Foremost is a stunning new mode that allows users to take any chunk of arrangement in the Arrange page (the more conventional view where the usual layout of productions is worked on) and then turn that automatically into a Live trigger-able scene in the Session view. It even tailors suggestions based on past choices, and then lets producers instantly preview them all from the browser (even instrument presets). More useful updates come on the general editing and arrangement side of things. bass) across any or all of the libraries, plug-ins, presets, everything. For the first time, users can see everything, search for key words (e.g. It might sound about as sexy as woollen knickers, but one of the best updates in 9 is the browser. The actual EQ filters themselves have been tweaked too, offering new modes and analogue-style curves - or simply use the originals for backwards-compatibility. Users can even target parts of the display with the mouse to see what musical note the frequencies cover. One such feature is individual band soloing, which brings immeasurable improvement to the precision of EQing.
#ABLETON LIVE 10 REVIEW UPDATE#
The most visually spectacular update is to EQ Eight, which now features a huge pop-out display and a raft of new features. These help novices to understand what is going on and give a visual warning when users are over-compressing. There are also various other improvements to the original program, including additional meters, controls and various little tweaks, so Live users with huge plug-in libraries would do well to revisit these staples. In a nod to modernity, it can react much faster than the original SSL (allowing it to act as a limiter), offers true side-chaining (for Prydz-esque pumping), and features a dry-wet control which can sound great for battering a drum track without making it sound flat. The existing effects found in Live, Compressor and Gate, have also been updated to offer real-time graphical interfaces, showing exactly what they are doing to a signal as it happens. Adapted from Cytomic's The Glue, it is a nicely modelled version of the classic SSL compressor used on countless pop hits and boasts an incredible knack of pulling mixes together. One of the headline additions to the new version is the Glue compressor.
There's a wealth of new features that have been implemented to make the workflow of this unique DAW even more refined - and more powerful. Whether it's a DJ mix platform, sole studio companion or useful part of an integrated studio, more and more people are getting onboard. Designed a decade ago as a live performance tool, Ableton Live has progressed from a live audio toy and mash-up-meister to a fully-fledged audio and MIDI production powerhouse.