Logic Express Or Live ?, Should I buy Logic Express or Ableton Live.... Options

[Philthy]

OK, I know I’m probably about to open a heated debate but, do I buy Ableton Live or Logic Express (Logic Pro is not an option).

Here’s my situation –

I produce mainly electronic music using loops and Soft synths, although I occasionally record guitar and vocals.
I have previously used Sony Acid but having moved to a Mac this is no longer an option.
Since moving to the Mac I’ve been using Garageband, and whilst I’ve now outgrown it I have found the selection of instruments and effects very useful.
I also DJ, at present using standard vinyl and CD turntables.
I’m on a budget, Logic Express will leave me with a few dollars spare, Live will clear out the piggy bank.

I like the idea of the all in one solution that Logic provides, and am worried that Live will fall short in the soft instruments provided, will there be enough to keep me going until I can afford to purchase some more soft synths?
Logic is probably also closer in concept to the DAW’s I’ve been used to.

However, having tried Live I loved the alternatives provided for song arrangement, the spontaneity of it, and I can see the possibilities for Djing, none of which Logic would provide.
The only thing that concerned me about Live is the audio quality, which seemed a bit rough if tempos are radically changed (is this something to do with warping?).

I’d love to try Logic too, but Apples trial download page doesn’t seem to work (anyone any ideas on this as Apple themselves don’t seem interested).

Any opinions would be greatly appreciated, particularly if you have experience of both products.

[t_a_burrows]

Philthy, I just thought I'd throw in my few pennies...

I see Live as being fundamentally different from the other DAWs, such as Logic, DP, Cubase, etc., all of which largely work in a similar way. Live is a great, intuitive and inspirational compositional/constructional tool, but - for me, at least - it's weak for detailed editing and mixing. And there are sound quality issues if you push your processing power too far. So I tend to knock around initial ideas in Live and then export sound files into DP, my favoured DAW, where they evolve in a more conventional way.

But it sounds from what you say that Live would be the ideal tool for the music you're making, and I've no doubt that it *is* possible to produce great finished products completely within Live. My advice would be to go with Live (and maybe add a more conventional DAW at a later date).

I'm not sure what the situation is with Live version 6 is, but Live Lite 5 had a limit of 4 audio and 4 MIDI tracks, and I believe it could also only record 16-bit audio.

Terry

http://www.terryburrows.com
http://www.myspace.com/terryburrows