A new free Live tool from Robert Henke lets you grab short sounds easily

Quick! Your modular/synth/contact mic/pot-and-pan is making amazing sounds, and you want to capture them for fast 1-shots/drum racks. And you hate the tedious editing/naming admin! Robert Henke’s new Sample Capture is for you — and it’s free, for Ableton Live 12 and Max for Live.

These retro and SGI-inspired Ableton Live themes will make you smile

Deafman’s set of retro themes for Ableton Live, originally inspired by Silicon Graphics workstations, impressed when I first wrote about them. This summer, Clem has a bunch of updates: improved themes, a theme editor, a new pack, updated fonts (with Retina and bold versions), and easy installers. It’s a one-stop makeover kit for Ableton Live. But it’s more than that: it’s a mood enhancer. I smiled, like, literally.

Peter Kirn - July 12, 2025

Robert Henke’s Granulator III update for Live 12 expands modulation powers

Granulator III, by Ableton co-founder Robert Henke, has received a small but meaningful update. It now allows audio-rate modulation (as in Granulator II) and new modulation possibilities.

Peter Kirn - May 22, 2024

Remake Live 12 with retro refinement: updated workstation, ultra-dark themes

Peter Kirn - May 20, 2024

Performance Pack for Ableton Live 12 now has a video manual

Peter Kirn - January 11, 2024

Live 12 will have an interactive companion site exploring tuning

Peter Kirn - November 23, 2023

Ableton Live 12: a guide to everything that’s new

Peter Kirn - November 14, 2023

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