Ableton Live 11 is here, and if you’re a Live 10 Standard or Suite owner, you can get the upgrade or download the trial here.
We’ve been researching the creative and productive impacts of the new features – things that enhance how you make, record and perform music – to integrate into our training courses, and during that process and our Berlin-based trainer Thomas McAlister (AKA: Big Ever / Cop Envy) hit the record button to make short video tips of his discoveries.
TRY IT FREE FOR 90 DAYS
Subscribe to our Youtube Channel
#1 MACRO RANDOMISATION
A big workflow improvement is in the Macros section. Allowing you to randomly alter the positions of Macro knobs and then store and recall the positions using snapshots.
#2 PITCH BEND
With the addition of MPE, Live 11 is capable of much more expressive performances than ever before. One great example of this is using pitch bend on individual notes, allowing you to turn simple chord progressions into complex and evolving progressions.
#3 HYBRID REVERB
We are loving the new Hybrid Reverb! This new device mixes traditional linear reverb with convolution reverb. Convolution reverb allows you to take measurements of real spaces and then use those measurements to create reverb effects that represent this particular space. Where things get really crazy is when you start tweaking the parameters of these real spaces to create something unique. With the Hybrid Reverb this is made intuitive and fun, leading to some very unique reverb sounds that would be difficult to achieve otherwise. Check out Thom going wild on the pre-delay on a drum track.
#4 SPECTRAL RESONATER
Continuing the tradition of Live’s Vocoder, Resonator and Corpus comes a new resonator device, able to stretch, shift and blur incoming signals in any number of ways, the Spectral Resonator will open the door to a wide range of effects from subtle to extreme. Check Thomas using the Spectral Resonator to add tonal character to a drum track.
#5 COMPING DRUM BREAKS
The single biggest new feature in Live 11 is Comping. While usually used for compiling takes of vocals or instruments, check what happens when Cop Envy gets his hands dirty with some breakbeats. This is a super cool technique that will save you hours of editing and keep the flow going.
#6 LO-FI FILTERING WITH REDUX
In Live 11 the Redux device has been updated with some very cool new features including a filter section. Check Cop Envy giving us the lowdown on the technique behind the filtered effects on some of Drake’s iconic early beats.
#7 CUSTOM TEMPLATES
Some of the best improvements in Live 11 are pure workflow enhancements. Check this technique for switching up templates for different tasks, from mixing to sound creation to production. This is going to be a massive productivity booster!
#8 PROBABILITY
One feature we are super excited about is the new suite of Probability tools. While it’s easy to use probability sequencing to spice up your drum tracks, we thought we might try and find a different way to use this feature. This technique shows how you can apply probability to effects – use this to create dynamic and evolving effects to keep your tracks constantly fresh.
#9 NOTE ECHO
Note Echo is a Live 11 feature that might fly under the radar for some, but in the capable hands of trainer Thomas it can be used like an advanced arpeggiator to create lush melodic sequences from bare bones melodic parts.
#10 THE 2021 PROBABILITY MACHINE
We are loving the new Scale and Probability features in Live 11! Scales were in Live previously, but the new implementation makes them much easier to access. Check out Adam’s technique for creating evolving melodic soundscapes and disappear into a vortex of new age relaxation.
#11 RANDOMISED VELOCITY
For our final Live 11 video and the eve of Live 11 being released ….. check out this technique for introducing randomisation to keep your hi-hat patterns engaging from @bigever_ . A super useful technique that will keep your drum loops sounding fresh!
Subscribe to our Youtube Channel to be notified as we release more of these Ableton Live 11 tips!