Just when you thought you didn’t need another multi-stage distortion/coloration tool, along comes Roar. Live expert Madeleine Bloom (of Sonic Bloom) says it’s her favorite so far in Live 12, and she’s got a terrific in-depth video going through each feature. If you watch just one tutorial/feature before diving into the Live 12 beta when it arrives, this might be the one. Take a look:

I’m sure this is not going to make the wait for the public beta any easier, but here you go.

It’s really a perfect example of how UI/UX design can make a big difference. It’s not that Roar does things we’ve never seen before; it’s that the interface culture on the Ableton team has led to a really concise way of bringing those elements together and controlling them musically.

The modulation matrix, shared with other recent instruments and effects, is a big part. But wow, just the feedback section is what has me won over, especially adding beat sync.

Sonic Bloom remains one of the best and longest-running resources online for Live 12, full of free stuff, so check out the story here and everything else:

Ableton Live 12 Announced – New Devices & Features in Depth

Now, my plea to the Abletrons is, please give us a Theme creation tool. Madeleine alone is an answer to why you should do that.