Ableton Live 11 is coming in early 2021
Subscribe
X

Subscribe to Mixdown Magazine

10.11.2020

Ableton Live 11 is coming in early 2021

Words by Will Brewster

Three years after the launch of Live 10, Ableton are back with another huge overhaul to their workhorse DAW.

Set to arrive in early 2021, Ableton Live 11 looks to be just as much as creative performance tool as it is a pragmatic audio arranger, with the latest version offering a range of inspiring new features and nifty add-ons.

An all-new Comping mode allows users to organise multiple passes of audio or MIDI data into individual takes, which can then be stitched together for an optimised final result.

There’s also MPE, or MIDI Polyphonic Expression support, which lets Ableton users add intricate phrasings and movements into their electronic tracks to bring them to life and morph between sounds. Ableton have also updated their Wavetable, Sampler and Arpeggiator tools to support MPE to unlock even further expressive potential.

Ableton Live 11 will also boast an intuitive Live Tempo Following tool, with the software automatically adjusting to tempo from incoming audio in real-time to make for a much more organic playing experience. That means Live 11 is no longer just a clip-launching click track for you to follow when performing, and can instead become a dynamic live performance tool for hybrid, electro-acoustic or even DJ sets.

The latest update also brings a number of new devices, including a powerful Hybrid Reverb and Spectral Resonator and Spectral Time devices, which are perfect for making your tracks washed-out, stretched-out and glitchy as hell.

There’s also a new Inspired By Nature device with six instruments and effects inspired by nature and physics, as well as PitchLoop89, a tool for freaky vibrato and shimmering, jittery sounds.

Six new instruments have also been added into the mix, with Ableton teaming up wth Spitfire Audio on a new String Quartet, Upright Piano and Brass Quartet, while Voice Box, Mood Reel and Drone Lab offer a range of vocal samples, ambient sounds and textural drones.

If that’s not enough already, Ableton Live 11 also adds new Note and Velocity Chance tools to inject some subtle fluctuations into your tracks, as well as updated to Macros and Follow Actions. Clip Detail View, clip editing, CPU metering and key monitoring have also been refined, while a number of Devices, Packs and Live’s Core Library have been updated with new content.

Ableton Live 11 is expected to drop in full in early 2021. Head to their website for more technical information, details on availability and offers.