Ableton Live 10

[ensoinc]

I'm in no rush to see a new version of live however I'm curious what new features Ableton will implement in v10.

I would like to see channel strip emulation so each channel in live would have the option of SSL, NEVE, API, TRIDENT, GRACE, UA, EMI. With EQ and Compression built in to each channel strip so the mix section functions more like a actual console. The main channel or master would have the option of various top notch compressors namely the FAIRCHILD. This way artist don't have to do as much heavy lifting to dial in a great sound from scratch.

The sound library is great but lacks focus. We've yet to see a D.A.W. release a product that had a sound library that could compete with the 3rd party options. I would honestly prefer to just have a exceptionally great basic sonic palette to work with and then create my own synthesizers from that point. I'm primarily referring to the Acoustic Pianos, EP's, Organs, ORCHESTRA, Band, and world percussion. I love a turn-key product, the ability to simply install and be able to write a remarkable symphonic piece or produce a blazing hot EDM track should be 2nd nature. I think features are great and traditionally D.A.W. have never really focused on sound libraries but I think we're at a point where that shouldn't be the case. In classic Steve Jobs fashion its the equivalent to designing a word processor with out beautiful fonts or mediocre at best.


My final feature is more of a request but I would like to see a midi keyboard that compliments push the same way Native Instruments keyboard compliments Maschine.

I really don't have a long list of gripes just a few minor yet major enhancements that would dramatically improve Ableton Live. I would buy live 10 for the channel strips and updated library alone anything else would be icing on the cake! Just my thoughts!

[alba63]

I would like to see channel strip emulation so each channel in live would have the option of SSL, NEVE, API, TRIDENT, GRACE, UA, EMI. With EQ and Compression built in to each channel strip so the mix section functions more like a actual console.

Nice idea, which would probably double the price of Ableton and also the cpu load you have. There is a number of manufacturers on the market who program high quality emulations of console strips, EQs, compressors, and they generally do not give them away for free... But you can buy them.

Otherwise, you can still use Abletons useable (albeit not high end) plugins that come with Live.

I personally would welcome much more that in terms of Midi capabilities Ableton would come closer to where Cubase was 20 years ago (even longer than that), in the Atari age:
1. Alias clips that flollow a "master clip" when you change that one, instead of having to change every single clip, even if playing the same notes...
2. Clip inspector that lets you change playback parameters without changing the actual content (midi notes), like: Transpose up or down, reduce or increase velocity, dynamic (rel. velocity), note length etc), all non- destructive. In Ableton those everyday tasks are so complicated...

Midi is as important as it used to be, because of VST instruments, it's just all gone in-box, and it would seem nice to me if Ableton would expand it's Midi possibilities Atari users used to have in 1993 and earlier...

[Sean_Clarke]

The next version of live is an important one post BITWiG and so e pretty impressive DAW updates (cubase 8, S1v3 etc). Live realy needs to decide if it wants to be a mainstream DAW with the required linear editing features (comping etc) or a niche product for DJs and loop based music. Personally I hope they do the latter, reaper, cubase, studio one all do linear well. BITWiG dies the hybrid thing pretty well (especially with 1.2) so I think live 10 wil need to think very carefully about product placement and its purpose in music production.

The BITWiG situation makes life interesting for Ableton as they are no longer e only choice for people who like loop and clip based production and they would have to add a lot to V10 to just catch up with BITWiG (in clip editing, folder tracks, layered editing etc) or they could just ignore all that and go there own way (as they did with features like audio to midi).

Has the 2 screen (clip/song) layout had its day when other daws can do both at once, and the general evolution of DAWs seems to be one main workflow window (or at least docking)

IMHO - it's called Live, if I was Ableton I would focus on that- efficient, rock solid and great workflow is enough for me, I dropped cubase as the feature creep just made it to confusing and cluttered for my needs...sometimes less is more!

[mrgrim3]

tfw they call it ABLE10

[pinkpaint]

Alright, on an unrelated but related note to why ableton will make an amazing live 10

a lot of people think having one small team of coders works well.

Bitwig has 3 devs.. they work with outside coders here and there as do most software companies
Presonus Studio One has around 10 devs, that are not all solely devoted to studio one however. Some of them have priorities in Notion and other software products presonus offers.

Ableton, well lets just say their dev numbers literally crush above numbers. Having a lot of coders is amazing especially when they work in small teams to accomplish small tasks that put together whole goals of the whole product.

While bitwig and studio one and other daws have had a good year of updates that make them compete with ableton, ableton has for the most part stayed silent. We all saw in the ableton dev video that something big is in the works. There was even glimpses of things that looked like a possible live 10 gui (seemed bitw-wiggy/maschine 2.0 mixer colors) I am no coder expert I literally only fuck with max and most people dont even consider max a real coding experience cause it isnt. However, I just dont see how studio one and bitwig can compete with ableton in the long run.

The dev culture at ableton is at a creative peak. Just yesterday on twitter I saw the devs talking to someone about their new dev culture and how much more creative they are through these hacks and events they all attend. I am assuming that the people at ableton want to create as fantastic of a product as much as we want to create fantastic music (assumption of whoever is reading this) I am expecting A LOT for live 10. We are so far away from that though. A post on the forums was just here about this and I said 1-2 years would be my guess and I still feel that way..

Anyways for new features, as I said, I expect to be blown away by live 10.

[Swansis]

I would like to see channel strip emulation so each channel in live would have the option of SSL, NEVE, API, TRIDENT, GRACE, UA, EMI. With EQ and Compression built in to each channel strip so the mix section functions more like a actual console.!

Thats a good idea.

For some reason i found the novation launchpads more pleasant to use than the push o.O
When ableton releases Live 10, hopefully theres gonna be a successor of push called the "punch". Wouldnt that sound nice? well, maybe not.

[bengtfalke]

There is really only one main thing I miss in 9.2 and that forces me to use Studio One and Logic.
That thing is comping!

[Swansis]

I just hope they remove that stupid MIDI smart snap thing :\ annoying

[JBlongz]

Hybrid tracks with bounce midi to audio. These freezing method has gotten very old. BitWig learned much from Ableton...I hope the reverse is true.

[Angstrom]

Yep, I hope the two applications continue to tussle and compete for features.

I'd certainly like to see a lot of Bitwig features in Ableton. Multiple regions in a clip for instance, and Metaclips, all that stuff thats been on the forum wishlist for years. It would be nice if some of that made it in.
TBH a new browser and a decent snap mode would be fucking amazing.

[mekanism1200]

A post on the forums was just here about this and I said 1-2 years would be my guess and I still feel that way..

If Live 10 is 2 years away they will be left in the dust by other companies like Bitwig.

Also having a larger Dev team is not necessarily better as things are more structured and office politics can get in the way. Imagine trying to make a track in Ableton and you can only work on it from 9-5, have to collaborate with 15 other people, and any changes have to be approved by a manager. It would take a year just to finish a track.

A friend of mine has done some dev work for Bitwig and he said those guys are very passionate about what they are doing, all they care about is making the best product they can and making customers happy. That's not to say the Ableton team does not care about the product, they obviously do, but if their current update pace is an indication of the future then they are in for a rude awakening.

Technology is moving really fast now, look at the new Surface, Surface book, new Apple products, touch and smaller more mobile form factors are the future. Ableton needs to get on the touch bandwagon if they want to stay relevant.

I sound like a Bitwig fanboy but I'm not, its too late for me to change daws and I'm still fairly happy with Ableton, but I also like new shit and innovation.

[ned rush]

In clip editing and tempo synced playback for audio inside instruments.

[mercury007]

Would focus on better ways to integrate hardware controllers with VSTs. The market is bifurcating into modular users and software users, partially because people were fed up with the lack of ease in controlling VSTs and plugins. There are still areas where if you want easy controller setup you would need to code to do it! That's not a good business plan!

[mkell424]

I've talked about this recently on this forum but I think two great additions would be:

1) Include wave editing features like normalize. Logic has wave editing.

2) Have a switch that turns off the audio from the arangement view so you can go back to jamming in session view with the clips. Maybe have a session only button.

[yur2die4]

The biggest major industry standard Live is hurting on right now is support for some of the latest vst options.
I guess, along with that maybe multi-aftertouch.

It's not that Live needs it, but Live is very modular and seems to be able to work with any device you throw at it, whether it be vsts, audio interfaces, or controllers, and handles these things in a way that is unique to Live.

It'll work with midi controllers no problem, but it'll hurt their software if there are some newer vst options/features that you have to open up a different daw to use.

Of course, if they open that door, they'll have to rehaul their midi and clip editing to handle multiple layers.