Ableton Live 10 has Been Announced!
If you haven’t heard, Ableton Live 10 was announced today. Woot!
Create bolder sounds with Live’s new devices. Stay in the flow with a multitude of workflow improvements. Do even more away from the computer with Push. Build your sound with a curated library. And get the unlimited potential of Max for Live, seamlessly built in.
Live 10 will be available in early 2018.
Here is an intro video from Ableton (which was posted this morning and has already creased 52k views).
On Spending Time with the Beta
I’ve been a part of the beta program for a few weeks and find the update to be quite transformative – so much so I find it quite difficult to revert back to 9. I’ve already got a lot of hours into tracks with Wavetable, Echo, Pedal, Drum Bus and all the other new features.
Two quick features I want to point out are Capture and Device Visualizations on Push 2. I use Capture constantly (video).
I’ve come to think of Push 2 as my instrument, and the new device visualizations make it even more so (video).
Wrap Your Head Around Live 10
There is already some great coverage of “what’s new” and some “how-to” videos are already emerging from some of my Ableton Certified Instructor friends. So rather than repeating what’s already been said I’ll offer a few links to help you wrap your head around Live 10.
What’s New
- Ableton’s Live 10 Page – Ableton has done a great job creating text and video walk-throughs. If you want to know ALL the new features that have been added (so far) go all the way to the bottom of the page. There is an accordion there where you expand each type of update.
- Create Digital Music: “Ableton Live 10 in depth: hands-on impressions, what’s new” – Nice article with additional notes and analysis on the update.
How-To
- Ableton Live YouTube Channel – https://www.youtube.com/user/AbletonInc/videos
- My friend AfroDjMac already has some vids up on his channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/AfroDjMac/videos
More…
The timing of the beta for me couldn’t be better for me as 1) I’m back in the the studio working on new tracks and 2) I’m working on a big refresh of my live performance multimedia set which has always been Ableton eccentric. I’ll be using Live 10 from here on out for these projects and I’m excited to share some insights I discover along the way.
Watch for original posts on my journey with Live 10 as well as posts passing along other resources I discover along the way via my category “Live 10″.
Mark Mosher
Composer, Synthesist, Electronic Musician, Multimedia Artist
Boulder, CO
MarkMosherMusic.com
ModulateThis.com
Mark Mosher Multimedia 
2 responses to “Ableton Live 10 Announced!”
I don’t normally comment on product or upgrade pricing as it is just the price of doing business. However I am not really seeing the value with the Live 10 upgrade. For A$335 upgrade there are work flow improvements, a new synth and some effects.
This is more than a full price Logic Pro X which could be a bit unfair since Apple can sell this for low profits for the Mac hardware but still it is an alternative. Propellerheads’ Reason had less work flow improvements with their upgrade but more new synths. Then again the integration to work with VSTs was delivered in a free upgrade.
My main use for Live is that is a great connector with external MIDI generators and audio and routing them around. So I will be sticking with Live 9 for the time being.
(And I just upgraded to Numerology 4)
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To your point, the value of the Live 10 features may not be as obvious or realized for casual users or people who use Live for a targeted subset of it’s features.
I view Live as my primary instrument in the studio and on the stage and I’m in it many times a day. After running the beta for a few weeks, I think for many like me who live in Live, 10 has the opportunity to be transformative. It’s the sum of the parts with workflow multiplied by device visualizations surfaced Push 2 that makes it great for me. I like the continued commitment to Push 2 with deeper features in the step sequencers and being able to edit on screen on Push 2. So not a lot of splashy features – but super useful and a logical evolution. Simple but very useful ideas like Collections and Capture are in heavy use every day for me. Also – even in the beta – even better performance and great stability with Max for Live which is now integrated. Max for Live image activation is super fast now. I also use the Surface Pro 4 on-the-go and Live 10 now supports pen.
I’m big wave table synth fan with a long history with Blofeld. Wavetable and it’s integration to Push 2 – especially when combined with Echo- is quite a combo for real-time improv. Not all synths are created equal in the Ableton lineup. Operator is the stand-out. Wavetable is on par with Operator as definitive Ableton synth. Wavetable’s pop-out screen windows and Push 2 integration are great. You can do stuff like use the touch encoder to map parameters instantly to the mod matrix. I think it was smart for Ableton to put there energy into one epic synth with deep integration into Push 2. Combined with Push 2, it feels like a hardware instrument.
Echo, Pedal, and Drum Bus were super smart choices by Ableton. This combination of FX are a common occurrence as outboard gear in a lot of live rigs I see at shows(Strymon, Analog Heat…). Now that sweet spot is fulfilled in the box and in with Push 2 control – and in some cases device visualizations (seeing your delay effect visualized into Push is pretty damn useful). Even if you have this gear in your studio – you now have the option to use in-the-box devices to reduce setup and tear down time at shows.
Anyway, not trying to sell you. Just explaining my enthusiasm. As with all things, your mileage may vary :^)
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