Ableton Live

Ableton's Live revolutionised user interface design in music software, and with every update, the company have striven to retain its ergonomic appeal whilst adding some very sophisticated new features.

Last month, we looked at how to build a DAW-like audio mixer in Live's Session view. This time, we'll turn our attention to MIDI channel strips, navigation, and tracking in the Arrangement view.

Ableton Live isn't just a DJ tool, but a very capable DAW. This month we begin a look at how to approach Live if you want to use it as a fully fledged audio sequencer.

When Ableton added MIDI support to Live, they also added virtual instrument support — in this article we look at how to take full advantage of software synths within Live.

They say one step in planning saves two in execution — and that certainly applies to doing a performance with Ableton Live sequencer...

Ableton Live 5 doesn't work with REX files, right? Well, technically speaking, it does not support the 'official' REX file format. But not only can you create your own REX-style slicing within Live, the 'do it yourself' stretching method we describe in this article can be surprisingly flexible.

In part two of our recording and remixing article, we examine how you can use Live's unique features to prepare a recording for remixing.

In the first instalment of this two-part article, we examine how you can use Live as a conventional digital audio workstation.

We begin this regular column on using Ableton Live by examining how you can increase your productivity whilst using the program as a writing tool.

Ableton Live is one of the software success stories of the last few years, with devoted users in fields as diverse as DJing, remixing, theatre sound and music production. Version 5 addresses requests from all these areas, whilst retaining the program's renowned ease of use.

As a creative, stable and above all fun way of combining audio loops in real time, Ableton's Live has proved an ideal counterpart to Rewire-compatible applications such as Cubase. With version 4 offering a wealth of new features, including MIDI sequencing, could Live now replace traditional sequencers altogether?

Ableton's Live allows the user to create and record musical performances by combining sampled loops in real time, with high‑quality pitch‑shifting, time‑stretching and audio effects.