Since 2001, one DJ program has stood head and shoulders above the rest in terms of live performance capability. Ableton Live is a pioneer for DJs across the globe in so many respects. Curious? Here are three things that Ableton did right first.
Beatmatching
From the release of version 1 in 2001, Ableton live had included the ability to beatmatch audio. It was among the first DJ programs which had allowed for the functionality. Beatmatching really allows DJs to push their mixes to the next level. For example, if the floor is looking busy, they can subtly respond by pushing the tempo of a track up without losing a lot of audio quality. Warping also allows you to reorder tracks by pulling a 125 BPM number into a 135 BPM section, for example. These subtle changes can bring your mix to life!
Session View
There had never been anything like it. Session view took the horizontal playback format of most DAWs and flipped it 90 degrees. The introduction of the vertical ‘top-down’ session view was a mind-opening moment. For the first time, DJs could begin to play clips and loops instead of full tracks. Not only that, but they could start to mix them together in ways other than top-to-tail A/B mixing had done for decades. The number of tracks was not limited by the number of decks.
Max for Live
A typical DJ will likely steer clear of Max for Live in performance settings. The capabilities of the software are vast, but also experimental. Maybe too experimental for when you’re trying to get a floor moving. That said, it was a superb decision by Ableton to allow users to create their own devices. Max for Live is proprietary, but doing this was a move which demonstrated solidarity with the open-source way of thinking. And we all love it when people come together, whether it’s to dance or build stuff.
Ableton is truly one of the greatest gifts that music producers and DJs have been given. The software has a thriving community and continues to push musical boundaries with ongoing innovation. The Ableton Live video series by DJ Courses Online is a good place to start if you’re looking to level up. Catch you at the next one!