Futility v4, developed in Max for Live, has just arrived. And it’s an incredible timesaver – get channel strip, mixing, arming, and device settings right under your fingertips, anywhere in Live, even in the Arrangement. Cost: 4EUR+.

Unlike some of their more prominent Berlin neighbors, Ableton has been steadfast in refusing buyouts. But now that story gets added to their ethos, thanks to an article out now in Billboard.

It’s a film about tuning into the spaces around you, but KMRU makes an argument for being more than where you’re from. And to open up possibilities, he also does the thing I expect a lot of you know you want to do but might be afraid to do – turn off the grid now and then. Even in the software known for it.

Live just turned 20 years old, but there’s still no end to personalized ideas for how to control it. The latest is open·control, and it’s focused on quick, customizable triggers for the Session View, Looper, and editing – as a pocket-sized remote or via pedal inputs.

Ableton Live 11.1 beta means a native version of the host that can take full advantage of the hardware inside the latest Macs. But what about VST, AU, Max for Live, and other content – especially if it was built for Intel? Here’s what works, what doesn’t, and how to retain compatibility.

Ableton Live 11.1 is now available as a public beta free to anyone with a Live 11 license. New in this build – new tools for handling lag and adjusting MIDI and pitch/frequency shifting, plus much-awaited native M1 Apple Silicon support.

Ableton Live 11.0.5 just became public with loads of fixes, tweaks, and subtle additions – and the free Lite version that comes with lots of hardware now adds Live 11 functionality.

John Park of DIY boutique Adafruit seems to be having some serious fun with tiny mechanical keypads – as hackable, ultra-compact MIDI controllers and (with screen) even the tiniest Ableton Live controller I’ve ever seen.

Just like a fresh herb or spice, there’s some potential beauty in seasoning your musical ideas with something different. Note Raum does that with MIDI patterns – and it’s free, provided you’ve got Max for Live.

Don’t settle. These Max for Live creations can open up tons of extra ways of working with Ableton Live, including the deep Push customization you’ve always wanted.