Live 7 Reviews

"Live truly does 'compete with everything and nothing, all at once,' because it can do a lot of what more conventional DAWs can do, but also has unique features that nothing else can touch."
Craig Anderton, Keyboard, March 2008

"Live is absolutely the tool to use for creating and modifying compelling grooves on the fly."
Christopher Breen, Macworld UK, April 2008

"Every time I use it [Live] I'm impressed by its user-friendly workflow and its plethora of features: high-quality audio stretching, great effects processors, versatile live performance control and much more."
Jim Aikin, MIX, April 2008

"Ableton's Live is the program responsible for turning the music-production world upside down with its unique approach to time manipulation and its instrument-like feel. [...] Live 7 retrains the elegance and ease of use that made it a clear winner from the outset."
Jon Margulies, Music Tech, January 2008

"Ableton focus their development on finding elegant and intuitive alternatives to working methods that most of the other DAWs do in the same way as each other."
Simon Price, Sound on Sound, February 2008

"Ableton Live, currently in its seventh incarnation, has long held the title of most widely recognized performance software. Each version grows more versatile and production-oriented than the last, but the improvisational edge that makes Live so powerful on stage is still intact."
Dave Jones, Performing Songwriter, January/February 2008

"With the introduction of Live 7, Ableton continues to enhance and expand Live's music production capabilities while keeping the program as easy to use as ever. If you've always thought Live was only for DJs or electronic music artists, Live 7 should change your mind. It's now a powerful, easy-to-use creative application that's perfect for anyone who wants to record music."
Chris Gill, Guitar World, July 2008

Live 6 Reviews

"In nearly all respects, Live 6 is a fantastic update. It has a broad range of new innovations that will be felt in all the diverse areas it's used... I think this update will also be the extra bit of encouragement needed for more people, myself included, to convert to using Live as their main environment for music composition."
Sound on Sound, November 2006

"For live performance with a computer, or for getting around creative blocks and getting straight to developing ideas, Live 6 is simply unparalleled... You've heard this before, but by getting out of your way and letting you work seamlessly with clips, instruments, and effects in a way no other program can, Live 6 is one of the few programs available that can actually transform how you make music — again."
Keyboard, January 2007

"Live remains the ultimate platform for almost any type of computer-based performance, and it's also a serious contender in the studio."
Mix, January 2007

"...what I found really impressive was how Ableton maintained Live's usability and structural simplicity while massively increasing its detailed control. I believe that this shows the ingenuity of Ableton's designers and the company's commitment to the future of its product and its users. Nothing helps bring in new users like the promise of longevity. Keep an eye on Ableton in the years to come; it will continue to shape the face of computer-based music."
Remix Magazine, December 2006

"One of the best things about Live 6 is that it looks and works almost exactly like Live 5 (and 4, and 3, and 2, and 1). A cumulative what's-new list of Live's six generations reveals a huge change in functionality, but Ableton has been careful to preserve the basic look and feel. They've also avoided adding features just to make the list look good. There's a lot to learn in Live 6, but it's mostly easy going. This is a must-have upgrade."
Electronic Musician, February 2007

"If you're a musician seeking inspiration from your digital audio workstation or a DJ looking for tools more interesting than a turntable and mixer, you owe yourself a long look at Live."
MacWorld, March 2007

"Live 6 is a worthwhile update to an already excellent program. Once again, many of the new features are geared more towards studio production than live performance, but these don't stand in the way of Live's aptitude for use on stage. In this role, it remains peerless."
PC Pro, February 2007

"If you have any involvement in using computers to record and create music, particularly in live performance where it is perhaps un-paralleled, Ableton Live 6 is a product you shouldn't be without. If you already have a previous version, version 6 is definitely worth the price of the upgrade."
Personal Computer World UK, October 2006

"Overall, Live 6 is more than capable and comes impressively well equipped to do the job - whether that be recording, mixing, remixing or performing."
Mac User, November 2006

"During long-winded debates with your devoted-to-vinyl DJ friend, launch Ableton Live 6, load a few beats and some media clips, and start mixing. Then let DJ Luddite give it a try. The next challenge will be figuring out how to pry DJ Ozzy Oldschool away from your Mac."
Mac Life, March 2007

"With more and more producers moving from old favourites such as Logic, Cubase and Reason to Ableton, it's clear this is becoming the pro's choice, signified by the price tag. But its incredible ease of use means that anyone with a few beats in their head will still be able to sketch their ideas down and make music."
VNUNet/Computeract!ve, January 2007

"You can do so much with Live 6, it's hard to know exactly where to begin describing this masterful software sequencer..."
Maximum PC, July 2007

"If you're looking for a tool that will remove the layer of technology between you and your music, Live is a perfect fit for you. Kudos to Ableton for bringing Live one step closer to perfection."
Future Music US, November 2006

"We don't want to sound too evangelical, but you could make a strong case for saying that Live is a 'must have' product for any creative musician, and version 6 lifts it to an entirely new level of maturity."
Computer Music, November 2006

Live 5 Reviews

"Live 5 is the most exciting and forward-thinking audio application on the market. It's always inspirational and never restrictive, yet it remains uncluttered and succinct."
Computer Music, September 2005

"Live is far and away one of the most interesting and groundbreaking audio recording and sequencing tools to come along in the past five years. I urge any musician and producer, regardless of genre lines, to give this program a try if for no other reason than to experience a new way to visually arrange your music and get 'outside the box' of linear arrangement tools."
Tape Op, September/October 2005

"Live doesn't just blur the distinctions between a DAW and a musical instrument—it erases them... Using Live 5 is a real pleasure, and the new features take it over the top in terms of power. Thinking of Live as purely a program for DJs no longer holds water: It's effectively a full-function DAW... Live 5 provides or supports just about every software widget you can think of: plug-in synths and effects, very smooth audio time-stretching, ReWire, envelope-based automation at both the clip and track level, an intelligent browser, and so on. Its user interface is extremely clean and usable."
Mix Magazine, October 2005

"One of the best things about the program (Live) is that it has been developed by musicians and it is impressively intuitive and user-friendly. It's a great system that is fun to use and bears quick results, and as such is universally regarded as an absolutely killer performance application."
DJ Magazine, October 2005

"10 out of 10! Live 4 was a major breakthrough in terms of becoming a complete package. And now with Live 5, the best just got better—awesome!"
Digital DJ, Autumn 2005

"My experience with Live 5 was simple: It's a great program that, like a good bottle of vino, just keeps getting better with age. Best of all, despite all the new features packed in, Live retains its simple-to-learn and super user-friendly UI. Version 5 is stable, efficient and a ton of fun to work with."
Remix Magazine, September 2005

"In five years, Live has gone from a niche product for groove musicians to the hot MIDI/audio sequencer. Once again, the mad scientists at Ableton have created a unique version of a unique program. Live 5 deserves the accolades it's been receiving."
Keyboard Magazine, November 2005

"Live 5 retains all of the intuitive elements of earlier versions and adds major usability enhancements like track freeze and support for MP3 encoded files, making it an excellent purchase for newcomers and upgraders alike."
Future Music (USA), September 2005

"5 out of 5 Stars! Whether you are working on a portable laptop for begging ideas, using a powerful desktop to complete and edit tracks, or you're performing a gig, Live 5.0 is one of the most complete digital audio workstations on the market today. The built-in tools and compatibility with other studio equipment make it a powerhouse of usability, and its stability makes it ideal for any situation. It's definitely a must have for any producer."
Jive Magazine, Autumn 2005