Ableton Live

Live is fast, fluid software for music creation and performance. Use its timeline-based workflow or improvise without constraints in Live’s Session View. Advanced warping lets you change the tempo and timing of any audio in real time without stopping the music. Record virtual instruments, drum machines, guitars or audio from the real world. Capture MIDI notes after you’ve played them, turning your most spontaneous ideas (and happy accidents) into music.

Live’s effects, instruments, sounds and creative features let you make music only limited by your imagination. Use Live’s native devices as the foundation of sound design or mold and shape a range of carefully curated Packs into something new. And since the software keeps everything in time, Live is also perfect for on-stage improvisation and hands-on play—customize the software to fit your performance, not the other way around. And with Push, Ableton’s instrument built specifically for Live, you get all the functionality of software with the immediacy of hardware.

Create with Live

No matter how you like to begin, Live helps you get the music in your head out of your speakers.

Session View lets you sketch ideas lightning fast – play, mix, and match MIDI and audio loops of different lengths and tempos without ever stopping the music. The Arrangement View is where you organize music along a timeline and build sections of your song. Or record an arrangement directly from the Session View and improvise a finished composition. 

Live’s synthesizers deliver a vast range of sound using wavetable, FM, and analog- and physical modeling architectures. A pair of sampling devices help you squeeze the most out of your drum samples and multisampled instruments with built-in slicing, warping and more. Included MIDI effects let you creatively manipulate your notes, while audio effects help you clean up your mix or make a creative mess.

Live’s Core Library comes with every edition of the software and includes vintage synths, analog drum machines, keys, multi-sampled drums, and much more. Curated Collections are toolkits of curated sounds from selected scenes designed to be shaped into something new.

Software without limits

Live comes with everything you need, but adapts to your unique needs. Map knobs, faders and buttons to nearly any controller to get hands on control of almost every parameter in Live. The software also includes auto-mappings for a growing number of MIDI controllers for instant results.

Max for Live is a software platform that powers a range of Live’s instruments and effects. Load one of its many built-in sound generators, and audio and MIDI effects to expand your sound. Or use it to customize devices, build your own and even hack how Live works. You can even use it to connect Live to lights, cameras, sensors, surround sound setups and more.

Perform with Live

Trigger, resequence and remix your music in real time. Control external hardware and integrate outboard effects. Improvise on your own or process audio played by others.

Expand your setup and collaborate with others using Link. The technology syncs timing over a network connection, so software like Reason, Serato and an ever-growing number of iOS apps work together in your Live setup.

Compare Versions

Live Suite Key Features:

Multitrack Audio recording and MIDI sequencing of software and hardware instruments
Unique Session View for nonlinear composition, flexible performance and improvisation
Real-time warping of audio: automatically sync music and loops, regardless of tempo
MIDI-mappable controls for hands-on creation onstage or in the studio – plus automatic mapping for popular hardware controllers
Audio to MIDI conversion tools: extract harmony, melody or drums from an audio sample and convert it into MIDI. 
Comprehensive selection of built-in audio effects for creative sound design, mixing or mastering
Advanced sampling and slicing tools
VST and Audio Unit support
Groove engine to apply swing to audio or MIDI, or extract rhythmic ‘feel’ from other audio files
Video import and export for scoring to video or warping video to music
Built-in Max for Live software with more instruments, audio and MIDI effects, and the ability to customize Live 

Instruments, effects and sounds:

10 instruments: Wavetable, Operator, Sampler, Analog, Electric, Tension, Collision, Simpler, Drum Rack, Impulse –  plus Instrument Racks and the External Instrument device
57 audio and MIDI effects, including Drum Buss, Echo and Pedal
5000+ sounds
70+GB of loops and samples

Technical feature spec / compatibility:

Nondestructive editing with unlimited undo 
Multitrack recording up to 32-bit/192 kHz
Automatic plug-in delay compensation
Link technology integration
MIDI remote control instant mapping
MIDI output to hardware synths
MIDI Clock/sync
ReWire support
Multicore/multiprocessor support
WAV, AIFF, MP3, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC file support
Unlimited Audio and MIDI tracks
Unlimited Scenes
12 Send and return tracks
256 Audio inputs, 256 outputs
Rex file support
POW-r dithering
Groove Pool and extract groove
Capture

Live Standard Key Features: 

Multitrack Audio recording and MIDI sequencing of software and hardware instruments
Unique Session View for nonlinear composition, flexible performance and improvisation
Real-time warping of audio: automatically sync music and loops, regardless of tempo
MIDI-mappable controls for hands-on creation onstage or in the studio – plus automatic mapping for popular hardware controllers
Audio to MIDI conversion tools: extract harmony, melody or drums from an audio sample and convert it into MIDI. 
Comprehensive selection of built-in audio effects for creative sound design, mixing or mastering
Advanced sampling and slicing tools
VST and Audio Unit support
Groove engine to apply swing to audio or MIDI, or extract rhythmic ‘feel’ of other audio files
Video import and export for scoring to video or warping video to music

Instruments, effects and sounds:

3 instruments: Simpler, Impulse and Drum Rack  – plus Instrument Racks and the External Instrument device
42 audio and MIDI effects
1800+ sounds
10+GB of loops and samples

Technical feature spec / compatibility:

Nondestructive editing with unlimited undo 
Multitrack recording up to 32-bit/192 kHz
Automatic plug-in delay compensation
Link technology integration
MIDI remote control instant mapping
MIDI output to hardware synths
MIDI Clock/sync
ReWire support
Multicore/multiprocessor support
WAV, AIFF, MP3, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC file support 
Ableton Link integration
Unlimited Audio and MIDI tracks
Unlimited Scenes
12 Send and return tracks 
256 Audio inputs, 256 outputs
Rex file support
POW-r dithering
Groove Pool and extract groove
Capture

Live Intro Key Features:

Multitrack Audio recording and MIDI sequencing of software and hardware instruments
Unique Session View for nonlinear composition, flexible performance and improvisation
Real-time warping of audio: automatically sync music and loops, regardless of tempo
MIDI-mappable controls for hands-on creation onstage or in the studio – plus automatic mapping for popular hardware controllers
Comprehensive selection of built-in audio effects for creative sound design, mixing or mastering
Advanced sampling and slicing tools
VST and Audio Unit support
Video import and export for scoring to video or warping video to music

Instruments, effects and sounds:

3 instruments: Simpler, Impulse and Drum Rack – plus Instrument Racks
29 audio and MIDI effects
1500+ sounds
5+GB of loops and samples

Technical feature spec / compatibility:

Nondestructive editing with unlimited undo 
Multitrack recording up to 32-bit/192 kHz
Automatic plug-in delay compensation
Link technology integration
MIDI remote control instant mapping
MIDI output to hardware synths
MIDI Clock/sync
ReWire support
Multicore/multiprocessor support
WAV, AIFF, MP3, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC file support 
Ableton Link integration
16 Audio and MIDI tracks
8 Scenes
2 Send and return tracks 
4 Audio inputs, 4 outputs
Capture

Live System Requirements