MAX FOR LIVE DEALS
Via Ableton:
There has never been a better time to get started with Max for Live. In April, Ableton is offering Max for Live for free with purchases of Ableton Suite 8 and upgrades to Suite 8 from Live Lite and Live Intro. There is also a 50% discount on Max for Live available on upgrades to Suite 8 from Live 1-8 and Suite 7.
Here is a summary of the deals from this page:
NEW MAX FOR LIVE DEVICE – “GRANULATOR”
Ableton founder Robert Henke (Monolake) has created a new Max device called “Granulator” that is now available as a free download.
I actually saw an early version of this in September 2010 at Robert’s talk at the University of Denver (Show Report: Two Days in Denver with Robert Henke).
Via landing page for Granulator:
What is Granular Synthesis
Granular synthesis is a technique that involves dividing a sample into very short pieces, and then playing the pieces back superimposed and crossfaded with one another. These pieces, or "grains," are usually under 50 milliseconds long and sound like short clicks when heard individually. But when layered together, grains can produce lush textures with rich modulation possibilities.
Using the Granulator
To use the Granulator, drag a sample onto its waveform display. You can then adjust the length of the grains and the density of their overlap with the Grain control. The playback position within the soundfile is set with the FilePos knob and can be modulated randomly or via the built-in LFO.
In addition to controls that influence the playback of the grains, there are also a number of "classical" synthesis parameters such as an ADSR envelope, two multimode filters and an FM oscillator that can dramatically alter the overall timbre.
One of my favorite things about this device was the waveform visualization which is missing from many commercial product of this sort.
ARE YOU IN?
If you were waiting on Suite this is sort of a no brainer. For those like me who already have Suite download edition, the upgrade path would be to buy the boxed edition at $149. That would give us Max for Live (normally $299), EIC ($129 if your purchase seperately), and a paper manual for $149 bucks.
Revision: I misread the upgrade price which Gary pointed out in the first comment. He said “As a registered user of Live 8 suite, you do NOT get Max for Live if you buy the box set. You get a 50% off coupon for Max. So you are looking at 149 + 150 = 300. So, in essence, you get a manual and a box for 50$ and pay full price for Max for Live.” I'll reach out to Ableton and see they'd be open to adding a download only 50% upgrade for existing Suite "Download Edition" users.
So, are the new updates in Ableton 8.2.2 (that are sure to yield some cool new devices), a fantastic looking new device by Robert Henke, and the upgrade deal enough for you to jump on to Max for Live?
Links:
Mark Mosher
Electronic Music Artist & Synthesist, Boulder, CO
www.markmoshermusic.com
www.modulatethis.com
Mark Mosher 
8 responses to “In April Buy Ableton Suite 8, Get Max for Live for Free + Granulator Device by Robert Henke”
I’m afraid it’s for newsletter subscribers only 😦
Maybe you can ask Ableton Support if they want to offer you the discount?
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Hmmm. I didn’t get this offer. I also don’t see this option on the upgrade page https://www.ableton.com/shop/categories/upgrades?orig_ql=/upgrades
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I just received an email from Ableton that Ableton Suite users get a 30 percent discount.
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Hi Gary,
I’ve sent an email to Ableton to see if they might consider a $149 buy for “download” Suite users. I’ll let you know if and when I hear back.
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Yup. I sure would buy it for 149.
I’ve been waiting until Ableton bump live to 9, hoping to get it as a package with the upgrade. But, for 149, I’d jump on it.
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Gary,
So, if they just had software download/key upgrade in the store for Suite users at $149 would you buy? Just wondering what the the threshold is for an instant buy now that 8.2.2 and Granulator sweetens the pot.
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Gary, your right. I misread it. I agree, not worth it. I’ll revise the post right now.
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I’m not in.
As a registered user of Live 8 suite, you do NOT get Max for Live if you buy the box set. You get a 50% off coupon for Max. So you are looking at 149 + 150 = 300. So, in essence, you get a manual and a box for 50$ and pay full price for Max for Live.
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