Which is Better? Playback or Ableton Live?

Times have changed ladies and gentlemen. We now have access to a hit-and-run solution for using multitracks at church. Playback from Multitracks.com has gained massive popularity in recent years. The question remains though, which is better? Let’s dive into it a bit.

Spoiler Alert: Neither

That’s right, neither application is necessarily always a fit for every church. The solution really comes down to how you do things, who you have available, and how much certain things matter to you.

Creativity and Flexibility Goes to Ableton

Yep. Ableton still wins in this category. I was never a fan of the Playback interface though. We do a lot of song transitions that usually require that I take a track “apart” and do some splicing and dicing in order to blend the songs together so that we have a customized solution that works for us. Between that and the ability to overdub if needed during the week, this one goes to Ableton

Ease of Access Goes to Playback

I hate to admit that Playback is far easier to use. Nearly any band member can run this application, so there’s that. Plus you can run the tracks from their iPad app, so a computer isn’t required.

Getting Back On The Click, Ableton Wins.

In the event of the horrid moment of getting off of the click track, Ableton’s no-lag start really creates a better situation in the event of such a catastrophe.

Price Point, Another Point For Playback.

With no premium software required and the tracks subscription model, the price just can’t be beat. Only complaint on my end is that if I own any of the tracks already, it doesn’t mean I’m getting a discount that month or anything, but again, the price is good.

Control Features Goes to Ableton

Even though Playback does enable certain MIDI control for certain aspects of the app. Things like controlling tempo for synths and pedalboards are a plus. Heck, I’m pretty sure you can even control lighting and ProPresenter from Playback too. You can do all of that in Ableton though and a lot more. Touch OSC, my favorite wireless MIDI controller application, DOES NOT work at this point with Playback. That’s a deal-breaker for me, as petty as that may sound. You CAN use midi controllers with Playback. Just to be clear.

Warp Modes Are Far Superior In Ableton

Nothing is worse than changing the key to a song and it sounding like Alvin and the Chipmunks huffing helium from party balloons. Ableton’s Complex and Complex Pro features “nearly” eliminate that issue completely, with the exception of going too extreme with it.

Audio Quality — Toss Up

Some people agree with me, others don’t. However, I’m convinced that the audio from Playback has a strange FM-Stereo type mid-range over all, and that’s another reason that I prefer Ableton.

I’m Biased, Just To Be Clear

Yeah, so I’m 100% comfortable admitting that I’m biased towards Ableton. I’ve used it since the beginning of my musical journey and at this point, it’s still my preferred method. However, Playback could totally be the better solution for you specifically. So it’s a matter of figuring out what works for you.

Custom Multi-Track Rigs From HoneySonic

At HoneySonic we can custom build you a tracks rig that is compatible with both applications, without any type of conversion required if you were to change your mind about which way you decide to go. Everything from the rack case, direct box, audio interface(s), and midi thru’s make our Track rigs durable, reliable, flexible, and extremely high quality that will last you for years to come. Currently our most popular track rigs can handle 8-10 outputs. Click here to start dreaming up your custom track rig.