no velocity sensitivity, and you will sometimes miss the availability of displays on the hardware. (That means looking at the computer screen, which is part of what these controllers could free you from.) But it’s also lighter, boasts integrated touch strips for mixing and parameter control, and lots of quick workflow shortcuts that make it really handy playing live. When Gerhard first introduced Push, he talked about it as a way to start tracks. And it remains a powerful hardware window into the production process. But now I find Jam fits the rest of the picture: quick jam sessions and playing live.
Oh yeah, and there’s the price: US$399 street, which of course includes Maschine and all the Komplete 11 Select features. That’s not a bad deal on the hardware controller alone, and it’s a stupidly good deal once you figure in it gives you entry to all the software.
But now a new update deepens the integration with Ableton Live, Max for Live, FL Studio, and Bitwig Studio, too, giving you a range of choices on Mac, Windows, and Linux.
As other controllers attempting to be universal live controllers have faded into the background, Maschine Jam seems to realize the promise. Let’s look at how integration works in each.
Why Maschine, Why Jam?
If I had to show just one feature that explains how Jam is a bit different than Launchpad Push APC grid blah blah more grids blah blah….
Well, it’s this. Maschine’s locking and morphing means that you can experiment with capturing and then transforming different settings. There’s some especially deep possibilities here when you combine it with Reaktor Blocks, synth lovers.
So before we start controlling other software, let’s have a look at that:
Ableton Live, Max for Live
Maschine Jam already works in Ableton Live for clip triggering and (crucially) mixing with fader strips. Clip triggering works exceptionally well, in fact: while NI’s grid lacks velocity sensitivity, the compact pads are ideal for this use case and deliver a responsive ‘snap’ when pressed. Device parameter control is there, too, though you may slightly miss having a screen for knowing which control is which.
Here’s the basic Ableton integration. It’s very, very similar to what you get with Ableton Push – but now you can swap between working this way in Maschine and working this way in Ableton. And honestly, part of the appeal to me of Jam is that it does less – so there’s a limited set of stuff that you get really quick at.
(In the very small tweaks department, the update also adds triplet access, finally.)
Where things get interesting in today’s update is that now you’ve got a dedicated Max for Live template, too. That opens up lots of other clever features – or even locking the Jam to a Max patch whilst another controller does something else.
Now, I know Ableton may be a bit squeamish about this being an Ableton controller that lacks their branding and collaboration. But as a user of Live since version 1, part of the ongoing appeal to me of this tool is its versatility and the ability to use a variety of hardware in different situations. So I do hope the Abletons warm up to what NI have done here.
FL Studio
Intrepid FL Studio users have hacked all sorts of smart ways of playing live over the years. Now, more recent versions of FL are really nicely equipped for live performance.
And FL is really an ideal match for Jam. It has long had step sequencing as an integrated, native feature, and now combines the level of steps/notes with larger clips and patterns.
It’s a really lovely environment. In fact, just … possibly mute the video you’re about to see, because while the music will appeal to someone, it sort of reinforces this idea that FL is just for certain music genres. It’s not. You can do anything you like. And FL’s architecture and efficiency I think are top notch.
MIDI, Logic
You can also use the MIDI template included with Maschine Jam to control software. It’s not nearly as deep as the other examples here, but it is interesting. Here’s an example with Apple Logic Pro:
Bitwig Studio
I’ve sort of saved the best for last. Bitwig benefit from having a new architecture rather than loads of ancient legacy code. And as a result, the environment hardware makers have for compatibility is really ideal.
Native Instruments have partnered with Bitwig directly as I understand it in order to deliver a template with deep integration. The basic mold is what you get from Ableton – control Maschine, switch and control Bitwig, get pattern creation and sequencing and mixing and parameter control in each.
But there are some subtle and important differences here.
Fine fader control. The best one to me is this one – SHIFT gives you fine-adjustment on the touch strips for more precision, as in Jam.
Note events light up on running patterns.
Bitwig’s onscreen overlay works. That actually gets a bit confusing in Ableton Live, which lacks Maschine’s heads-up display. Actually, it’d be great if Live had this, for Max patchers and custom controllers.
Global swing support. Mega man x3 ps1 rom download. Again, as in Jam. That really adds to the hardware/groove feel of the integration, though.
Switch projects from hardware. You had me at “switch projects.”
Change drum machines using the built-in Bitwig drum machines when sequencing (via SELECT).
SHIFT+SOLO to change pattern length.
And this is definitely the best video, because it comes from Thavius Beck.
More on this from our friends at AskAudio:
You’ll want the latest version of Bitwig Studio. This being Bitwig, it’s even ready for Ubuntu.
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