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LiveĀ 2.1 - ready for Pro Tools

Live is a digital audio sequencer that treats all audio 'elastic': loops, phrases, even complete songs automatically sync to the current project tempo. This powerful feature, and much more, is now available to users of Pro Tools TDM or LE systems:

  • As a stand-alone program, Live can access the entire range of Digidesign's audio hardware.
  • As a ReWire Slave program to Pro Tools 6.1, Live effectively adds a new type of track to Pro Tools: groove tracks. Here is how it works.

Add Groove Tracks to your Pro Tools Session

Using Live, you can add tempo-matched groove samples to your Pro Tools session and stream the results directly into Pro Tools for further mixing and processing.

Browse & Pre-Listen

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Use Live's built-in browser to search and audition the samples on your hard disk. Live plays every WAV, AIFF, and Sound Designer II sample you click on, regardless of the sample's sample rate, bit depth, or channel count.

Even better, you automatically hear the sample at the current session tempo- regardless of the sample's original tempo! Live performs all required conversions on the fly, and you never have to stop session playback.

Drag, Drop & Arrange

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If you like a sample, drag and drop it into one of Live's tracks. Every sample fits on every track, regardless of sample rate, bit depth, mono or stereo, and you can create as many tracks as you like.

Every region, or "Clip", can play as a one-shot or as a loop. Loops can play infinitely: dragging the Clip edges will create as many repetitions as you desire, without actually making copies.

Thanks to Live's "Elastic Audio" engine, the loops will not only automatically play in sync with the session tempo, you can also change pitches without affecting playback speed.

Live offers the familiar non-destructive region and waveform editing techniques. "Snap to Grid" helps you align your edits to the beat.

Effects and Automation

powerfullFX
fullparamterautomation

Live comes with a fine selection of effects. Open the effects browser and drop an effect onto the track you want to process, re-order the effects in a track by dragging, all while the music keeps playing. Every effect parameter is ready to be automated: just hit record and make the move.

ReWiring it into Pro Tools

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The ReWire connection between Pro Tools and Live makes sure the two programs are linked with sample accurate synchronization. Both programs follow the transport commands carried out in the other.

In Pro Tools' menu of insert effects, Live shows up as a plug-in. You can route Live's master out, or each individual track, into your Session for recording and further processing.

What Else?

Actually, this is only a glimpse of what you can do with Live. Elastic Audio will also let you:

  • Manipulate the Groove of a Loop.
  • Fix Timing Problems in your Recordings.
  • Time-Align Takes for Remixes.
  • Change the Tempo to Fit the Music to Cues or "Hit Points"
  • Create Emotion or Add Drama with Tempo Curves.

Live is a complete multitrack recording program that offers unique real-time possibilities:

  • Compose by Improvising.
  • Non-linear, Real-Time Song Arrangements.
  • DJing with Automatic Beat-Synchronization.
  • Real-Time Recording and Resampling.
  • Tempo tapping to follow Musicians/DJs.

Please click here to learn more and get started with the demo version!

tutorial

Try it right now! For a demo version of Live and a step-by-step tutorial for running Live with Pro Tools, please click here.

clouser

Charlie Clouser

"Just the ability to choose loops and hear what they will sound like in context to my song has revolutionized the way I work. With Nine Inch Nails, it took us two years to finish a record. Today, I finish cues in 7 minutes. Without Ableton, it simply couldn't happen. It doesn't matter how much it cost, I couldn't work without it. Ableton is the deepest!"

billybush

Billy Bush

"Live is an extension of what we love about Pro Tools in that it allows you much more creative ways of manipulating audio than analog or digital tape. The time-stretching of loops on the fly has made writing and preproduction so much more efficient, which in turn allows us to experiment more than time would normally have allowed."

kcporter

KC Porter

"I use Live because of the fact that it allows me to use any audio file imaginable, at any tempo, in perfect harmony with other audio files and compose."