I'm currently on 11.0. In your opinion which is the best live to use? Do the later versions have less spikes?
I'm using Mac 2011 on Mojave. Sometimes it's pretty bad and then other times It's fine! I know the less plugins can help but I was just wondering if anyone has tested the later versions?

Cheers

 

This is quite impossible to say because it's depending on so many different factors, especially on the used hardware, the operating system and all used plugins. ...
If it's not vaccined, it will probably have the least amount of spikes.

 

Looks like I may test out myself then. I was hoping someone would know because I have read comments of people saying less spikes in the newer versions.

 

Have you tried Bitwig, Logic Pro or Tracktion for resource use comparison?

Not knowing your hardware/software configuration, I will say that you should have the following:
system installed on a SSD
16GB of RAM
preferably Catalina as the OS
all unnecessary apps & functions disabled/turned off (animations, notifications,etc..)

I personally don't run anything but Logic Pro on a 2014 MacBook Air under Big Sur. absolutely no issues.

 

There were many mentions of bad CPU spikes in the first few builds of 11 that they released. The issue is with the application, not the computer.

 

Yes SSD & 16gig ram. I did have to patch the OS with Dosdude. I suppose I could goto Catalina. I did do a test before and went all the way to Big Sur just to see how well a 2011 machine would work and it worked very well. I'm only really using Ableton. I prefer it to other daws. If I was making other tunes I would use Logic.

 

That's what I thought. Some people were saying less spikes with newer versions. I guess I may go back to sister site and read the comments again from each release then do some testing unless someone sees my post and can tells me ;-)

 

I gotta ask. What kind of music do you make that you feel Ableton is better choice than Logic?

 

This is precisely what I would recommend. Your Mac might be slow by current standards, but Ableton 10 and 11 are not so drastically different that you have to buy a new computer or install a different operating system to run the later version. Only Apple makes software where they get to do that

 

Dance music. Don't really have any instruments here anymore. Only toys that make noise!

 

I will upgrade at some stage but I brought this Mac back from the dead by installing Cmizapper tiresias chip. It's one of those faulty Gpu Macs It actually works very well even tho it's 2011 machine. I can run Traktor and many other bits with no problem. Boots in about 40 seconds. Amazing really seen as it was "Unfixable" for 5 years stuck in my press gathering dust!

 

11.1 is definitely a long-awaited major performance improvement under Monterey with M1 MBPs. Finally I would say Ableton after 15 years of development is starting to feel fast enough (I started using it in 2018/2019) for a producer needs and without CPU spikes causing discomfort. It takes me 100+ tracks running each heavy vsts and effect racks to reach CPU overload.

I only have a late 2020 M1 Mac though, I can't wait to get a late-2022 M2 MBP with 16-core CPU and 64 GB though to make the most of it and max it out.

Other DAWs I've tried such as Logic and FL Studio are definitely faster/lighter but I would say for the first time Ableton is catching up performance wise, no doubt with a heavy machine and the ARM design and all the native plugins update it's the real deal now.

 

Yes, 11.1 is currently the only live 11 version with way less cpu spikes that i tried.