Ableton Live 8 and Suite 8: Create, Produce, Perform [Paperback]

Keith Robinson (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 26, 2009

Learn how to create, produce and perform a whole new way; prepare to unlock the power of Live!

In this brand new title for Ableton Live 8 and Suite 8 users, author Keith Robinson details exactly what Abelton Live can deliver. The book is engineered to follow Live's non-linear music environment - the book look and feels like the program! Its unique format utilizes the terms and creative features of Live - tabs, keys, pointers, and labels.

Packed with professional testimonials, concepts, definitions, hundreds of tips, tricks and hidden features, Ableton Live 8 and Suite 8 covers the software's nuts and bolts and creative technique to create, produce, perform and make music on the fly.

The accompanying website contains "Live sets" and web pointer information to sync and download as well as interviews, additional hints, tips and video

* Inspiring and exciting structure and graphic format mirroring the GUI of live * Author is worldwide lead clinician and training manager for Ableton Live, learn from the industry experts * Includes new and inventive tricks, be a successful and proficient Live user * Understand Ableton Live terms and features, provides a comfortable transition from other DAWs

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Learn how to create, produce and perform a whole new way; prepare to unlock the power of Live. This book and DVD combination shows, if you get it right, exactly what Ableton Live can deliver. Engineered to follow Live's non linear music environment the book looks and feels like the program, its unique format utilizes the terms and creative features of Live- tabs, keys, pointers, and labels to learn the littlest things that make the biggest difference. Packed with professional testimonials, concepts, definitions, hundred of tips, tricks and hidden features the book covers the software's nuts and bolts and creative technique to create, produce, perform and make music on the fly. The accompanying DVD contains 'Live sets' and web pointer information to sync and download as well as interviews, further hints, tips and video

Product Details

• Paperback: 407 pages
• Publisher: Focal Press; 1 edition (October 26, 2009)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 024081228X
• ISBN-13: 978-0240812281
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.8 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (13 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #74,474 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #58 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Recording & Sound

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Some good info but annoying writing style, March 3, 2010

By 

Patrick (Chicago) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ableton Live 8 and Suite 8: Create, Produce, Perform (Paperback)

This book is difficult to read. The author tends to ramble a lot and to spend more time explaining how great Live is (often in very vague language) without actually explaining how to use it. A few paragraphs in the introduction to get people excited about it would have been fine, but a good portion of every single chapter it seems wastes time rambling on about how amazing Live is. Since I've obviously taken the time to read a book on it, do I really need to be told that, over and over and over? Can't I just try it out and make a decision on my own?

The author obviously understands Live well and is a devoted and enthusiastic user, but this book badly needs an editor to cut away the fluff and keep him focused on explaining how to make music, rather than how Live is so much better than other production software and is going to "synergize your paradigms in a revolution" or some such.

18 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars a most excellent ableton live 8 book, December 9, 2009

By 

Dj Wolfie (Los Angeles, ca) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ableton Live 8 and Suite 8: Create, Produce, Perform (Paperback)

This is the best ableton reference book I have ever read. I dont know the author, I dont know the publisher. And seriously, this is absolutely the first book you should read on ableton live 8.

I have been using ableton live since version 5. And since this is a program written by germans, the engineering is great, and the reference manuals have always sucked. Every update, I have to go out and buy about three books to help navigate the new features and make sense of the program in all its depth. I have owned and read many, many ableton books. Most of them are painful to read.

Well, thanks to this book, I only need to buy one book to understand Live 8.

This book is written in the language of the program. It starts to get you thinking like ableton thinks, just in the structure of the book.

It was quick to cut to the chase of what I wanted to do in ableton. It has very accurate pictures, guide points, step by step pages. When I needed deeper information on a subject, it was there too. Full color photos- all over the book. the fine details clearly spelled out. Easy to read language.

Really amazing guidebook. It made getting up and running with ableton a breeze. Then when I needed to go deep with the program, I was able to find that data further on in the book.

Its rare to find a person who is both a technically adept and a great teacher. The author is one of those rare finds.

Now lets hope he writes a book for logic pro.

-- Wolfie

[...]

14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars A Disappointing Ableton Live 8 Guide, February 6, 2010

By 

Johannes Koldschlaabs (Oregon, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Ableton Live 8 and Suite 8: Create, Produce, Perform (Paperback)

This title is not a particularly good guide to Ableton Live. It was the first one published to cover version 8 of the software, so I pre-ordered it. Boy was that a mistake. I should have waited for the "Ableton Live 8 Power!" book instead.

I find that when I turn to the book to help me figure out a specific piece of functionality or solve a specific problem it is no help. Point number one, and this is VERY IMPORTANT: This book's index is only SIX pages long, while the index for "Ableton Live 8 Power!" is TWENTY FIVE PAGES LONG!!! (Use Amazon's "Look Inside" feature for each book and see for yourself.) Think of that. When you go to look up a specific topic in the index of this book you are four times less likely to find that topic listed. This has bitten me in the a** more times than I can count. I have been keeping the book on my desktop as I use Ableton and again and again find that the book does not have an entry for the function I am trying to use, or when it does the explanation is not fleshed out. Often I finish a chapter and am left scratching my head because the concepts weren't fully explained yet the chapter is already over.

The author spends more time rambling on without detail than he does intricately explaining the functions of the software. Even for the absolute beginner this is a waste of time. I would recommend "Ableton Live 8 Power!" I am ordering my copy today and selling this other book on the used market. Any takers?