Are you using a full version of Ableton, or the special akai version that came with the device...

The version that comes with the apc is a version of ableton lite... it can't play mp3's

This could be your issue

Thanks for the responses people. I have been trying to pick out keys by playing along... but I am still learning all my scales, so it's unfortunately not the most effective method (yet). Although I started playing guitar at 14 I've only been studying music theory for about 2 years, and only been lis...

Well unfortunately I'm not just grabbing records on the fly. My intention is to extrapolate 4 - 16 bar loops from varying songs and construct a matrix of clips that can be navigated through using an apc. This will allow me the freedom to play synth, noisemakers, and a variety of circuit bent objects...

So I know there are people who will want to do it by ear, but I am looking for something a little more efficient (for now).

So I know about mixed-in-key, but is that the best way?

I'm mixing within ableton so I do need to do a bit of preperation.

Running both XP and Mac OS X

Any suggestions

So far I've been loving it. The biggest selling point to me right now from an audio standpoint is it's unix kernal. My midi devices and external sound card set up so much simpler.

No longer do I have to restart ableton if I forget to plug in my nanopad

Free at last!

So I went ahead and bought the macbook pro. I also do video production, so being able to use final cut will be a bonus. What finally made up my mind was that there was no comparable hardware on the market that satisfied me, and the mac only ended up being an extra $200. Also spent some money on a go...

I've been putting my gear together for the last couple month's, finally need to buy a laptop for live production sets. I'm using ableton, and a variety of midi controllers / synth's. Do you suggest I spend the extra money and get the mac book pro, or should I get a pc, save the money, and invest in ...

Hey all, I'm Myles a media artist from Toronto. Stumbled across this forum in my pursuit for all the knowledge in the universe. My background is mostly in film production / animation, although I have been playing music for almost 11 years. My background was mostly jazz, jam, and folk... although las...