A software music sequencer and digital audio workstation for Mac

Ableton Live for Mac

Ableton Live for Mac

  -  3.1 GB  -  Trial
  • Latest Version

    Ableton Live 12.1.5 LATEST

  • Review by

    Sophia Jones

  • Operating System

    macOS 10.13 High Sierra or later

  • User Rating

    Click to vote
  • Author / Product

    Ableton Team / External Link

  • Filename

    ableton_live_trial_12.1.5_universal.dmg

Ableton Live for Mac is a powerful digital audio workstation (DAW) designed for music production, creation, and performance on any modern Mac, empowering music enthusiasts, composers, and seasoned musicians to take full control over their musical ideas, turn them into finished songs, and even take them onto the stage.



This app was designed from the ground up to support the needs of electronic music producers, live performers, and musicians who require a flexible and creative workflow.

It provides streamlined tools for recording audio or MIDI from any source, mixing and matching loops and samples from any tempo, and working with a huge range of included sounds, instruments, and effects, making it an ideal choice for professional users.

The app is distributed in three premium editions (Intro, Standard, and Suite), providing flexible access to an incredible offering of advanced tools from essentials to complete studio solutions.

Ableton Live for Mac Screenshot 1

Main Features
  • Large offering of instruments and effects – Create music projects of all types.
  • Flexible dashboard – Use Arrangement and Session views to organize and experiment with musical ideas.
  • End-to-end MIDI support – Hardware accelerated processing of MIDI instruments.
  • Professional library of Packs and Presets – Get new projects up and running with ease.
  • Max for Live – A fully-featured programming language for creating custom sound effects and devices.
  • Link with other devices – New technology that establishes fast, secure, and reliable connections (wired and wireless).
  • Flexible Pricing – Available for all tiers of professional users.
Installation and Setup

To install this powerful DAW app, users need to download the software from the official Ableton website or secure FileHorse servers.

Once downloaded, the software can be installed by following the standard installation procedure of dragging and dropping the icon to the Application folder.

After the installation procedure is finalized, users are required to authenticate their premium license before they can start creating music.

How to Use

This is a fully featured premium DAW product that promotes complete mastery of all captured sound signatures, either recorded from external instruments or composed with powerful built-in MIDI engines.

Newcomers are recommended to learn more about this professional app via built-in and online documentation and tutorials.

User Interface

The main interface of this app is optimized for experienced users and musicians who already know the basics of modern music production. The app promotes a stylish but busy set of on-screen modules that can be customized by the user’s needs, with full support for multi-monitor setups.

The app provides two main types of views (Arrangement or Session), and easy access to capturing recordings or composing new MIDI instruments. All captured music can be edited and customized to an incredible level of detail before the final mix is ready for export as a stereo or a surround audio file.

FAQ

What is Ableton Live?
It is a fully featured premium digital audio workstation (DAW) designed to provide complete control over processes of audio recording, music production, and mastering.

Is it safe?
Yes, this is safe and secure software developed by a reputable company.

Alternatives

Logic Pro X – A comprehensive music production software developed exclusively by Apple for Mac computers and iPad devices.

CubasePro for Mac – A professional digital audio workstation (DAW) for composing, recording, editing, and mastering music.

GarageBand – A free and beginner-friendly DAW created and managed by Apple.

Pro Tools for Mac – A leading digital audio workstation (DAW) for recording, editing, and mixing music and audio.

Reason for Mac – A digital audio workstation (DAW) for music production, featuring virtual instruments, effects, and recording tools.

Pricing
  • Free Trial: All new users can test the app during the generous 30-day free trial license.
  • Live 12 Intro: $99 for the essential set of tools for new music producers.
  • Live 12 Standard: $439 for the advanced set of tools and services for seasoned musicians.
  • Live 12 Suite: $749 for professional studio music production.
System Requirements
  • OS: macOS 11 (Big Sur) or newer
  • CPU: Intel i5 processor or Apple Silicon
  • RAM: 8GB of memory
  • Storage: 3GB of free space for the basic app, 76 GB of free space for additional downloadable content
  • Connectivity: Active internet connection for license authentication and content downloading
PROS
  • Powerful DAW for professionals.
  • A large set of advanced tools.
  • Intuitive interface with two basic view modes.
  • Flexible music production.
  • Integration with external hardware.
CONS
  • Steep learning curve for beginners.
  • Expensive.
  • No permanent free tier of use.
Conclusion

Ableton Live for Mac is a powerful premium-only digital audio workstation that provides seasoned professionals complete mastery over the process of music production, recording, and mastering.

Featuring a comprehensive library of instruments and effects, intuitive interface, and flexibility, this DAW represents an ideal choice for electronic music producers, live performers, and musicians who require a reliable, creative, and flexible tool for music production.

Note: 90-day trial version. Limitation (saving and exporting are disabled).

Also Available: Download Ableton Live for Windows

  • Ableton Live 12.1.5 Screenshots

    The images below have been resized. Click on them to view the screenshots in full size.

    Ableton Live 12.1.5 Screenshot 1

What's new in this version:

New Features and Improvements:
- Updated the design of the Hot-Swap Sample and Swap to Previous/Next Similar Sample buttons in Simpler and Drum Sampler
- Drum Rack presets will no longer be excluded from the Sounds label. Additionally, Drum Rack and Drum Sampler presets tagged with "Sounds|..." will no longer be shown in the Drums label
- Selecting a large number of track headers or tracks in the Session or Arrangement View is now faster
- The Scale filter in Find and Select Notes is now available even if Scale Mode is turned off
- Accessibility: Changed the Info View header for Help View's home button from "Lessons Start Page" to "View All Lessons" for an improved screen reader announcement
- In Auto Shift, MPE pitch bend now uses a 48 semitones range
- Items tagged with "Devices|Drums" will now be included in the Drums label as well
- When browsing the All label, presets will once again be grouped into their respective devices. However, the grouping will be discarded when applying any filter, in favor of showing a flat list. The grouping will also be omitted when saving a custom view based on the All label
- Improved filtering of devices and presets
- A small arrow is now displayed next to a tag's name to indicate that the tag includes subtags. When clicking on a tag with subtags, the nested tags will be grouped along a yellow line
- It is now possible to use the # symbol to search for all filters, including Content, Function, Format, and Creator
- Significantly improved the frame rate when scrolling or zooming in the Arrangement when there are many clips and tracks
- VST2 and VST3 plug-ins now use different icons in the browser
- The different view modes in the Clip View's Clip Content Editor now use individual Info View descriptions
- The context dictionary outlet of the live.miditool.in Max object now includes a "seed" value which should be used to seed random number generators that are used to determine a MIDI Tool's output

Updated the bundled Max build to 8.6.5. Max for Live improvements:
- live.miditool.in: displays correct annotation for 3rd outlet
- live.scope~: fixed memory corruption issues when resized
- live.text: text / texton accepts multiple words without quoting
- live.thisdevice: undo no longer triggers output
- M4L.chooser.js: fixed chain_selector parameter case
- Max for Live Colors: added 'scale_awareness'
- Max for Live Device: ensure that searchpaths are marked valid when unfreezing
- Max for Live Device: fixed crash with loadbang
- Max for Live Documentation: M4L-specific patcher attributes are documented
- Max for Live Parameters: improvements to Stored Only parameters and undo/redo
- Max for Live Parameters: only changed parameters get added to undo
- mc.plugin~: fixed spurious output from second channel

Fixed:
- Deleting a Max for Live device now releases any control surface controls the device has previously grabbed
- Fixed a crash that could occur when instantiating certain plug-ins
- A newly created Arrangement locator will now be focused after it is created
- Fixed a bug where all the changes made to Warp Markers with the keyboard would be undone at once, regardless of which markers were selected
- Fixed a rare crash that occurred when a count-in was started
- The distance dial for Arpeggiator is now bipolar
- The mapping controls in Modulator devices now look correct when disabled
- When Oscillator Retrigger is on, Drift no longer clicks at note start
- Recently searched tags are now prioritized higher in tag suggestions once again
- Drum Sampler now fades out the end of samples in order to avoid clicks
- Live no longer tries to import unsupported file formats to clips and tracks in the Arrangement View
- Automation value display is now hidden when zooming or scrolling in the Arrangement
- Fixed a crash that could occur under certain circumstances when setting the looping and warping API properties from the same event
- Removed the option to make the Chop and Split commands a part of a MIDI Tools chain

Addressed the following issues in Max for Live:
- Fixed an issue where undo or redo would trigger output from automatable parameters
- Fixed an issue where undo or redo would trigger output from live.thisdevice
- Fixed a crash that occurred in different circumstances, for example when navigating the browser
- Fixed a bug which caused the background scanning Indexer to crash when analyzing certain audio files with untypical bit depths
- When repeatedly triggering different clips manually, using follow actions or scenes, Play One note groups are now correctly re-evaluated and the same notes no longer play all the time
- Fixed an issue where Live would hang on startup
- Switching between templates on the Launch Control XL no longer breaks the Pickup and Value Scaling takeover modes
- The sound is no longer sustained indefinitely when the Envelope 1 Release control in Drift is set to a value above 55 seconds
- Accessibility: When resizing clips with the keyboard, pressing th
- Accessibility: Restored the ability to extend a note selection to include notes of the same pitch using Ctrl (Win) / Option (Mac) + the left and right arrow keys in the MIDI Note Editor
- Fixed a crash that occurred when enabling warping in Simpler after the device was converted from Drum Sampler. Additionally, fixed a crash that occurred when ungrouping a Rack that contained Drum Sampler using the shortcut CtrlShiftG (Win) / CmdShiftG (Mac)
- Fixed a bug that caused phasing artifacts in Auto Shift when MIDI Input was turned off while notes were still playing
- Mapping the Scale and Root parameters to a Rack’s Macro Controls now works as expected in the Scale, Arpeggiator, and Auto Shift devices
- Fixed an issue where it was not possible to load a Live Set that contained unknown scale names
- Esc key now reliably cancels the action. Additionally, screen readers will announce "Cancel adjusting clip edge..." to confirm the action has been canceled