Ableton Push

Push from Ableton is a USB controller for use with the company's Live software. When hooked up to a computer running the software, Push becomes in effect a recording workstation, beat creation tool and virtual instrument. With control of melody and harmony, beats, sounds, and song structure, the controller puts the fundamental elements of music making at your fingertips.

The sixty-four velocity- and pressure-sensitive pads are made by Akai Professional, and allow for adjusting sounds and kits while playing with eight touch-sensitive endless encoders. Hold a pad to repeat notes in time with a track while adjusting swing or the repeat divisions in real time. Select a step and adjust timing and velocity individually for each cell.

In addition to creating beats and triggering loops, the controller has been set up to allow for playing melodies and chords. Using the virtual instruments supplied with Live, melodic patterns can be easily played in any key using the same fingering. Improvising and experimenting with song structure is a breeze and all ideas can be recorded to Live.

When all ideas and structures have been recorded, it is simply a matter of switching to the computer for fine detail editing, further arranging, and song export. All work done using Push is laid out in Live as if everything had been originally created in the software. Finally, for the ultimate in portability, the controller fits easily into a backpack with a laptop computer for transporting to a live performance.

• 64-pad controller for use with Ableton Live 9 software
• Play, step sequence, and navigate loops simultaneously
• Play beats with the velocity-sensitive pads made by Akai Professional, and adjust sounds and kits while playing using eight touch-sensitive endless encoders
• Hold a pad to repeat notes in time with a track while adjusting swing or the repeat divisions in real-time
• Play notes and chords in every key using the same finger patterns
• Move between keys at the touch of a button and explore new harmonies and phrases across the velocity- and pressure-sensitive pads
• Push utilizes Ableton Live running on a computer and provides the controller with a comprehensive collection of instruments and effects
• Sounds are ready to be played, tweaked, and personalized
• Fine-tune parameters in the instruments and effects using the touch-sensitive encoders while monitoring everything from Push's display
• Improvise and play with song structure
• Capture all musical ideas, duplicate and create variations, trigger, re-arrange, and create new combinations
• When you're ready to get into arranging, detailed editing, and exporting your finished song, switch from Push to the computer to find the music already laid out in Ableton Live
• Perfect performance controller with pads that can be instantly repurposed into a clip launching grid