MAX MATTERS

Ableton purchased Max developer Cycling ’74 last year, so it comes as little surprise that Live 10 boasts tighter Max for Live integration – with the latter now fully built into the former. That means no additional installation, and no waiting for Max to load the first time you add a Max tool to a Live project. It also makes Max For Live more stable in general – the more complex Max creations can still be CPU hungry, but things like the Max LFO and MIDI tools are noticeably more stable. This is all great – it was a big bonus when Max was added to Live Suite for version 9, since it provides some of the package’s best tools, including an assignable LFO and step sequencer (notable omissions from the base Live package), the killer Convolution Reverb and, of course, access to a whole host of Max community creations. We get some new enhancements for Live 10 too. The biggest is multi-channel audio support, which opens the door to all sorts of modular-style routing and sidechaining possibilities. The Max-powered drum synths have been given a sonic overhaul too. These now sound excellent, and make up for Live’s lack of a decent built-in drum synth.