- Quick specs
- Price: Free to try (30-minute trial); $499.00 to buy
- Operating system: Windows Me, Windows NT, Windows XP, Windows 2000, Windows 98
- Date added: July 28, 2005
- Total Downloads: 207,736
- Downloads last week: 285
- See full specifications
- CNET editors' rating: stars
- Average user rating: stars out of 12 votes
See all user reviews
CNET editors' review
Reviewed by: CNET Staff
Ableton Live is one of several digital audio products that have genuinely transformed the music scene in the past few years. The software is about as close as it's possible to get to a computer-based sequencer that can be played live, like a real instrument. Recording and arranging audio is effortless with its elegantly designed interface, and its Arrange window makes composition just as enjoyable. MIDI composition and editing can be integrated seamlessly into compositions that also use prerecorded audio. Adding effects and manipulating sounds in radical ways, all on the fly, is a snap, and the software supports third-party plug-in technologies including VST. Rewire functionality helps connect it to other sequencing software or applications such as Reason. The package comes with a snazzy software synth called Operator, which takes both visual and sonic inspiration from vintage analog synths. Our only real objection is that, like most pro audio apps, Live's learning curve has become increasingly steep with every release. Even the step-by-step instructions left us scratching our heads at times. But with virtually limitless capabilities, Ableton Live is one of the most captivating music-production packages on the market today.Publisher's description
From ableton :Ableton Live is the only solution designed for each stage of the musical process, from creation to production to performance. In the creative stage, Live is transparent, intuitive and responsive, capturing inspiration and encouraging the flow of musical ideas. During production, Live provides all of the professional tools and studio compatibility required to complete and perfect projects. On stage, Live delivers the expressive control and stability that innumerable performing artists have come to rely on. Live 5 from inspiration to studio to stage. Create. Produce. Perform.
What's new in this version:
This latest version has improved features and effects.
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User reviews
- Average user rating: 3.2 stars out of 12 votes
- My rating: 0 stars Write review
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Showing 5 of 9 user reviewsSee all 9 user reviews
This software version | All versions -
1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Live 7.0.1
Pros: Seems to have a lot of options for music creation
Cons: Freezes after about a minute. No sound and I could not fix with new/different sound drivers. Eats up CPU. FLstudio/Reason both work fine on my computer.
-note: I'm using an AMD athlon XP 1600+ (1.4 gh) with 512mb of Ram, so if you have anything less powerful than that, you'll probably have problems.
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Version: Live 7.0.1
"Very intuitive and powerful tool to publish and to execute live performances"
Pros: More than a tool to record sound, Live is an application for live performances, which provides to total functionality to control in real time the parameters that other software. Definitively, Live revolutionized the form to edit, to compose and to execute music in addition to being very intuitive.
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Live 7.0.1
"Better than any other recording software Ive tried"
Pros: I love how simple and fast it generally is to make music. Plus, its excellent quality sound. I've tried out Reason demos and Cakewalk, but this one is the best. I like how I can drag and drop clips from my comp directly to my destinated track. Lots of MIDI to explore and MIDI/Audio effects. Also, its nice being able to choose which tracks I want to have record on same as playback. This means I can record and hear what Im playing at the same time, or do whatever I want (this is not the same in Cakewalk).
Overall, its a great software.
Cons: Uses good amount of resources and is expensive $400 I believe. But you should get it if you want to do computer recording. If youre playing guitar or whatever into it, its very laggy unless you get ASIO driver, which eliminates all the crap.
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1 out of 1 people found this review helpful
Version: Live 7.0.1
"Advanced interface, but worth the effort"
Pros: You can use it as a Multitrack recorder, Sequencer, Sound generator, Mixer, Remixer(makes it easy), and Looper, besides the obvious "live" capabilities. Amazing sounds/effects/soft syths. Gobs of parameters, a thousand ways to mutilate/variate your music. A solid beast for the intermediate DJ/Remix artist. Once you get past the hard-to-understand user interface(who knows, maybe it's because it's a German product), you'll be amazed at how good you sound.
Cons: The user interface is NOT intuitive.
Simple recording of an instrument sound is complicated(because there are so many ways to do this).
Simple exporting of loops is not a simple task either. Some WAV files won't import unless they have been "Analyzed" first. MP3 files can be imported, but not created/rendered from Ableton. In other words, you can't hit a button and turn an Ableton Live Set/Song/Clip into an MP3. WAV and AIFF only. This is a feature on most audio software programs under $99(ACID Home Studio comes to mind). Maybe it's possible to do this, but good luck figuring it out. Overall, the software is detailed and useful for intermediate to advanced level audiophiles, but fails the "experienced amateur" and anyone below that ability level because there are just too many ways to do everything. For $499, you're probably better off getting Reason or Soundforge, unless you work in a professional studio. But you probably aren't looking at Ableton Live if you're a professional, because there are better "professional" grade products(albeit more expensive) out there.
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Version: Live 7.0.1
"Terrible, whats the point if you can't save?"
Pros: You can record your own music and it has a great looking layout.
Cons: You can't save anything and the gadgets arn't great, i have seen alot of better programs!
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