Ableton Live 12 is out now

This major update gives music makers new tools for starting and building on their ideas, fresh sounds and devices to spark inspiration, and workflow changes to encourage uninterrupted creative flow. For a headstart on the key features, check out our Learn Live videos.

You can also now explore our new interactive companion site to learn about the various kinds of tuning systems that come with Live. Each tuning preset in Live links to a page on the site, where you can read about the tuning, experiment with interactive widgets, and even edit and create your own tunings for use in Live.

What’s new in Live 12

Form ideas freely

MIDI Transformations and Generators – Use MIDI Transformations to add ornaments and articulations, draw acceleration and deceleration curves, connect successive notes and chords, and simulate the strum of a guitar. And take advantage of MIDI Generators that let you conjure up playful and original ideas for you to develop and turn into your own.

Max for Live MIDI Tools – Try out additional Max for Live Transformations and Generators that give you deeper ways of working with MIDI, or go even further by building new ones.

MIDI Editor improvements – Use your keyboard and mouse to edit MIDI in new ways. Split a note in two, or chop it into several parts. Select a set of notes and join them together, or make them fill a selected time range. Get access to more tools from the Note Utilities panel, like Fit Scale, Humanize, Add Intervals, and more.

Keys and Scales – Transform or generate ideas within the confines of the selected scale, or sync the scale of MIDI devices to the clip being played.

Tuning systems – Work outside 12-tone equal temperament, and use your chosen tuning with Live’s devices as well as any MPE-capable plugin or hardware.

Modulate more flexibly – Stay in control of a parameter even after it’s been mapped to a modulation source; Max for Live devices like LFO, Shaper and Envelope Follower now let you freely adjust a destination that’s being modulated.

Freeze and Flatten – Freeze and flatten a track in a single step using the Edit menu or the right-click context menu of a Track Title Bar.

Find a new sound

Meld – A highly expressive 12-voice MPE-capable synthesizer that uses FM, subtractive and granular synthesis. Its two independent engines can be individually fed through a range of filter types, letting you produce a wide array of textural and experimental sounds.

Roar – Create everything from subtle and precise mastering-grade warmth to wild and unpredictable sound degradation. Roar is made up of three saturation stages for serial, parallel or even mid/side and multiband configurations. Its built-in compressor and feedback routing give you even more ways to shape your sound, and its modulation section lets you add dynamic, evolving saturation and color.

Granulator III – The latest iteration of Robert Henke’s granular instrument now has MPE capability, giving you expressive control over parameters like note bend, vibrato and glissando. Plus, you can now capture audio in real time and start manipulating it immediately.

New Packs – Find new tricks for performing on the fly with the four Max for Live devices of Performance Pack, explore unlikely instruments and unique foley recordings with the Lost and Found collection, and get your hands on authentic hip-hop and trap beats with two drum Packs from Sound Oracle.

Clear the path for intuition

Stack Live’s Detail Views – Stack Live’s Clip and Device Views to see more of what’s going on in your track at a glance. View the Clip Editor or automation and the Instrument or Effect you’re working on at the same time, so you don’t have to repeatedly switch between views.

View styling – Live 12’s cleaner, more modern look removes visual complexity and keeps the focus on your music.

Mixer improvements – Use Live’s Mixer in Arrangement View to get more information and control without moving to Session View and breaking the flow. Toggle the visibility of each Mixer section to fit your needs, and benefit from improved readability and feedback.

Sound Similarity Search – Start with a sample and tell Live’s browser to find comparable sounds and instrument or drum presets – with the help of a set of advanced machine learning algorithms.

Similar Sample Swapping – Use sound similarity to find and swap comparable samples in Simpler or Drum Rack.

Browser tagging – Discover new sounds and find them again more easily with Live’s new tagging system. All factory sound content – including Packs – now comes labeled in the Browser with categories and descriptors. And if you want more tags, you can create your own.

Accessibility and navigation improvements – Visually impaired musicians can now access core workflows in Live with screen readers and other assistive technologies, and use new keyboard shortcuts to navigate to nearly every part of Live.

Pricing and availability

Ableton Live 12 is available for purchase from Ableton.com and, in some countries, through local retailers.

Ableton Live 12 Intro costs 79 EUR / 99 USD / 69 GBP, Live 12 Standard costs 279 EUR / 439 USD / 259 GBP and Live 12 Suite costs 599 EUR / 749 USD / 539 GBP.

Existing Ableton Live owners can log in to their accounts to see upgrade pricing.

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