Ableton Live is an audio and music production program that gives users the ability to spontaneously compose, capture, remix, improvise and edit musical ideas - Live on their Macs (Ableton Live for Windows is here).

Live allows users to mix in electronic, acoustic and virtual instruments, as well as digital audio recordings and samples, together in one intuitive interface. Users can then focus more on music instead of the gears.

Ableton Live Demo is also available for download, it allows for a 30 day trial that users can use as long as they have internet connection.

Click to see what's new in Ableton Live 9

Related Hardware: DJ Controller

Don't miss these Free Ableton Retro Synths from Puremagnetik

Ableton Live's simplified interface allows users to focus on inspiration and creativity instead of focusing on setting up gear for performance or recording. Users can capture and cut samples on the fly, mix and match audio with differing tempo, and audio effects, all while the music is playing Live. The whole music making process happens in real time.

The latest version of Live, includes revamped warping, reworked MIDI editor, a new groove engine, live looping, new effects and crossfades in the Arrangement View.

Ableton Live is also featured in our roundup of the best Music Production Software

Features:

• Multitrack recording up to 32-bit/192kHz
• Powerful and creative MIDI sequencing of software and hardware instruments
• Complete nondestructive editing with unlimited undo
• Real-time time-stretching and warping of AIFF, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC and MP3 files, for improvisation and instant remixing
• A comprehensive selection of built-in audio effects, including a host of creative delays, filters, distortions, studio compressors and EQs
• Built-in software instruments: Simpler for creative sample-based synthesis, Impulse for sampled drums
• Instrument-, Drum-, Effect Racks for creating and managing complex performance setups, drum kits and multi-effects
• VST and AU effects and instruments support; automatic plug-in delay compensation
• REX file support and native sliced audio file creation
• Video import and export for scoring to picture or warping picture to music
• Real-time control of parameters with any MIDI controller—just MIDI-map it or choose from a list of popular supported controllers for instant mapping
• Full ReWire support
• Single-screen user interface for simple, creativity-focused operation
• Multicore and multiprocessor support

Related Hardware:
DAW Controller Reviews
To record audio you will need an Audio Interface: See our review of USB Audio Interfaces here.

Changes in Ableton Live 9.6.2b5:

• Bugfix for when running as a ReWire slave, Live would not stream audio to the ReWire master anymore.

Changes in Ableton Live 9.6.1:

• Better CPU efficiency
• Reduced CPU spikes caused by external MIDI inputs on OSX.
• Improved the reliability and priority of the audio thread when using ASIO drivers.
• Improved the performance of Ableton Devices on Windows.
• Various other bugfixes and improvements.

Changes in Ableton Live 9.61b46:

• Bugfix for device selection freezing when using Control Surfaces based on User Remote Scripts.
• Bugfix for crash if Simpler contained a very long audio file.
• Rolled back the Complex and Complex Pro Warp algorithms to avoid audio artefacts under some circumstances.

Changes in Ableton Live 9.61b4:

• Live would crash when performing 'Undo' after dragging a sample onto Simpler's breakout view.
• Reversing an audio Clip twice before the sample analysis completed caused the sample to be greyed out.

Changes in Ableton Live 9.6b2:

• Bugfixes for Push

Changes in Ableton Live 9.5:

• Better sampling with Simpler
• Interface improvements: waveforms and coloring
• Interface improvements: Peak and RMS meters
• New Analog-modeled filters
• Added more sounds, samples, and drums
• Three new synths from Max Essentials
• Play in time with Link
• Create a song with Push 2

Changes in Ableton Live 9.2.2:

• Added control surface support for the Akai MIDImix.
• Added control surface support for the Akai Professional MPD218, MPD226 and MPD232 controllers.
• Added control surface support for the Akai Professional Advance keyboard series.
• Fixed crash on 64-bit systems when scanning VST plugins after changing the input device or opening a VST plug-in window.
• Fixed crash when dragging a Clip in the Groove Pool.
• Fixed Audio Units bug where it stops passing audio after changing sample rate.
• Replaced icon for current project in browser sidebar.

Changes in Ableton Live 9.2.2b3:

• Bugfix for crash in 64 bit while scanning VST plugins

Changes in Ableton Live 9.2b8:

• Bugfix for sample warping with Complex / Complex Pro
• Bugfix for Overdrive reporting wrong latency values, resulting in wrong compensation
• Bugfix for Saturator and Dynamic Tube reporting wrong latency values when operating in High Quality / Oversampling mode, thus would not correctly be compensated.
• Bugfix for Redux reporting wrong latency values when in Soft mode, thus would not correctly be compensated.

Changes in Ableton Live 9.2b6:

• Bugfix for Live Sets becoming corrupted when saved after crash recovery

Changes in Ableton Live 9.2b:

• Device latency display on status bar when hovering over the title bar with the mouse.
• No latencies are shown when latency compensation is turned off.
• Now compatible with The Serato bridge
• Automation and Modulation for Beat Repeat's mixer parameters (e.g Mix Type, Volume, Filter, Frequency, etc) and Device On are now compensated.
• Updated the pixel font (used primarily in device LCDs like Operator) for retina displays.
• Improved the aspect of envelope curves drawn in the device's LCD displays
• Bugfix for crash which might occur when importing audio files with sample rates lower than 44.1KHz.
• Bugfix for bug where the mouse cursor would stay in stopwatch or beachball mode until the user physically moved the mouse.
• Bugfix for glitch where the modulated value would become visible as an orange dot while dragging a slider, even if no modulation exists.

Changes in Ableton Live 9.1.8b:

• Improved support for Alesis V and VI keyboards

Changes in Ableton Live 9.1.7:

• Added control surface support for M-Audio Oxygen 4th generation controllers.
• Various bugfixes

Changes in Ableton Live 9.1.6b4:

• Max application chooser in Live’s ‘File Folder' preferences pane now compatible with the folder structure of Max 7 application bundles.

Changes in Ableton Live 9.1.6b3:

• Info texts and manuals are updated
• OS X native full screen support now requires to have the option "Displays have separate Spaces" enabled in OS X' Mission Control system preferences.
• Bugfix for VST plug-ins that have MIDI output not outputing a CC 123 MIDI message ("All Notes Off").

Changes in Ableton Live 9.1.5:

• Minor improvement for compatibility with Mac OS X' Gatekeeper for the forthcoming OS X updates 10.9.5 and 10.10.
• Improved the threshold for inverting text colour of clip names, chains, macros, etc., depending on the background color, for better readability.
• Various bugfixes

Changes in Ableton Live 9.1.5b2:

• Bugfix for Mac OS X installer
• Bugfix for the [live.thisdevice] Max for Live object when adding/removing control surface scripts in the Live preferences.

Changes in Ableton Live 9.1.5b1:

• Enhanced threshold for inverting text colour of clip names, chains, macros, etc. depending on the background color, for better readability.
• Bugfix for MIDI level indicator not showing any activity inside the routing chooser of a MIDI track.
• Bugfix for Send button on the APC40 MKII not working when pressed for the first time.
• Bugfix for the Launchpad's Mixer mode not working after using the Launchpad's Session Zoom feature in Live sets containing more that 8 tracks.

Changes in Ableton Live 9.1.4:

• Bugfix for hanging when running as a ReWire Slave on Windows.
• Bugfix for delay-compensation of Auxiliary audio outputs on certain VST plug-ins
• Bugfix for Observing or controlling the APC40 button matrix with a Max for Live device
• Bugfix for crash when receiving an invalid MIDI note quantization value from a Max for Live device.
• Bugfixi for an issue which caused the Filter Type and its automation (if existing) to be set to an incorrect type after converting Simpler to Sampler or vice-versa.

Changes in Ableton Live 9.1.3:

• Added control surface support for AKAI MPK225, MPK249, MPK261.
• Various bugfixes

Changes in Ableton Live 9.1.3b5:

• Bugfix for MIDI sustain messages and other CC# messages not being recorded reliably after the first loop iteration.
• Bugfix for enabling multiple tracks for recording and triggering the Session Record button from the APC40 MKII.
• Bugfix for an issue which caused CPU spikes when moving a MIDI note in a track

Changes in Ableton Live 9.1.2b3:

• Bugfix for AU versions of UAD powered plug-ins resource hogging issue
• Bugfix for "UAD bandwidth allocation exceeded" error while loading the set.
• Browsing effect presets would not work anymore after switching to Scales mode and then pressing the "Add Effect" button.

Changes in Ableton Live 9.1:

• Dual monitor support
• Push melodic step sequencer
• New audio rendering algorithm
• Various other minor improvements and bugfixes

Changes in Ableton Live 9.0.6:

• Supports Novation Launch Control hardware.
• Supports Novation Launchkey Mini hardware.
• Supports Reloop KeyFadr hardware.
• Supports Reloop KeyPad hardware.
• Updated lessons.

Changes in Ableton Live 9.0.5b5:

• Now supports for M-Audio Axiom Air 25, 49 and 61 keyboards.
• Ooperating system related bugs fixed
• Improved text error mesage
• Various other bugfixes

Changes in Ableton Live 9.0.5b1:

• Added Push to the "What's new in Live 9 lesson".
• Added Novation Launchkey and M-Audio Axiom AIR Mini 32 to the "Control Surface Reference" lesson.
• Various bugfixes

Changes in Ableton Live 9.0.3:

• Added a new skin: "Disco".
• Added a new option to the "Record/Warp/Launch" preferences pane: "Start Transport with Record".
• Now records a latching automation envelope instead of jumping back to the previous value.
• The Compressor device does not clip input signals at +20 dB anymore.
• Now supports Novation Launchkey series.
• Now supports M-Audio Axiom Air Mini 32.
• User satisfaction survey.
• Updated manual, lessons and translations.
• Various bugfixes and enhancements

Changes in Ableton Live 9.0.3b1:

• Added a new skin: "Disco".
• Updated lessons and translations.
• Various bugfixes

Changes in Ableton Live 9.0.2b3:

• New satisfaction survey (rate the software)
• Updated info texts
• Updated several lessons
• Updated translations
• Various bugfixes

Changes in Ableton Live 9:

• Session automation
• Faster browser:
• New sounds:
• Improved sounds:
• Improved Editing:
• Includes Max for Live:

Changes in 8.3.4:

• Word size is now shown in splash screen
• About Window now shows Email address of user
• Authorization dialogue improved
• Various bugfixes
• (8.3.3)Minor changes for usage data reporting.

Changes in Ableton Live 8.4 Beta:

• 64-bit native support

Changes in Ableton Live 8.3.1:

• Added support for Mac OS 10.8 "Mountain Lion".
• Improved performance when recording many MIDI CC data into MIDI clips.
• The default takeover mode for control surfaces has been changed to "none" (this will only affect new installations).
• Minor changes for usage data reporting.
• Bugfix for issue which could lead to degraded resolution of automation data when recording automation for VST plugins running in Novation's Automap shell.
• Bugfix for issue which prevented samples from being opened in an external sample editor.
• Fixed a crash which could occur when importing two identical audio files into Live.
• Bugfix for issue which could lead to two undo steps when freezing a track.
• Bugfix for issue which could cause the save dialogue to disappear in OS X Lion.
• Under certain conditions, Live's splash screen wouldn't appear on OS X Lion.
• Opening an alias file of a Live set wouldn't work on OS X Lion.
• Bugfix for login problems in the SoundCloud uploader on Windows.
• Bugfix for a rare crash which could occur with automatic updates on certain Windows computers.

Changes in Ableton Live 8.2.8:

• Added Ableton Improvement Program Participation
• Bugfix for high CPU load when Receiving MIDI CCs on a MIDI track's input on OS X Lion.
• Bugfix for "Beats" warp mode which could lead to unwanted clicks in rare cases.

Changes in Ableton Live 8.2.5 for OSX:

• Now compatible with Mac OSX 10.7 Lion
• MIDI sync was improved when Live is used as a MIDI clock slave.
• To prevent Live from crashing, users are prevented from choosing the Windows root folder for their plugins location.
• Tracks are now routed properly when imported.
• The Takeover default mode in MIDI Preferences is now set to Value Scaling and not Pick-up.
• Other bugfixes can be found at Ableton Live's website

Changes in Ableton Live 8.2.1 for OSX:

• Improvements to Amp presets including better folder organization, additional guitar and bass amp presets and various other changes.
• Improvements to sound quality in Drum Machines.
• Performance optimizations on many Rack presets.
• Many delay devices now use the "Fade" Delay Transition mode, to avoid clicks.
• All Latin Percussion sounds are additionally available as chromatically tuned Simpler presets.

Bug fixes:

• Amp is now available in the trial version of Ableton Suite.
• Removed duplicate Amp presets.
• Fixed Hot-Swap behavior for a number of Session Drums and Drum Machines presets.
• Fixed a bug that prevented the use of soundcards with only one input on OS X.
• Fixed a crash that occurred when using a ReWire slave such as Reason and manipulating devices in the slave that were referred to by clips in Live.