Ableton's Live 10, the latest iteration of its industry-leading DAW, was already packed with new features when it was released in January. In the months that followed, we explored its powerful new mixing tools, learned how to recreate classic delays in its Echo effects unit, and how to coax Detroit techno sounds from its Wavetable synth.
But this week, Ableton released eight brand-new devices—one sequencer, two synths, and five effects—which it calls its "Creative Extenstions" pack. They're available for free to any owner of Live 10 Suite or any user of Live 10 Standard with Max for Live.
Melodic Steps is "a fast and intuitive MIDI sequencer for evolving melodies with an interface designed to encourage experimentation and new discoveries through play," according to Ableton's press release. The new Bass synth offers four oscillators and a sub-oscillator to craft snarling, rumbling basslines, while Poli is the company's intuitive take on a classic poly synth.
In Ableton's own words, the effects include:
Pitch Hack: A multi-purpose pitch effect for creative sound mangling. Reverse audio, randomize the transposition interval and fold the delayed signal back into itself.
Gated Delay: A sequenced delay for rhythmic effects. Reverse and add variation or turn your sound into something completely new.
Color Limiter: Another flavor of limiting inspired by the gritty sounds of hardware limiters. Great for adding pressure and intensity to breaks and beats, and for putting a vintage stamp on any sound.
Re-Enveloper: A multiband envelope processor to highlight the details you want in a track and reduce the ones you don't. Cleanup, carve and compress transients to fit your mix or completely destroy the original character of a sound.
Spectral Blur: A reverb-like texturalizer that adds an ethereal spectral wash to any sound. Use it to create odd sounding Rooms, or infinite, distant spaces.
Watch the video above to get a sense of what each device can do. If you're don't already have Ableton Live 10 Suite or Standard with Max for Live, find them now on Reverb. You can also upgrade to Live 10 Suite through any of the options below.