Ableton releases the much anticipated Live 8!
Founded in 1999 and making their market debut in 2001, Berlin based company Ableton has gone on to make a massive impact on the music software landscape. Equally as profound is the expanded sense of possibility and creative freedom which has been taking root in the user community, now comprised of composers, arrangers, sound designers, post-production specialists, and other audio professionals who have found themselves at home amongst the clean, uncluttered design and intuitive response of the interface. Run by Gerhard Behles (formerly a member of boundary pushing electronic act Monolake with Robert Henke), Bernd Roggendorf, and Jan Bohl the company has generated increased levels of excitement with each new version of their flagship product. The software known as Live now exists simultaneously as top tier sequencer, powerful deejaying tool, live performance instrument, and muse to a growing number of music enthusiasts.
To let us in on the latest and greatest Ableton developments is an individual striving to push the definitions of “forward thinking media” into new realms, JP Hungelmann! As a promoter and curator, James directs Minneapolis’ annual Spark Festival and the Secret Techno event series. These duties, coupled with more than 10 years of experience playing music alongside some of the modern era’s pioneers of electronic art, convinced me that JP would be an excellent source to help explain just what makes Live so vibrant.
TN: For those who may be unaware, what sets Live apart from other music software?
JP: The fact that it is fun, easy, and “open ended”, meaning that there is no “wrong” way to use Live. Also, liberation from the timeline! As an artist you are free to create in a traditional and highly structured environment or via a non-linear, structure-free work flow.
TN: What do you feel are the most exciting aspects of Version 8?
JP: There are so many! The Groove Pool offers real time audio or Midi analysis which may then be applied to any other musical idea in your set. The new physical modeling instruments such as Collision and Corpus are excellent. Also, the introduction of Max for Live is going to get very interesting…
TN: Live allows for some very creative ways of interacting with your music.
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What are some methods you can employ to get hands-on control of this software?
JP: Live will map to any Midi controller via an intuitive learn functionality. I am particularly excited for the debut of the APC40, a joint venture between Ableton and Akai.
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TN: Tell us a little about your affiliation/ credentials with Ableton?
JP: Nearly 5 years ago, I designed IPR’s very first Ableton specific curriculum. *The first in the US! After several years of development, I was recognized by Ableton as being a major contributor to their presence in US music and music education. Along with the classes themselves, this relationship matured over time. It was the winter of 2007 when Ableton approached me about contributing to the introduction of their first Certified Trainer program. I was deeply honored! It is with the guidance of Ableton themselves, along with many of my mentors, that this curriculum can safely stand as the most rigorous and engaging of it’s kind.
IPR and I both hold the titles of Ableton Certified Trainer (ACT) and Ableton Certified Training Center (ACTC).
http://www.ableton.com/pages/education/certified_training
We absolutely love what Ableton does for the energy in the classroom… it’s amazing!
TN: What does the Ableton class offered at IPR entail?
JP: It represents the exact curriculum I used to pilot the the certified trainer program. It is divided into two sections, Live 1 and Live 2. The first covers everything you need to know to work effectively within the software, while the second goes deeper into concept driven exploration of ways in which Live can be implemented in professional applications including sound design, composition, scoring to picture, playing in a band, and more.
TN: What is your wish list for version 9?
JP: I would love to see video tracks available in the session view, as well as video FX plug-ins. By the time that release is rolled out, I hope to see a culture of users who design their own devices for use within the Live environment and share those tools with the world!
TN: Thanks for your time, JP.
JP: My pleasure!
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