Puremagnetik has released Retroputer, a collection of tonal sequencing racks for Ableton Live 6. Heavily influenced by Elektron’s Monomachine, Retroputer comes packed with crunchy digital waveforms, all categorized into 10 individual “Machines.”
Over 60 included Live Clips come complete with customized Macro controls that emphasize the charm of these classic digital sounds. Retroputer also contains over [...]

 
Defective Records Software has announced Major Malfunction version 1.5, a new version of its Mac OS X realtime audio plugin for Ableton Live. Major Malfunction is designed to let you “mangle, glitch and FSU”.
You can preview what MM’s FSU sounds like below; more examples at the Defective site.
Major Malfunction is US $15; a demo version [...]

 

 Major Malfunction version 1.5 [0:34m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

The monome 40h is a reconfigurable grid of sixty-four backlit buttons, designed to be an open-ended musical interface. The buttons can be configured as toggles, radio groupings, sliders, or organized into more sophisticated systems.
When the monome was introduced, the biggest question I had was whether the device’s minimal design would lend itself to expressive music, [...]

monome, a collective based in Philadelphia that has created a open-ended configurable switch array for music and multimedia, has posted a video (below) of its upcoming monome 256 in action.
The group plans three configurations:

256 (two fifty six) the 16×16 whose design has solidified
128 (one twenty eight) is an 8×16
64 (sixty four) is a small 8×8

All [...]

 

 Monome 256 In Action [0:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Ableton has announced that Live Lite to Full, the upgrade from all Lite versions to the full version of Live 6, is now available.
All users of Live Lite (as bundled with products from M-Audio, Digidesign, Korg, Line 6, E-MU, Focusrite, Novation, Tascam, Allen & Heath, Behringer and TC Electronic) can now purchase an upgrade to [...]

Puremagnetik has just released Test Run - a free Live Ready sound library, with over 100MB of sound content.
Test Run contains a collection of the best sounds from past Puremagnetik packs and is available for immediate download. Test Run is compatible with Ableton Live 6.0.5 and higher.
Puremagnetik is a subscription service for Ableton Live [...]

Peter Kirn at the always awesome Create Digital Music reports that a reader has Ableton Live running successfully on Apple TV.
Apple TV is a new peripheral that effectively turns your HDTV into a giant iPod, letting you listen to or view iTunes content on your home theater system. Apple TV has also become a hot [...]

Musikmesse: Ableton and Cycling ’74 today announced a strategic partnership. The two will join forces to create new software products for the creative community, leveraging their skills, technologies and combined thirty years of experience.
“We are excited to team up with our friends at Cycling ’74,” said Ableton CEO and cofounder Gerhard Behles. “David Zicarelli has [...]

Puremagnetik has released Microdrum, a unique groove sequencing pack for Ableton Live 6. Microdrum comes loaded with 5 banks of drum kits, over 50 preset Groovetracks and 30 percussion menus.
Based on the Magnetik Step16 rack, Microdrum employs 16 steps of rhythmic phrasing in individual sequencers for each drum voice. Any Live 6 user can easily [...]

Puremagnetik has just added Guitar Rack to their catalog of sound libraries.
Guitar Rack is a comprehensive selection of loops and instruments for Ableton Live 6, Logic and Garage Band. It contains multiple options for Ableton users by providing “modular” instruments, Live Clips, and amplifier models. Apple product users can also take advantage of the EXS [...]

Kid Beyond is a singer/songwriter, beatboxer and looper. He uses Ableton Live to loop and multitrack his voice onstage to create his own live backing tracks
In this video, sponsored by Ableton, he talks about how he creates his tracks and demonstrates using a pedalboard and live to create complex, multi-layered grooves.

 

 Kid Beyond On Ableton Live [6:51m]: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download

Ableton has released Live 6, offering Quicktime video support, a professional multisample library, and customizable racks of instruments and effects. Live 6 also satisfies frequent user requests by delivering multicore support, enhanced project management tools, and improved MIDI control.
“Live 6 upholds Ableton’s tradition of responding to and respecting our vocal user base while maintaining our [...]

Ableton has released Sampler, an advanced sound-design and sound-sculpting instrument available as an upgrade within Ableton Live 6. In addition to providing perfect host integration, Sampler offers fresh sound-design possibilities through its unique processing and modulation options. When combined within Ableton’s Instrument and Effect Racks in Live 6, multiple Samplers provide unprecedented depth of control, [...]

FaderFox has introduced the 2nd generation of its controllers that are optimized for Live and Traktor. The new devices are expected to be available in the Feb-March 2006 timeframe, and to be available worldwide.
Four FaderFox controllers will be available:
micromodul LV2 is a pocket-size, custom-made controller of 2nd generation for Ableton Live.
Description: Lots of different control [...]

NAMM 2006 Winter Show: Ableton announced the imminent release of Live 5.2 and the release of Live 6 in Q3. Both releases leverage new processor technologies to provide Live users with significant gains in audio performance (such as the capacity to simultaneously run more tracks, virtual instruments, and effects).
Live 5.2 brings native support for Apple’s [...]