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Abletons Live 5 In the Channels
US
The finest Live yet 19/09/05
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The initial release of Live was quite a milestone in software innovation. Taking the concept of large and difficult to learn audio and MIDI recording software and chucking it out of the window. Live focussed on the realtime and performance aspect of musical composition. At the time, this was a revelation and quickly brought eager customers on board. Since then Ableton has listened extensively to it’s customers to bring the features that they require. Which now brings us to Live 5, Abletons most recent release:
“Version 5 adds our users’ most sought-after features,� says Ableton CEO
Gerhard Behles, “along with an abundance of innovative new sound-shaping and
organizational tools. Most importantly, Live 5 strengthens every aspect of
Live while making the program more fun and easier to use.�
For a complete (and exhaustive!) list of new features – read on.
Live 5 includes advanced and creative DAW features to satisfy any audio
professional.
Clip Freeze serves two purposes: freeing up CPU power and easing the
transfer of projects between computers. Unique to Live 5, “frozen� clips
retain their real-time launch capabilities, allowing for improvisation,
performance or song arrangement. A project with frozen tracks can also be
transferred from your main computer and run easily on one with
less-than-optimal CPU specs.
Plug-In Delay Compensation automatically delays tracks to compensate
for latencies caused by effects and plug-ins, including those on the return
tracks. In addition, both audio and MIDI tracks have a manual delay setting
to compensate for human, acoustic, hardware and other real-world delays.
Launchable Arrangement Locators offer arrangement/song-position markers
with MIDI mapping and quantized recall. Using the mouse, computer keys or MIDI
messages, you can drop locators on the fly during playback or recording.
Each locator can be named and assigned to a computer key or MIDI message. Jumping
to a locator is subject to real-time quantization, just like launching
Session View clips and scenes. Previous/Next buttons allow you to jump from locator
to locator.
Mackie Control Support enables full implementation of compatible mixer
surfaces such as Tascam’s FW-1082/1884, Yamaha’s 01X and Mackie Control,
allowing for mouse-free program operation. Easily navigate arrangements and
the Session View grid; launch clips, scenes and locators; and access
instruments and effects.
Get ready to remix! Live 5 ships with a host of new remix-minded features,
assuring instant remix and mash-up gratification.
MP3 support makes your entire music library available for use in Live.
Automatic Tempo-Matching tracks the tempo of imported songs and sets
Warp Markers for you—instantly synchronizing your files to the project tempo.
Complex Warp Mode is a frequency-domain warping method specifically
designed to accommodate composite signals such as mixed-down music.
New Clip Transport allows for performance-enhancing looping, editing
and shuffling on the fly for any clip in Live. Click anywhere in a waveform to
jump there—in sync and subject to real-time quantization.
Never lose ideas again! Live 5 features simple tools for saving, previewing
and accessing any idea on your hard drive.
Live Clips. Clips can now be exported to disk for easy retrieval and
reuse in any project. The exported Live Clip not only retains MIDI, audio,
envelopes, warping and other clip settings but also the associated
instrument, effects and plug-ins. In Live’s Browser, Live Clips are as easy to browse
and preview as samples.
Better Browsing. Live's built-in Browser now features a search field
and standard file organization capabilities such as creating folders and
dragging files into folders. In the Browser, Live Sets (.als files) can be “unfolded�
to reveal their tracks and clips—which can then be selectively previewed and
dragged in. It is also possible to drag a Live Set from the Browser into the
currently open Set to merge the two.
New Preset Management. Presets for Ableton instruments and effects are
now managed through the Browser as well. You can organize presets in folders at
will and search for presets across folders using the search field. A new
“browse� button on every device temporarily links the Browser to the device,
allowing for easy preset recall.
Device Groups allow you to save powerful multi-effect creations,
effectively adding all the capabilities of Ableton’s MIDI and audio effects to Simpler,
Impulse and Operator presets.
Live 5 introduces a selection of innovative new effects, bringing even more
creative possibilities.
Beat Repeat - An inspirational, expressive and addictive audio effect
useful for subtle-to-extreme reorganization of beats and vocals. Create short loops
on the fly and control their lengths either manually or via random functions
for endless variations of grooves and stutter effects.
Phaser and Flanger – These are both modeled after popular ‘70s guitar
effects and augmented with a beat-synced LFO (with variable waveforms) and a
unique envelope follower function. Results range from classic phasing and
flanging to drastic sound manipulation.
Auto Pan - Offers LFO-driven manipulation of amplitude and panning. It
can create everything from automatic panning with various curves to tremolo and
amplitude modulation and beat-synchronized chopping effects.
Saturator – Add dirt, punch or warmth to your sound with five different
shapes and a set of powerful tone controls for creating subtle-to-drastic
distortion effects.
Arpeggiator – Offers all the classic arpeggiator applications and
more—strum notes like a guitarist, morph velocities and create scale-corrected pitch
progressions.
Other new Live 5 features:
Count-in recording
Right-click context menus
Change settings in multiple clips at once
Resize tracks in Session View
VST MIDI effect support
New Live Clips sound library
New preset library for Live devices
New and improved Live 5 lessons
Simpler now includes independent envelopes for filter, pitch and more. Live 5 Pricing and Availability
Live 5 is available now for 499 EUR/USD (MSRP) from dealers worldwide and From the Ableton webshop.
Upgrading from Live 4:
For customers who purchased Live 4 before May 1, 2005, downloadable
upgrades to Live 5 will be available for 119 EUR/USD from the Ableton webshop.
Boxed upgrades will be available for 149 EUR/USD (MSRP) from dealers
worldwide and from the Ableton webshop.
Accommodation for recent buyers of Live 4:
For customers who purchased Live 4 between May 1, 2005 and May 31,
2005, downloadable upgrades to Live 5 will be available for 49 EUR/USD from the
Ableton webshop.
• All customers who unlock Live 4 for the first time from June 1, 2005 until the final release day of Live 5 will receive a version 5 serial number on release day at no charge.
Upgrading from Live 1, 2 and 3:
• Downloadable upgrades from Live 1, 2 or 3 to Live 5 will be available for 169 EUR/USD from the Ableton webshop.
• Boxed upgrades from Live 1, 2 or 3 to Live 5 will be available for 199 EUR/USD from the Ableton webshop.