ABLETON LIVE 11 SUITE: AUDIO WORKSTATION BUILT FOR THE CREATIVE MUSICIAN
Apple’s feature-packed Logic Pro software gets the lion’s share of attention from the musically oriented Mac media—and with a gigantic feature set and comparatively affordable $200 price, that’s rightfully so. However, Logic, like nearly all Digital Audio Workstations (DAWs), follows a design bent more on accommodating studios and audio engineers than creatives. Ableton Live, on the other hand, is a DAW that was designed by musicians for musicians, and is likely a better fit for the average Mac-wielding musical type.
Programs such as Logic, Pro Tools, and Cubase trace their lineage back to the 1980s. Ableton Live is a relative newcomer, appearing around 2000. As its name implies, Ableton (the company) designed Live at the outset for live performances and quick composition using audio samples.
To Ableton’s credit, the initial keep-it-focused design was spot-on, and it has maintained much of its unique and original flavor, even with two decades of improvements and new features. The look has evolved in restrained fashion, but remains instantly recognizable. Some love it, while for others it’s an acquired taste.
With version 11, Live has matured into a DAW that could reasonably be employed in a recording studio. But first and foremost, it remains a tool created for and by artists.
FEATURES AND INTERFACE
Live’s once-unique aspect is how it compartmentalizes musical material into “clips”—anything from instrument samples, to MIDI sequences, to full songs. Other DAWs have since copied this aspect.
In Live’s Session mode (shown above), you can launch clips individually (one
