Ableton Live is about making music; for composition, songwriting, recording, production, remixing and live performance. Live's nonlinear, intuitive flow, alongside powerful real-time editing and flexible performance options, make it a unique studio tool and a favorite with live performers. If you'd rather be "making music" than just "using music software," Ableton Live is for you. Live 8, the latest version, includes a wealth of new techniques and improvements with a new groove engine, revamped warping, live looping, new effects, crossfades in the Arrangement View and a reworked MIDI editor.

Key features

• Multitrack recording up to 32-bit/192 kHz
• Nondestructive editing with unlimited undo
• Powerful and creative MIDI sequencing of software and hardware instruments
• Advanced warping and real-time time-stretching
• Supports AIFF, WAV, MP3, Ogg Vorbis and FLAC files
• A comprehensive selection of built-in audio and MIDI effects
• Built-in instruments: Simpler for sample-based synthesis, Impulse for sampled drums
• Instrument, Drum and Effect Racks
• New groove engine; apply and extract grooves in real time
• VST and AU support; automatic plug-in delay compensation
• REX file support plus built-in audio to MIDI slicing
• Video import and export for scoring, video warping
• Simple MIDI mapping plus instant mapping for selected hardware
• Full ReWire support; runs as Slave or Master
• Single-screen user interface for simple, creativity-focused operation
• Multicore and multiprocessor support
• Support for The Bridge, Ableton's collaboration with Serato

Also includes

• A selection of loops (box only)
• Essential Instrument Collection 2: a wide range of sampled instruments (box only)
• Printed reference manual in English, French, German or Japanese (box only)
• Built-in interactive lessons
• Localized software menus, tutorials and PDF reference manuals in English, Spanish, French, German and Japanese

System requirements

Mac: 1.8 GHz G4/G5 or faster (Intel® Mac recommended), 2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended, if supported by your computer), Mac OS X 10.4.11 (10.5 or later recommended), DVD-ROM drive

Windows: 2 GHz Pentium® 4 or Celeron® compatible CPU or faster (multicore CPU recommended), 2 GB RAM (4 GB recommended on Windows Vista and Windows 7), Windows XP (home or Pro), Windows Vista or Windows 7, sound card (ASIO driver support recommended), DVD-ROM drive, QuickTime recommended

The installation size of the Essential Instrument Collection 2 is 15 GB.