So I tried Batatz "collect'n share" tip and it is somehow 3x faster loading a project. try it !

 

wow. some of you guys definitely have issues. i can load up 60+tracks with heavy hitter vsti's and plugins in about 20-30 seconds. maybe time for a hardware upgrade...

live 9.0.5
osx 10.8.4
late 2011 macbook pro, 2.4 GHz Intel Core i7, 16gb ram, 512gb ssd, 1tb hdd, external usb 2.0 hdd 1tb

 

It must be some kind of bug in Live.
I only have this issue with Live and no other DAW's.
Which version of Live have you guys found to be the most stable?
And did you also install Live into it's default setup path?

 

Sometimes mine takes a while when I use a lot of VSTs and samples. no more than 20 or so seconds though. However when my computer was still new, loading projects with similar amounts of crap was a bit faster.

 

On using external disks for samples you should consider to benchmark the transfer rate of hdd.
I was surprised to see that on my ext hdd's (same brand) the speed result is way different.

I use this benchmarking app: XBench (Mac only & free)
Surely there is a free altenative for win

I use Ableton Live 9.0.6 and yes, it is slow on opening.

This is my routine:

open project
go to the kitchen
open a cold beer
pour it in a glass
go back to the computer
project ready

hope it helps

 

Yes, me too, I have problem with opening projects and first startup after booting up comp. But it's the same in PC and in MACOSX...

I don't know if it's because library (samples) folder or ?!????

I try this:

1) first startup (very slow... takes 2-3 minutes to app show)
2) close app
3) second startup (much faster)

?!???

4) opening project about 1-2 min with 10 tracks and no 3rd party plugins

I guarantie that's for big library and user samples folder (I have 50Gb of samples) and the library is about 40Gb (ableton lib folder)

All the time stays on "initializing the application..."

Windows 7 64bit, E8650, 6Gb ram, Live 9.1 32bit


For me Live is nice software with nice workflow, great ideas... but I hate some things...

The one I hate more then other is library and database... I hate scanning etc... and I must say again, I hate scanning

Think about this:

* when you preview some wav in Live browser it generate asd file
* then live lib run lib scan and add that asd file in database
* and if you preview 1000 files, live will always run method of adding/scanning the database

Why adding that files in database ???? If I search for "909" I search for wav or aiff or flac, there is nothing to do with asd. If asd is missing there is a need for creating, if it's there good

Why Live no functionality to browse samples, midis etc... without adding to library ?!???? Just I don't know !

Live in version 9 has separate service for search and database, but I don't see any improvement in speed...

That's why I think this problem is related to the library... I never try to run empty Live (without extra contents and user samples) just to see speed.


Just read on wikipedia

* cubase first release was 1989 (midi version on Atari)
* live first official release was 2001

It's funny to talk about which one is better, there is no doubt Cubase has more experienced team and developers... and it's true Cubase has the one of the best midi manipulation, editing and all together about midi. Steinberg patented VS(T)echnology, and even if I use Live, what else to talk ?

And for support I don't know!

 

And interestingly audiozuser76 was just telling me how Cubase is so buggy.
This was actually one of my examples of how Ableton has its share of issues.

 

People are wrong, there is no good software, there is a good support for it

I just want to say, if you have great support for product you use then will be no worry ! There is no software without bugs, and never will be.

That's like the question "which DAW soft is the best"... hah, legaly speaking, the one with great and cheap support! illegaly speaking, the one you like most!

If I have problem and contact Live, and Live reposnsed in day or two with solution, that's great software (company).

So, conclustion, stories like "Live is the best", "Logic is the best" are told by the dummies.

Ableton corp. have one very ugly habbit, release new version but customers changes the real software testers... It's cheapier I guess !

But, it's like that for almost everything these days, mobile phones, androids etc... You buy Galaxy, and after three months there is a fixed phone with improved CPU etc... and you can grab yours and drop it in the garbage. Customers are testers... why will Samsung pay test team when have customers with salaries

 

Exactly well said. I've honestly been unsatisfied with at least a few things in every DAW: Cubase: ridiculous windows management. They say it's because of the Windows MDI but apparently they don't know how every MDI on the planet functions. Live: PDC, slow speed. I completely agree about the scanning thing, It's just one of those things that you can't imagine a team of programmers sat down and implemented in such a stupid way. That's why i can't even deal with Live. That and mixing being not the experience I am used to in Cubase. You're right they like to test in the field and the customer gets screwed in the end. Cheaper that way,..for them. Both companies have this way of completely ignoring the customer. That aside Cubase is a powerful environment and for someone to discount it like it's a toy is ridiculous. Version 5 performs better than Live 9 so that should tell you something right there.

 

... and why the hell Live use instruments and samples in the bottom area of screen only, why there is no pop-out/expand control.
If there is a pop out control on EQ8 so when you click on little triangle draw form show up and can be resized.
Why there is no that functionality on every device ?!???? We can loose our eyes !!!
It's simple because max/msp controls are resizable... and like in Logic every device can be resized to own taste.

... also stock instruments need rework (funcionality and GUI ofcourse)

Analog, why I can't use LFO1 on all sound generators like in Sampler, per example... and why not add 3 oscilators + noise... 3 is the standard, as Wendy/Walter Carlos says, 3 is the rule There is no control on noise generator etc...

"Routing matrix" is great method, I don't know by who was developed ? First was on EMS Synthi A I think ?!???

You see Ableton lovers (including me), your toy is poor at the end ! and don't say what's the best.

 

do you have an audio interface?

I used to be available to work without one on 8.4 but as soon as ableton launch 9 i had trouble with it. Ableton would take 30-2 mis to start and when i try to used plugins as before they would take like 10-1min to load up at some cases crash. Thats why i switch to studio one after live 9 but i haven't had much trouble with live 9.1


I had been using a scarlett interface and it respond so much faster. I'm upgrading my HDD to SSD in a couple of weeks, i have the feeling that this will be a good improvement.

I think for the most part live is great if you like the native plugins and workflow.

 

"Better", what does that even mean? Comparing Cubase and Live using an abstract "better" category leads to nothing. "Better for what" is the right question.

Running a two hour live set with 50 tracks while improvising with loops, remixing everything on the fly: Nothing better than Live.

Editing a two hour movie score with 200 tracks: Nothing better than Cubase.

Never in a lifetime I could get that fast work flow on Cubase I achieve with Live, and as I am mainly a musician and not an score composer/audio engineer, Live will always be my first choice. That does not mean that I don't see the advantages of Cubase in different aspects.

 

You're right Dokx but in this case we were talking about the efficiency of the code and how well it runs. Personally I don't like working with Live, it's just weird and the mixing is lacking. Add all the other headaches and it's just too much to swallow.

 

My problem was, my database was corrupt. So to fix this, I needed to wipe my database clean, remove all extra files from "program data" locations an so on and then letting her reload and index from scratch. That and it also helps to clean out your temp. file location, where the Live Temp. Crashed files logs get placed. :dancing:

 

Problem with your corrupt db probably can fixed in way you just delete or rename file

"C:\Users\<your user name>\AppData\Roaming\Ableton\Live 9.1\Database\files.db"

and then start again live, it will create a new... probably! I never test this.

--------------------------------------------

Tonight I watch log file in live... it's great thing to we have log.txt file located in c:\users\user\appdata\roaming\ableton\....

So here is the result, this is the main points in first start live after computer start:

Code:

....
7267 ms. Live App: Begin Init
7267 ms. Live App: Start as first instance: yes
7268 ms. Database: Loading database from C:\Users\xxxxxxxx\AppData\Roaming\Ableton\Live 9.1\Database\files.db

7268 ms. Database: Open file: 'C:\Users\xxxxxxxxxxx\AppData\Roaming\Ableton\Live 9.1\Database\files.db'    <<<<<<< opening was at 0.1 min

31949 ms. Default App: Begin InitApplication          <<<<<<< continue after aprox. 0.5 min
31972 ms. MemoryUsage: V: 308.5 MB, R: 92.9 MB, P: 90.7 MB
....
68979 ms. MemoryUsage: V: 425.7 MB, R: 197.3 MB, P: 196.9 MB
68995 ms. Performance: Startup hook 'CloseSplashScreen': Running time: 4 ms      <<<<<<< close splash screen after 1.2 min

and here is the result after second start, live closed then opened again (like a huricane start !!!)

Code:

.....
2676 ms. Live App: Begin Init
2677 ms. Live App: Start as first instance: yes
2677 ms. Database: Loading database from C:\Users\xxxxx\AppData\Roaming\Ableton\Live 9.1\Database\files.db
2677 ms. Database: Open file: 'C:\Users\xxxxxx\AppData\Roaming\Ableton\Live 9.1\Database\files.db'

2869 ms. Default App: Begin InitApplication               <<<<<<<<< db opened in 0,0333333333 min 

3055 ms. Default App: Initializing EventRecorder...
3090 ms. MemoryUsage: V: 314.3 MB, R: 99.8 MB, P: 96.1 MB
.....
15109 ms. MemoryUsage: V: 425.7 MB, R: 197.5 MB, P: 196.7 MB
15111 ms. Performance: Startup hook 'CloseSplashScreen': Running time: 3 ms  <<<<<<< closed splash screen after just 0.25 min

It's for sure a library problem in first start of app... but why after first start second is great ???? db is cached into RAM ?!???

Library file is around 300 Mb in my case. And why the hell is 300 mb ? It uses just poins to files in library - pure strings.

 

Nikon
It's because the first load is from disk and the second is from RAM. *yes*

 

ahhh... for sure

 

I found a way to speedup Ableton opening:

I have a lot of third party plugins and I use only vst version. I told Live to ignore au plugin folder (preference panel). Now plugin scan on opening is much faster.

 

with native plugins, it's so fast ! like 10 seconds or less

 

It probably takes longer for the actual program to open each time than actually opening song files. Obviously the bigger the track the longer it takes to load the songs, but there's no excuses for the length of time it takes to load the program, which for me is ridiculously long!