Ableton Live
Ableton Live is a digital audio workstation that centers on loop-based composition, recording and live performance. It is mainly used to sketch ideas in Session view, arrange full tracks and play live sets with Push hardware.
#12 in Video & Audio ToolsAudio EditorsNo free plan
Who it's for
Best for
Producers who build tracks from loops and mix inside one window
Beginners learning at home with built-in content and video courses
Not for
Home recordists editing multi-mic drum takes who need one-click quantize
Linux users who need the DAW to run natively on their desktop
Features
Live 12.4 with Link Audio
The current release is Live 12.4, which brings Link Audio, updated devices and other changes to the software.
Rent-to-own Suite
Live 12 Suite can be paid for through rent-to-own, spreading the cost over affordable monthly payments instead of one upfront sum.
Live Lite production course
The Ableton site hosts a full music production course built around Live Lite, taking a first track from an empty project to a finished piece.
One Thing and tutorial videos
Short video series and tutorials cover topics such as updated Delay settings, metallic clanks and Beats Mode vocals.
Max for Live
Max for Live is listed as its own part of the Ableton shop, alongside Live, Push, Move and Packs.
What users say
Pros
- Tracks come together fast by jamming a loop and building the arrangement on one screen.
- Routing, grouping, sends and saved effect racks make building a session template quicker than in FL Studio.
- Sound design on a single track goes as deep as needed, and MIDI editing keeps up.
- Large sessions with plugin chains run at low buffer sizes without overloading the CPU.
Cons
- The piano roll falls behind rival DAWs, so placing notes and drum patterns takes longer.
- Multi-mic drum takes need warp markers dragged by hand, because automatic quantize smears timing and sound.
- Crashes hit mid-session, and reporting one means generating a report, zipping files and sending an email by hand.
- There is no native Linux build, and running it through Wine leaves the app unusable.
- Tier contents are hard to read, and paying for the wrong edition has led to refused refunds.
A selection of the review sources we used:
Summarized from public user reviews and community discussions. View details
Global Traffic Rank
Top 50k
Alternatives
Rank#12 in category#1 in category#2 in category#4 in category
Free planNoNoNoYes
ProFast loop-to-song workflow, strong routing, deep MIDI, rich SuiteDrummer, plugin bundle, editable event model, fast takesPodcast and radio editing, spectral repair, voiceover recording192 kHz film sessions, AAX mix-chain plugins, tuning plugins
Better forSpectral audio repair and surgical waveform editing for dialogue
Weaker atMusic production, lacking virtual instruments and a piano roll