It’s a debate we’re not going to end today. And it’s sort of a silly one too. There’s no audio workstation or DJ software that covers all the bases. You can use any software to do the job of showing a crowd of people a good time. So whether or not you produce your own beats and perform using Ableton Live 11, here’s a quick overview of the DJ-focused upgrades to the leading live performance DJ DAW
Towards production
With the recent upgrade to version 11, Ableton Live has shifted focus away from its power as DJ software and towards production. There is the standard host of new sounds and device upgrades, but the big one is the ability to comp. Not much use for DJs, but a fantastic development for anyone who records any kind of live input while producing music.
Follow action
There have been a few improvements to clip follow action in Live 11. This means that you’re able to be a little more unpredictable than before. You can alter the note and velocity probabilities. You can customize clip length. And here’s the big one - you can jump to specific clips. All great little tweaks for DJs looking to push their live set forward and give it freshness.
MPE capability
Another one that benefits the keyboardists and performers among us is the MPE support. MPE (MIDI polyphonic expression) controllers allow you to play really space age sounds. The Roli Seaboard produces mind-bending sounds. It’s like keyboard aftertouch on steroids. This development might even turn a few DJs into keyboardists because it sounds so cool.
Ableton Live has long been the DJ platform for controllerists and DJs who want to play spontaneously with their tunes. If you’re unfamiliar with Ableton Live (and especially if you want to play more instruments during your set), it’s a recommended upskill from other software. DJ Courses Online has a course specifically for Ableton Live DJs that you might wanna check out. Catch you next week!