Ableton Live, like most DAWs, supports 3rd party plug-ins; software instruments and effects developed by companies other than Ableton, released in standard formats such as VST (Mac and PC) or AU (Mac only). Live also hosts its own type of instruments and effects known as Live Devices. These are devices generally made by Ableton (excluding Max for Live Devices) which can only be used in Ableton Live.
Author: Tristan Malloch
This isn’t the first time however that we’ve seen a software recreation of the MS-20, as it was one of the star attractions (along with an MS-20 Mini-sized MIDI controller) of KORG’s own Legacy Collection software bundle released nearly 20 years ago. On a personal level, hearing KORG’s Legacy Collection MS-20 for the first time, was the first time I remember being truly impressed by a software synthesizer. It sounded like an analog synth, so was curious as to what Arturia could bring to the table. As expected, Arturia’s KORG MS-20V sounds just like an MS-20, which is of…
Ableton Live may be the most popular music production program on the planet right now, but how did it get there? Well, it’s been a long journey of updates and improvements from version 1 in 2001 up to the current version 11. Personally, I was sold on the various dark themes and tasteful font choices, but others are more practically discerning. Fortunately for those, Ableton Live is so feature-packed it’s been divided up into three versions at three different price points, plus a fourth version which can be found bundled with 3rd party hardware. So what’s the difference between all…
Aussie rock legend Daniel Johns is back with his second solo album FutureNever. It’s every bit as ambitious and diverse as you’d expect following his 2015 album Talk, jumping effortlessly between smooth soul grooves, catchy melodies and heavy guitar riffs. And of course, it’s brimming with synths. We’re apparently not the only ones loving FutureNever, it went #1 on the ARIA charts since its release in April 2022 and remains in the top ten! One of the co-writers and the keys/synth player contributing to the success of FutureNever is Sydney based producer and songwriter Beau Golden. He’s worked with a huge…
Opal is a brand new software synthesizer by Universal Audio which comes as part of their UAD Spark native plug-in package. It combines virtual analog and wavetable synthesis and offers plenty of versatility, a very flexible layout, and fits right in aesthetically with UA’s high-end studio plug-ins. But most importantly, it sounds wonderful. https://youtu.be/cNSsTEiq02s UA have released several virtual instruments over the last few years, but the UAD Spark platform marks the first time they have been available outside of their LUNA DAW, which requires a UA Thunderbolt Apollo interface to run. Spark also introduces UA’s first completely original synthesizer…
KORG’s Nu-Tekt line of DIY audio gadgets remains amongst the company’s more intriguing ventures. The compact and hackable NTS-1 synth in particular has developed a sizable following, due at least in part to its affordability and expandability, the latter being either via hardware mods, or software downloads courtesy of the versatile multi-engine oscillator. NTS-2 maintains this same spirit but takes a slightly different approach, being aimed more at existing synth owners. Whilst NTS-1 is a completely self-contained synthesizer, NTS-2 is more of a multifunction audio toolkit, sporting a 4-channel oscilloscope, FFT/spectrum analyzer, dual waveform generator, and tuner. Whilst the…
Arturia have announced the ‘Augmented Series’, a new range of hybrid software instruments blending acoustic sounds with advanced synthesis. To launch the new series, Arturia are releasing ‘Augmented Strings Intro’ featuring their new hybrid strings engine, which is free to download until April April 30th. Here’s the description for Arturia’s press release: Augmented STRINGS Intro – The strings you’ve always wanted Augmented STRINGS Intro is a software instrument that uniquely combines rich sampled strings with state-of-the-art synth engines in an approachable and inspiring way, giving today’s sound explorers the quickest route to the fresh string sounds they’ve always wanted. Advanced…
Ableton have released Microtuner, a free Max for Live MIDI effect which accommodates the use and creation of microtonal scales. Check out our First Look video below to see how it works. https://youtu.be/HPEGvcD4-0o Microtonal scales are a great way to create interesting or unusual melodies, but they can sound a little jarring which can be off-putting. But if you put some time into it, they can be very rewarding and give your music a truly unique quality You can either import any Scala tuning file, of which 5000 (!) are downloadable directly via the Device’s instructions in Live’s Help View,…
As we recently reported, KORG have released two new software instruments; opsix native and wavestate native, based on their own opsix and wavestate hardware synths respectively. At the end of the day, these software instruments are sonically and functionally identical to their hardware counterparts, although they do accommodate a very different workflow. Having both hardware and software versions of opsix at our disposal, we decided to compare the two. Are there any notable differences? And which is the best option for you? Check out our video to find out. https://youtu.be/DjSUmXpMxq4
In what marks a major turning point, Universal Audio have announced UAD Spark, a subscription service which, for the first time ever, lets users run UA plugins natively on a Mac with no UA hardware required. Since their inception, Universal Audio’s renowned UAD plugins have relied on the dedicated DSPs from their Apollo and Satellite hardware products to run. This makes for a very smooth user experience but is also a potential barrier for anyone unwilling to invest in the required hardware. The Spark subscription service introduces a new line of plugins known as UADx, which as mentioned, will run…
