well, i did it. after something like 3 months i have finally finished the complextro course. I actually found this quite challenging, and very rewarding. Two challenges, first it’s complextro and that is a rough genre, and second, translating from logic pro to ableton.br
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first, logic to ableton. wow, i thought this would be easier and it is possible if i was better at ableton, it would be easier. one thing that is clear is that logic has some really cool instruments that ableton does not have. Chris would make these super cool sounds using really basic instruments and i loved that. i am sure all those sounds were makable through ANA (and i did use ana for all the sounds) but for some reason i found it challenging. br
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samples, wow. even just the vocal samples were just great. I spent so much time trying to find samples that even came close, probably spent about $150 on various vocal packs and was still only ok with what i found.br
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over all, i really liked the instruments, effects, and sounds that come with logic. it really feels like with ableton you need to spend a decent amount of money getting other plugins and samples to really get good use out of it.br
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logic has some really great features that ableton does not have. little things like the built in tape stop, bouncing tracks, etc.br
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Chris would sometimes set up a clip then loop it. Not sure how i would do that in ableton.br
the workflow is definitely different. i actually really like the session view for music creation. logic does everything in arrangement view and i really do prefer banging out ideas right there in session. it gives me a really nice, quick way to bang out ideas. I found doing it all in arrangement view to be not as fun, but that is probably just me.br
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i have never had as much problem getting something to snap as Chris did, heh.br
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I don’t like the way logic handles sends and returns, i think i do prefer ableton for that.br
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ultrabeat is kinda weird but maybe i am just too used to drum rack.br
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The course itself was fascinating. Chris did an amazing job getting me engaged in the project and the style of music. I did find myself getting a bit lost later through the course but I think that is just what happens when a project gets large. it can be hard keep track of all these sounds and effects and such.br
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overall, it was great and i highly recommend it for everybody. i have no idea how the piece actually ended up but i had a blast making it. it’s a fantastic genre and I was really glad to dig into it more. i spent like 3 months on this and it really hit home how much effort real producers put into their pieces. i have to admit, i was getting tired of hearing the same thing over and over again. 
but it felt really rewarding when I finished.br
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side note, Chris turned me onto Wolfgang Gartner and wow, I am loving his stuff. he is super musical and I love that.br
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anyway, thanks chris for a great course!
really cool review… thanks for taking the time to do the course and post your thoughts.br
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I recently jumped back to Cubase for a remix or 2 and found it a joy to be in arrange view all the time… Abletons arrange view gets really mess and bogged down for me.br
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and coming up with stuff in session view is so quick but i never really get beyond it to finish a track.br
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Its like if you start off in arrange view for the ideas if you want to hear transitions you have to build them where in ableton you can just jam… but it means when you come to do a full arrangement you have most of the bits build. Cubase is definitely for me more conducive for finishing tracks.br
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although im doing something in ableton right now and it was so quick to get going… now im struggling with arranging as usual… might try exporting stems out to Cubase.
Wow wow wow, dude, that is a really thoughtful review, I can’t thank you enough for this and tell you it pushes us here at sonic to bring you the best we can when we get feedback like that - we all here have a massive passion for producing and dance music and just love sharing it with you guys. I am so happy you got so much from the course and doing it in bloody ableton - :w00t: Props to young Phil - he pushed me hard on this one!!br
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Cheers -br
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Chris
is there any issues with me using my finished product in a dj set? if there are, that is totally fine.br
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-rbr
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no prob at all.
excellent! i am never sure what is legit to do with these songs. i mean, i have made some changes in an attempt to make it more mine but it very much sounds like the chris’br
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-rbr
I did not do the tutorial, but I watched the entire tutorial and I agree with the reviewer. For me all of the trainers here are top-notch, including Chris. br
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I am struggling with the Logic vs Ableton thing. I’ve spent considerable time and money on training videos and books for both. When you watch Chris or the new Gigi video you see that Logic can be as fast as Ableton. Yet Ableton did seem to figure a few things out in which to improve workflow over the old standard DAWs like Logic Cubase.br
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Here’s another issue: Is it just me, is it the producers, or does Logic just plain sound better (Bigger, Fatter) than Ableton? If it’s true, then the decision is made. I will go with Logic and work around the absence of drum racks, etc. Then I will use Ableton maybe to render audio tracks in live performance.br
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If anyone can offer some input it would be greatly appreciated!br
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Jamie Grant - a happy Sonic Academy gold member.
My advice would be to go with whichever DAW you instinctively like the best.br
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I am now committed to using Reason - there have been so many times when i attempted to switch from Reason to either Logic or Ableton, because when you don’t really know what you are doing, it’s so much easier to get a good sound quickly from those other DAW’s than Reason.br
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But i always just kept coming back to Reason (even though i wasn’t getting such a good sound), because i love the look and feel of it, and it inspires me more.br
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The result is that now that i am a much more advanced producer, i can get as good a sound now in Reason, as i would be able to get in any other DAW. It’s been harder work and more time-consuming, but the end result is now i get a great sound, in the DAW that i have always loved to work in the most.br
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Just instinctively pick a DAW and stick to it. There are no shortcuts - in the end you have to learn to get a great sound out of whichever DAW you use, and it takes alot of hard work and practice.br
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so, if anybody is interested, here is my finished project. i attempted to change some of the elements to make it a bit my own but this particular piece was, well for lack of a better word, complex, so i had a bit of a challenge doing that.br
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i would welcome any thoughts, especially of the mixing.br
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New Songbr
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-r
Hey RF. Great job in completing the course! I am unable to comment on the mixing side of your track, as I don’t think my ears are skilled enough for that yet, but what I am noticing is that from 1:42 till the drop, the timing goes out slightly, and then again at 4:17 till 4:47. br
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Keep up the good work.br
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Op :)br
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so, i went back and listened, maybe that is the more complextroy part? i did notice a couple places where the timing maybe got a bit sloppy, so i tightened it up and reuploaded.br
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thanks for the feedback!br
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-rbr
Glad to help. I had a listen to Chris’s version and your’s, and I think something is still throwing the timing out in the places I mentioned.br
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Op
hmm, i am really not sure then. those sections you mentioned are definitely the parts where i used supatrigga to change up the audio. before supatrigga it’s definitely in time. maybe i am just not using the plugin correctly.br
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-rbr
Wish I could help more, but I have not used supatrigga. I’m sure someone with more experience will chime in soon.br
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op.