Live 9 and Push Are Here

BERLIN--(Marketwire - Mar 5, 2013) - Today, Ableton has released Live 9, the highly anticipated new version of its popular music creation software. Today also marks the release of Push -- Ableton's first hardware instrument.

Ableton Live 9

The latest version of Live features a multitude of innovations and improvements -- designed to inspire creative music makers everywhere.

The most important new features at a glance:

• Session automation: In Live 9's Session View, automation can now be recorded in real time directly within clips. Automation can move together with clips between Arrangement and Session View.
• Find sounds fast: In Live 9's re-designed browser, all instruments, effects, samples, and plug-ins are in one easy-to-navigate view. Drag and drop folders from anywhere on your computer, search as you type and navigate from the keyboard to find everything quickly.
• Discover new sounds: Live 9 comes with a large selection of production-ready sounds (more than 3000 in the Suite edition), providing a full range of synthesizers, drum kits and one-shot samples, acoustic instruments, loops and much more - all powered by Live's built-in synthesizers, samplers and effects so they can be tweaked and personalized.
• Audio-to-MIDI: Live 9 has three ways to extract MIDI from audio clips. Use Drums-to-MIDI to convert drum breaks into MIDI files for use with your own sounds. Use Harmony-to-MIDI and Melody-to-MIDI to get the notes and chords from samples. Sing, beatbox, tap a rhythm, or play any solo instrument, then use Melody or Drums-to-MIDI to turn your recordings into MIDI clips to edit and reuse with any sound.
• Get your sound right: Live 9's studio effects have all been reworked for even better sound and usability. The Glue Compressor is a new effect -- an authentic model of a legendary 1980s console bus compressor. EQ Eight now has an audition mode for isolating frequencies and an expandable spectrum display. The Gate and Compressor effects feature a Gain Reduction view which shows changes in signal level over time.
• Edit the details: Live 9 introduces new tools and an improved workflow which allow for fast and flexible editing of musical ideas. Transpose, reverse and stretch MIDI notes or warp clip automation and add curves to automation envelopes.
• Max for Live - now in Suite: The Suite edition of Live 9 comes with Max for Live -- giving users access to an ever-expanding array of unique instruments, effects and tools. The included Max for Live boasts 25 new devices such as a convolution reverb, drum synthesizer instruments, MIDI echo as well as reworked versions of classics such as Step Sequencer and Buffer Shuffler 2.

Live 9 pricing and availability:
Live 9 is available immediately at retailers worldwide and at Ableton.com
Prices start at USD 99 / EUR 79 (Live 9 Intro download version), USD 449 / EUR 349 (Live 9 Standard download version) and USD 749 / EUR 599 (Live 9 Suite download version).

Upgrades to Live 9 Standard and Live 9 Suite vary in price depending on the Ableton products you already own. More details at www.ableton.com/shop.

More information, including a video tour of our music software Live 9, online at www.ableton.com/live. 

Press Material
PDF version of this press release as well as high-res images, screenshots and logos:
www.ableton.com/press

Ableton releases Push -- the hardware instrument for making songs from scratch.

Push provides direct, hands-on control of melody and harmony, beats, sounds and structure, powered by Ableton Live 9 running on your computer. High-quality, dynamic pads, buttons, encoders and display combined with an innovative workflow allow you to play and compose musical ideas without the need to look at or touch your computer.

The most important features at a glance:

• Play and sequence beats: Push's 64 velocity- and pressure-sensitive multi-color pads can be used to play, step sequence, and navigate within rhythm patterns -- all at the same time. The 11 touch-sensitive endless encoders can control device parameters, adjust velocity, nudge timing and more.
• Play melodies and chords in a new way: Push "folds" a keyboard's worth of notes into its 64 pads, with different pad colors showing the key center and other notes in the key. This allows you to play in every key using the same finger patterns, move between keys at the touch of a button, and explore new harmonies and phrases.
• Improvise with song structure: Push expands the scope of creation with its unique workflow. Using just a few buttons to trigger clips, overdub notes, move between song materials and variations lets Ableton Live itself become an intuitively playable instrument.
• Move smoothly from creation to arrangement: Push offers both the inspiring instrument to start creating music, and the full-featured software to finish off a track. Everything created with Push is laid out in Ableton Live on your computer -- ready for fine-tuning, arrangement and export.
• Includes Ableton Live 9: Push includes Ableton Live 9 Intro and works with any edition of Ableton Live 9 (Intro, Standard, Suite). All the included instruments, effects and sounds, as well as your own libraries, are ready to be played, tweaked, and personalized.
• Designed by Ableton, built by Akai Professional: Utilizing Akai Pro's long-standing expertise in the field of pad controllers, Push features 64 pressure and velocity-sensitive RGB (multi-colored) pads with an adaptive layout and a touch strip with 24 LEDs for pitch bending or navigating through a Drum Rack. The 11 touch-sensitive encoders and LCD display adapt dynamically to control and show active parameters.
• Fits inside a backpack alongside a laptop: Push is 370 mm / 14.57 inches wide, 293 mm / 11.54 inches deep and is 46 mm / 1.81 inches in height (including encoders) and weighs 2990g / 6.59 pounds. Backside connections are a USB port, power adaptor input and two assignable footswitch inputs. (Push is USB-powered, the brightness of the display and LEDs can be increased by using the included power supply).

Push pricing and availability:
Push includes a download version of Live 9. Prices start at USD 599 / EUR 499 for Push + Live 9 Intro, USD 849 / EUR 778 for Push + Live 9 Standard, and USD 1099 / EUR 998 for Push + Live 9 Suite.

Bundle upgrade discounts are available for owners of previous versions of Live.
Push can be preordered via Ableton.com and at Ableton dealers now.
Due to high demand, waiting periods for delivery of Push units are expected initially.

More information, including a video tour of our hardware controller and instrument Push, online at www.ableton.com/push.

Press material

For a PDF version of this press release as well as high-res images, screenshots and logos, visit:
 www.ableton.com/press

About Ableton
Ableton makes Live -- a unique music production, creation and performance software -- and Push, a hardware instrument for playing and composing with Live. Ableton was founded in 1999 and released the first version of Live in 2001. Since then, the company has received outstanding press, numerous awards and attracted a worldwide community of dedicated musicians, composers and DJs. The company headquarters are in Berlin, with an additional office in Los Angeles. Ableton is run by its original founders and currently has about 140 employees.

All the best from Berlin,
Your Ableton-Team

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