ABLETON LIVE 11

Ableton Live 11 gets our vote as DAW of the year, but it was a close call between it and the dramatic update to Logic Pro (10.7) at the end of the year. Live 11 wins thanks to its huge list of (arguably) smaller updates, some to level up with competitors – comping and take lanes – and some just wonderful additions, like the PitchLoop89 and Hybrid Reverb effects, MPE support and probability editing. It all makes Live feel slicker, more comprehensive and at something of a peak in its 20th year.