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 12.1.10 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_12.1.10_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 12.1.10 Screenshots

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

    Ableton Live 12.1.10 Screenshot 1

What's new in this version:

New features and improvements:
- Native devices, including built-in Max for Live devices, are now sorted before plugins in search results
- Move sends MIDI clock for both "MIDI In Only" and "MIDI Out Only"
- Max for Live parameter objects with their @active attribute set to 0 are now greyed out on Push, much like parameters in native devices

Fixed the following issues in the browser:
- Fixed a bug where the auto-completion suggestion would not be updated as more characters were typed in
- Fixed a bug that prevented tags containing a space from being auto-completed
- When filtering, the number of selected filters will now be displayed above the content pane
- Live will now start up slightly faster
- The "Clear" button visible above the content pane when searching or filtering in the browser has been replaced with an "X" button
- The "+" button used for saving a custom label has been replaced with a bookmark button
- A new Track.create_midi_clip function is exposed in the Max for Live API allowing the user to create empty clips in the Arrangement View. The function accepts two arguments, both floats, which indicate the start time and length of the empty clip.

Update Core Library for 12.1 to r60939:
- Updated tuning files
- New presets added from Note and Move Core Libraries
- Improved tags for Core Library content

Fixed:
- Accessibility: Improved screen reader support and keyboard control in Auto Shift
- Replaced the -inf value that represents negative infinity with the -∞ symbol
- Fixed an issue where Live would temporarily freeze when entering the Hot-Swap mode in certain conditions
- When playing high pitches, there is now less aliasing in Wavetable set to Hi-Quality mode
- When editing parameters and chords in the Stacks MIDI Tool while it is inactive (e.g., when using the Envelopes editor mode), the chord pictogram now updates as expected
- Fixed a performance regression that occurred when zooming into the Arrangement in a Set that contained many clips
- Fixed a crash that occurred when browsing Max for Live devices on Push 1 or Push 2 while using the -Push2UseLegacyScript debug option
- Accessibility: Fixed a crash that occurred when deleting a MIDI clip while a screen reader was in use and focused on the MIDI Note Editor
- Fixed an issue where devices with automated parameter would sometimes produce silence on the output
- Live now shows an error when attempting to load an empty tuning system file (.scl or .ascl) without pitches
- Smoothing now works as expected for long times in Roar's LFO and Noise
- Live no longer crashes when exporting the full duration of a video. If there is a failure while reading a video during export, Live will display a notification stating there was a problem with the export and the exported file may not work.
- Fixed a bug in Meld, where scale degree transpose parameters instead of the semitone transpose parameters were displayed on Push while a tuning system was loaded
- In USB MIDI setups where there are multiple units of the same type of device there should now be no problems when routing to those devices, and MIDI routings should be correctly restored when unplugging and replugging the devices
- Fixed an Indexer crash which occurred when analyzing certain corrupted or unsupported audio files
- In Auto Shift, fixed a bug where MIDI modulation was active even when the MIDI input was disabled
- Fixed an issue that made it impossible to dismiss dialog windows displayed by plugins while they were being loaded
- Restored the Ctrl (Win) / Cmd (Mac) + up or down arrow keyboard shortcut, used for moving selected scenes
- Fixed an issue where Velocity and Chance filter results in the MIDI Note Editor were incorrect when fine tuning the parameters
- Live no longer crashes when loading a sample from the browser while the currently selected device chain includes a MIDI Effect Rack nested in an Instrument Rack
- Fixed a crash that occurred when chopping notes with the CtrlE (Win) / CmdE (Mac) keyboard shortcut while editing multiple clips and clicking on a note in a background clip
- Capture will no longer clear its buffer when notes are played over a playing clip and the transport is stopped. Previously, the buffer could be unintentionally cleared in some cases.
- Fixed an issue with the Pitch, Random, and Arpeggiator devices where per-note pitch bend messages were processed incorrectly when scale awareness was enabled and the incoming note was out of scale