Ableton has announced the upcoming release of Live 12, which promises to unlock unprecedented creativity in its users. The highly anticipated update, set for release in early 2024, includes new devices and sounds with cutting-edge capabilities that allow musicians to generate sounds and produce in ways never thought possible with a DAW.
Alongside numerous other content creators, we had the privilege of getting an exclusive sneak peek at Live 12 yesterday. So what are the major new features and updates?
First up, you'll be able to view both clip and device views simultaneously, making it easier to work across the two modes without changing your current view. Plus, the mixer is now visible in both arrangement and session view, and you can zoom right into a waveform with ease.
Sound designers will love the new Meld instrument, which offers two macro oscillators for deep sound-shaping and a wide range of textural and experimental sounds. It also uses a new feature that Ableton calls Scale Awareness, which aims to make it easier to build patches, melodies, and harmonies within the selected key of your choice.
The MIDI tools are perhaps the most exciting addition in Live 12, allowing artists to play freely with their ideas. Transformations and Generators work wonders with both simple and complex variations. Users can add ornaments, connect successive notes and chords, simulate guitar strums, or pick from a set of generative algorithms to bring their melodies, rhythms, and chords to life.
Meanwhile, the tuning systems have been expanded to include scala files—meaning you can load tuning systems outside of Western 12-tone—and there's a new sonic search feature that lets you find synth and instrument presets based on an audio reference track.
Other improvements include stackable detail views to help users work more intuitively with the software, and browser tagging, which makes it easier to search sounds outside the platform's built-in categories. Users can also control core workflows in Live 12 using assistive technologies like screen readers, and with the use of new keyboard shortcuts, navigation has become more accessible.
The release is expected in early 2024, and a discount offer is currently running until it is released. All new Live 11 editions are 20% off, and the purchase of any new Live 11 edition automatically entitles customers to a free upgrade to its corresponding Live 12 edition upon release. To learn more about Ableton Live 12 and all its exciting new features, head to Ableton's website now.