This is the Ableton Move update we’ve been waiting for. Ableton’s compact controller/standalone now gets proper MIDI implementation and slices up samples. Plus, you get the Auto Filter from Live 12.2. That’s in addition to other recent updates. Here’s your guide to what’s new.
Ableton quietly added a beta option for this to the Move beta. I’ve been testing this and went over it with the Move team here in Berlin. If you’ve got a Move yourself, you can try it first-hand; see instructions below.
But I suspect these features may have held a lot of folks back from getting Move in the first place, so let’s break it down.
Sample slicing
Yes, you can slice samples now! It’s a simple but addictive setup. Choose a sample, select the number of slices you want, and you get markers on the sample. Then toggle through them and adjust the sample boundaries with the jog wheel – so you can dial up the beginning of a transient, etc.
Once you’ve got it how you want it, slice, and you get a standard Move rack featuring Drum Sampler instances. You can still go back and tweak slices one at a time.
There’s no slice by transient; I hope they add that. But otherwise, this is very much like Slice to MIDI in Ableton Live.
Full MIDI support
Move 1.5 adds two key features. First, now you can use simultaneous MIDI input and output; previously, only MIDI input was possible, which ruled out the use of Move as a sequencing device. Second, there’s finally MIDI clock input, not just clock output, so if you want to use another device as a clock source, you can. (That’s in addition to Ableton Move’s wireless support for Ableton Link.)
The implementation is really convenient, too. Each of Move’s four tracks can be set to the MIDI input/output and channel configuration you want. Move’s internal instruments continue to sound on those channels, so you can either double up a sequenced part (which I love to do!), or mute the track if you want it for sequencing only. I don’t mind the four-track limit, either; in live performance, I think it’s better to limit how much one device controls for cognitive reasons. Now with sync, it really doesn’t matter.
Effectively, this answers the major complaint about Move, which was that it was overly limited with other gear. Sure, you still don’t have dedicated MIDI in/out, etc., but the USB-A port means you can connect any class-compliant MIDI device you want.
At Superbooth, Ableton will be using our own MeeBlip cubit duo. That works perfectly for this case, as you can add one MIDI input, and four identical MIDI outputs – so the same MIDI output signal from the Move is sent without latency to all four output ports.
They also had an Akai keyboard on-hand; check the Akai MPK mini plus, which gives you both a keyboard and MIDI DIN in/out.
Stop by Ableton’s booth at Superbooth to see Move in action with cubit duo!
Quite frankly, I don’t miss the minijack MIDI on some other devices – especially because a) you have to remember dongles, and b) you have to make sure those dongles match the devices you own, since many manufacturers don’t follow the standard.
Don’t forget that all of this works with Move’s underrated Capture feature. It’s highlighted in the original feature video, but what’s great about this is you can use Move as a really human-feeling sequencer. Play something live, with expression, and capture it without having to stick to a metronome or, as many competing products do, rigid sequenced grid.
Being able to do this with outboard gear is a revelation:
Auto Filter
The excellent new Auto Filter from Live 12.2 (currently public beta) is here, too – with all those new sonic features.
USB-C audio
Thanks to previous updates, Move’s USB-C connection now records audio directly into the Melodic Sampler (not just Drum Sampler), and you can send audio output over USB-C, too!
Combined with the MIDI updates, I think there’s now a good argument for Ableton Move’s minimal jack complement. Yes, it was annoying before. No, after software updates, now it’s not.
Previously:
Other recent updates
It’s worth reviewing other recent features since 1.1:
- Solo Tracks
- Quickly edit note length with steps
- Quantize individual drum pads (this is great, in that you can leave a looser feel on some parts whilequantizing others)
- In-Key Mode now has a layout in fourths
Installation
You can sign up for the public beta on the Ableton Beta Program site (centercode) if you’re not on it already.
When you’re ready to give this a go, you can install it from your Move:
- Connect to Move Manager (knowledge base doc; see video above)
- Go to http://move.local/beta
- Press the blue “Join Beta” button
Enjoy! I’m happy about this one; I still love Move’s form factor and simplicity. It’s become an irreplaceable part of my live setup and I keep it almost like a mouse at my computer’s side. And you have a ton of instruments and effects that are unique to Ableton’s world. So more on this soon.
Ableton Move – by the way, yes, still available at the same price in the USA; no tariff pains just yet:
https://www.ableton.com/en/move