Producer’s Guide

Ableton Live 10

In recent years at least, Ableton’s attitude to updating Live seems to have erred on the side of ‘If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it’. That’s not to say they haven’t brought significant new features and functional changes to the DAW, but you get the impression that, if they can help it, Ableton would rather not disrupt existing users’ workflow with major changes to the layout or interface. Because of this, an existing user coming to Live 10 from Live 9 – or even 8 or 7 – could happily load up the DAW and get on with making music without needing to worry too much about changes or new features. Sure, you’d notice a slightly different look, and you’d have the occasional adjustment to get your head around – hidden automation lanes, an updated browser – but there’s nothing that’s likely to leave you completely stumped. While there are obvious benefits to this approach in terms of speed and usability, it can also have the side effect of discouraging experimentation with those new tools – if you don’t desperately have to get your head around those new features, it’s easy to slip back into your usual rut. To that end, let’s spend the next few pages digging in to some of Live 10’s less obvious features…