Ableton Link... Why So Cryptic?

[grayter1]

The Ableton Link feature in 2020.9 seems like it would be cool, if I had more information - other than the 90 second video on Avid's YouTube page.

I was smart enough to figure out how to link PT and Live, although the video was only slightly helpful with this. I had to hunt around in Live, and now have them running in tandem via each other's transports, but now what?

Is this strictly a playback thing? Do I need to use Rewire to pass audio between them (something that I've not really played with). Is this a Rewire replacement? An extension?

For what looks to be a cool feature, there's next to nothing on how to set it up, and even less on workflow. Not sure if the overhead of running both apps at once is worth it, when rendering audio out of Live and importing into PT works great.

Did I miss something?

tg

[Sardi]

It’s more geared towards live performance and sync between apps.

I wouldn’t look to AVID for info on it. Check out the Ableton site for more info and have a look at how DJ software by Serato etc. works with it.

If your intention is to use it in place of ReWire, I’d skip. That’s not really (IMO) what it was designed for.

I’m actually quite baffled and surprised that AVID added this to Pro Tools. It really doesn’t strike me as something the core user base are chasing. I think it’s a welcome addition, but I’m struggling to think of why something like this was prioritised over features people have been requesting for years. ARA obviously, but how bout some MIDI plugins and folders in the clip list.

It’s a strange one.


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[Eric Lambert]

Mainly for sync, and for that it works well. I actually find it useful and I don't do live work. It's not a game-changer, but a welcomed addition. Some will find it very useful.

[Top Jimmy]

So does this mean we can sync two Pro Tools systems together without MMC and MTC?

[Mark Ziebarth]

I would prefer ARA and folder in the clip list over Ableton Link, too.
2020.9 seems to be another new version that delivers too less for my Ultimate license fee....

[Eric Lambert]

Originally Posted by Top Jimmy

So does this mean we can sync two Pro Tools systems together without MMC and MTC?

That was my assumption, but I've not tested it. Confirmation from someone would be good.

[Eric Lambert]

Originally Posted by Mark Ziebarth

I would prefer ARA and folder in the clip list over Ableton Link, too.
2020.9 seems to be another new version that delivers too less for my Ultimate license fee....

Yes, there are so many new features that would be prefered over this. Ableton Link and SDII functionality are about the only two highlights (perhaps a misnomer) from this release. Though there seems to be some bug fixes that are highly welcomed.

[Top Jimmy]

Originally Posted by Eric Lambert

That was my assumption, but I've not tested it. Confirmation from someone would be good.

On Avid’s video, they specified that other Link enabled apps will follow if supported. I take that to mean that just like Rewire, Link enabled apps come in both the host and instrument variety. If Pro Tools is a host only, then another Pro Tools system won’t sync with it.

[Eric Lambert]

Originally Posted by Top Jimmy

On Avid’s video, they specified that other Link enabled apps will follow if supported. I take that to mean that just like Rewire, Link enabled apps come in both the host and instrument variety. If Pro Tools is a host only, then another Pro Tools system won’t sync with it.

I didn't realize it was host-only. If so, that would indeed prevent PT-to-PT sync.

[The Weed]

This may be what you're looking for:

https://www.sessionwire.com/