Published
Tue, Nov 14, 2023, 10:55
- Updated MIDI tools, instruments, sounds and devices are coming in early 2024.
The next version of Ableton Live is out early next year.
The company's flagship DAW, one of the most widely used tools in electronic music production today, will come with a clutch of new sounds and features.
On the audio side, Live 12 has a new instrument called Meld, a bi-timbral, two-oscillator synth designed to create textures and experimental sounds. Roar is a new saturation effect with a modulation matrix that can push it into sound-degradation territory. Granulator has been updated and now has MPE capability and the ability to capture audio in real-time. There are also four new Max for Live devices and some other sound packs.
As for MIDI devices, Live 12 offers new generators that can create variations, chords, ornaments and other elaborations based on your note information. There are improvements to MIDI editing, with intuitive rearrangements now possible based on velocity, pitch or duration. You can also stretch, split, chop or join notes in new ways, and add intervals chromatically or around a specific musical key.
Finally, the UI has seen some upgrades, with Ableton simplifying Live's appearance and reducing visual complexity. In the new Stacked Detail View you can see your devices and the clip editor at the same time, as well as all automation and the parameters of your devices, reducing the need to repeatedly switch between views.
Perhaps one of the most useful new features is also one of the simplest—Live's Mixer, which was previously only visible in Session View, can now be seen and adjusted while in Arrangement View. The look of the mixer has also been tweaked to make it easier to read and make very fine adjustments.
Watch a video.
Live 12 will be released in early 2024, priced as follows: Live Intro €79 / $99; Live Standard €279 / $439; Live Suite €599 / $749. Existing Live owners should log into their accounts to check upgrade pricing. Ableton is currently offering 20 percent off Live 11 or upgrades to Live 11, with a free upgrade to Live 12 when it's released next year.