My armchair analysis of the near future for Ableton, Push and Live

[BoddAH]

As a business, Ableton have always been forward thinking and methodical in their research and development approach. While many businesses try all sorts of weird things and see what sticks, Ableton tend to follow a carefully planned roadmap, sometimes anticipating things years into the future.

The Parallel development of Push and Live are a good example. The experimental Note being basically turned into a hardware version a few years later with Move is another one.

That being said, with the release of Ableton Move I believe the future of Live and Push is pretty obvious. After years of being based on a PC-centric x86 processor architecture (Mac OS and Windows), Ableton is very evidently currently experimenting with mobile ARM architecture and in the process of porting its software to the new environment as shown by Ableton Note and Move. Drift, Wavetable, Sampler and many Effects are basically already ported and working and this is obviously just the beginning, it’s just a matter of time before other Devices and even Live itself will have an ARM version. This has several important implications beyond the pretty obvious ones like future-proofing Ableton Live for Windows Arm-based PCs. In the near future we may get:

A full version of Ableton Live running on iOS and/or Android tablets, similar to Logic Pro for iPad, likely making full use of the Touch features of the iPad while also being compatible with various MIDI control surfaces directly via USB-C.

A new Ableton Push Standalone version based on the mobile ARM architecture that would likely be much cheaper, efficient and powerful than the current x86 version equipped with an Intel Core i3 processor. The new Push version may come sooner than we expect and will probably not require a full new hardware version of Push, just the installation of ARM-based Push Upgrade Kit on the current hardware because of course, again, Ableton planned ahead and thought of everything.

Both of these things would be incredibly exciting.

Live running on an iPad or iPad Pro would be perfect for producing on the go or on the couch with the full power and features of Live on top of being a great host device for Live overall.

An ARM-based Push 3 Standalone would be equally great. As much as the idea of Push Standalone is enticing, it very much feels like a first generation product. It’s basically a Push controller with a very underpowered and still expensive PC tacked on. A vastly more efficient, powerful and relatively cheap ARM processor running Live natively would turn this new Push Standalone version into a much better product in every way. Ableton Move is basically a first attempt of that concept in itself.

I’m hyped for the future of Ableton. What about you?

[Rivanni]

Switching to Arm is not the holy grail and shouldn't be a goal in itself. Arm doesn't make things working better function wise. Ableton is also not experimenting but being forced to switch to Arm because of Apple.

Running live on an iPad requires so much more than just running on Arm. A whole new touch interface is needed. Running Live as is on an iPad would be awful.

If Ableton were forward thinking, they wouldn't they put an Arm processor in Push in the first place?
Switching to Arm on Push doesn't make it a better product. The processor is not the problem, the lack of features is. But those don't magically appear when switching to Arm. It requires further development of new functionalities that can work just as well on an Intel processor.

Saying it's "a matter of time before other Devices and even Live itself will have an ARM version." is a bit weird considering Live already runs on Arm for a few years now.

[x3000]

The problem for Ableton could be the vendor lock-in. All software manufacturers have this problem, but Logic has less of one in the DAW sector. If Microsoft radically changes its OS structure, Ableton will be forced into action. We saw this with the switch from MacOS Intel-based to ARM. Expensive manpower is tied up here, which then has to be monetized. Theoretically, the OS manufacturer offers interim solutions, but these will not be optimal.

In principle: Live on ARM has been around for a long time: Ableton Note. But only for iOS and not for Android (Linux).

Live for Linux came with Push 3 and now again with Move.


For Ableton, it would undoubtedly be best to remove the vendor lock-in, as this gives them maximum planning security, which is important for a business activity - but no guarantee of success. Legally, you can only remove the vendor lock-in with Linux. Even if a new kernel is released, old kernels or even entire distributions can continue to be used. You still need class-compliant peripherals (audio interface, controller).

Ok, on the other hand, the OS manufacturers create problems that the software manufacturers can then solve for money.

The problem with the vendor lock-in is of course always passed on to the consumer in the end, who is often not even aware of his situation.


The most astonishing thing is that at the moment the simplest, cheapest and well-functioning solution for the Ableton Live consumer seems to be a Windows PC. A musical instrument is still a musical instrument and not a status symbol.

This gives you the widest range of options for your money. You don't have to use them - but you can. An advantage that should not be underestimated.


Ableton Move is a cool gadget - for beginners (and that's absolutely ok) - and I wish Ableton that they can earn money with it and gain a lot of knowledge.
However, someone who is ambitious and produces a lot of music will not clog up their free time with music gadgets. Otherwise the creative phase ends quickly.


I'm not entirely sure about Push 3. Push 3 SA is cool, but it doesn't have the capabilities of the PC above, or a MAC for that matter. And yes, you can also use Push 3 as a controller.

Basically, the idea of “daw-less” is just a marketing gimmick, since each of the devices that are supposed to replace a DAW is a greatly reduced DAW. A DAW with a tighter vendor lock-in, reduced performance, far fewer options, a much too small display and (perhaps) a higher price. And of course, if I buy one of these things, my mind will invent or repeat a lot of justifications.

I know that reduction can promote creativity, but you don't have to use all the possibilities of a DAW. What can also increase creativity enormously are possibilities.

Push 2 was the last really useful reduced controller. You could use it to operate the PC/Mac sensibly and effectively. Ableton could have sold it for decades if they wanted to - but that's not how capitalism works