Ableton Live 11 Session View
Recently I started experimenting with the session view on my Twitch stream and I have to say, it really is a unique feature to Ableton Live 11.
Some people will never explore the session view, as music production is most commonly written on a timeline in a standard DAW arrangement window. The familiarity of the arrangement view is one of the reasons why music producers will avoid opening a session view project. I also feel that there’s a stigma attached to the session view, where it’s seen as only useful for live performance and is therefore immediately disregrded as a valuable asset to production.
Recently I started experimenting with the session view on my Twitch stream and I have to say, it really is a unique feature to Ableton Live 11.
Some people will never explore the session view, as music production is most commonly written on a timeline in a standard DAW arrangement window. The familiarity of the arrangement view is one of the reasons why music producers will avoid opening a session view project. I also feel that there’s a stigma attached to the session view, where it’s seen as only useful for live performance and is therefore immediately disregrded as a valuable asset to production.
After using my APC40 mk2 controller several times in the past few weeks, I’ve begun to notice how free flowing and enjoyable it is to have a hands on experience improvising in the session view.
When I’m producing music in the arrangement view I can sometimes feel quite fatigued and uninspired. The project sometimes feels like it’s hitting a brickwall because of the linear structure and the endless tweaking.
Whereas with the session view, I have noticed a huge change in the way I approach and feel about the music I’m making. I really enjoy it, for hours. There’s a playful exploration that you just don’t really get from standard DAW interfaces.
The human interaction between myself, the controller and the non-linear clips has transformed my experience of producing electronic music. When I record and perform my sequence into the arrangement view, adjusting parameters and automating on the fly, so much of the creative work is already complete. It sounds much more human as well, which is far more pleasing to the listener.
The session view is unique to Live 11 and I am actively going to be using it more, as I feel it will hugely benefit the quality of my music production.
If you’re new to the Session View, check out my YouTube video :