FIRST LOOK : Ableton Push 3

The rumour mill has been working overtime with Ableton Live enthusiasts. The third iteration of Ableton Push, simply titled – Push, is finally upon us. Let’s take a first look at what the Ableton have dreamt up for us over the last few years.

RRP: $1499 (WITHOUT PROCESSOR) AND $2999 (WITH PROCESSOR)

In 2001, Ableton, at the time a plucky start-up founded by Gerhard Behles, Robert Henke and Bernd Roggendorf, dared to take on the big players with the release of Live Version 1. In 2012, Ableton entered the hardware market with the release of Push 1; a 64 pad instrument and controller dedicated to creation and performance using Ableton Live.

Push 1 proved to be a resounding success and rapidly found a host of devotees. In 2015, Ableton followed up with the release of Push 2. This iteration revealed a host of new features: a larger colour display with a finer resolution, upgraded pads, a mixing desk view displaying real time peak and RMS audio levels as well as some substantial workflow improvements. Fast forward to May 2023, and the newest addition to the family arrives. The arrival of Push, the new controller/workstation, updates Ableton’s offerings, alongside Live and the OS X app, Note. The update from Push 1 to Push 2 was substantial, but with the release of Push, the change is gargantuan. It would be impossible to cover all of the features without dedicating an entire Mixdown Mag to the task (Dear editors, can we? Please?). Instead, we’ll look at some of Push’s most jaw-dropping features. Spoiler alert: there are many.

(It is important to note the Push and software provided for review, are still in the beta stage so features and functions at release may differ.)

The Push’s configuration with a processor has an internal CPU processor, RAM and hard drive. The configuration without a processor ships without these, so it will always need to be connected to a host computer running Live to function. Later in 2023, upgrade kits will be available, and users will be able to upgrade the tethered Push to operate in standalone mode. Once powered up and connected to Live, the incredible sensitivity and feel of the pads quickly becomes apparent. A host of new MPE features turn each pad into an X and Y control surface that can be used to bend pitch, pitchslide between notes, perform filter sweeps, add vibrato to instruments and even trigger different sample layers – but more on these features later.

Without a doubt, the biggest change is the introduction of the standalone mode. In 2023 it would be safe to say that most of us are reaching the point of exhaustion when it comes to looking at screens. Push changes that. The ability to disconnect from all of this is both liberating, and inspirational.

With Push on my lap, in standalone mode, I immediately notice the hefty 3.95kg weight of the unit, but am surprised that after a few hours, I was still tapping away with no feeling of discomfort. Kudos to Ableton for keeping the heat low as well (you could fry an egg on my MacBook Pro after 10 minutes of working with any DAW!)

At first, I found myself repeatedly reaching for the mouse/trackpad to perform certain tasks that were either not possible, or habitually performed, on the computer. Over time, the habit abated, and I found myself spending more time writing, and less time tweaking, which came as a welcome surprise. Working with Push has the potential to make time accelerate, as there is nothing else you can do but create. Hours flew past without me noticing and the music flowed. Working solely with Push in standalone mode, I quickly became more adept at editing MIDI clips and notes. To my knowledge, this workflow hasn’t changed greatly since Push 2, but the fact that you can’t reach for a mouse, hones those skills, fast. Once ideas are developed in standalone mode, you drag and drop the project back to Ableton on a computer, to sequence and mix. It is possible, however, to route the audio outputs into the inputs and record/resample a finished track directly on the Push as well! DJ’s and performers will love fronting up to gigs with just Push in their hands and sets can be recorded easily by routing the outputs of a DJ mixer to the inputs of Push to record live performances using the new audio I/O. As a drummer and guitarist, the range of expression available is almost limitless, and often taken for granted. MIDI keyboards and controllers have never achieved the same heights of expression. As an instrumentalist, you don’t think about the incredible timbral varieties available to you, rather, you employ them without thought. Powerful hits to a tom-tom automatically have a more biting attack, and the pitch of the drum gently drops. Ride cymbals can be pinged on the bell, washed out with the shoulder of the stick, or used like a crash. Incredibly, the MPE implementation on Push brings this to your fingertips. By varying the taps of a pad, up/down or left/right, a host of sonic variation is available. Admittedly, the surface area of each individual pad is limited in comparison to an instrument, but startlingly realistic jazz inspired ride patterns can be easily tapped out. In what must have been a difficult design decision, size vs function, the resulting pad size is big enough, and no more. Kicks and snares come to life with a solid tap to the middle of a pad, resulting in a satisfying crack. Gentle taps at the bottom of a pad allow for snare ghost strokes and pillowy kick punctuations. It will be exciting to see how virtual instrument designers and Ableton will exploit these functions for both realistic and creative sounds.

Until now, single string, double stop and Nashville bends remained the purview of guitarists. Push changes that. For the first time on a piano, you can hold two notes of a chord and bend a third into a new pitch. Country gold, right there! The bends sound incredibly smooth as you slide fingers across the pads to voice chords or single note bends. The sensitivity of the pads, tweaked further in the Setup Menu, brings the Spitfire Audio Upright Piano Pack to life, with vibrato possible, using a gentle wiggle akin to that performed on a cello, sounding equal parts haunting, and surreal. The faintest of touches coaxes the faintest of sonorities into existence.

For the first time Push features audio inputs and outputs (I/O): 2 inputs, 2 outputs, headphone out and an additional eight via ADAT optical for both inputs and outputs. By way of a downward press, the Volume Encoder to the left of the unit, cycles through volume control for the audio interface outputs, headphones and cue levels independently. To balance the eternal dance that is the trade-off between performance and latency, Buffer sizes can be adjusted by tapping the Setup button. In standalone mode, the new audio and MIDI I/O, make it possible to program, sequence, monitor and record audio from external synths and drum machines directly. Synths, samplers, guitars, basses, as well as dynamic and passive ribbon microphones can be connected directly to Push’s inputs and recorded into the Audio Clip Slots. An external preamp will, however, be required to connect turntables, condenser mics, DI’s or any device that requires phantom power. From my testing the audio I/O sounds pristine and Push could certainly take the place of an audio interface. If additional channels are required, Push can be paired with an ADAT capable preamp/convertor. This provides the ability to record up to 10 channels of audio, simultaneously, making Push a serious piece of hardware indeed. Recorded Audio Clips can be tweaked or loaded into Simpler to create MIDI instruments, but extensive audio editing is not possible at this point. Using the External Effects Device, in concert with the audio I/O, it is also possible to patch hardware effects or dynamic processors into the Push and run projects through these devices as well. Yes, you can patch in that fancy rack compressor you dropped $5k on with your Covid stimmy cheques. Those among us with God tier keyboard skills will rejoice at the inclusion of a USB MIDI port. Using this, it is possible to connect and power an external MIDI keyboard or controller to play instruments and control Live, even in standalone mode. To allow more control over Push when in standalone mode, all of the existing controller scripts have been included, so, when a Live compatible external MIDI controller is connected via USB, all of the functionality of the device will be available without further configuration. An incredible feat of design and engineering.

Using Push in standalone, Max4Live Devices function as expected and any device that you have purchased from Ableton directly, will appear in the Available Packs folder for download and installation, on Push. Any purchased or downloaded outside the Ableton store can be dragged and dropped to the desired destination folder from Live’s Browser, and accessed from there. This same drag and drop workflow allow you to manage Clips, Defaults, Grooves, Instrument and Effects presets, Samples, Max4Live devices and Presets.

Push does not support loading or controlling third party VST instruments and effects in standalone mode, so any presets that include VSTs will not load. When working with Live Sets that contain third party VST’s or VSTi’s, you are prompted to freeze any tracks prior to the transfer across to Push. The clips will play back as audio, but no editing of the underlying MIDI data is possible. Once transferred back to the computer, these tracks can be unfrozen and edited as required. It isn’t clear if Ableton are working towards implementation of third party VST’s in the future. To be honest, I hope that they don’t go down that road. Push has an incredibly rich feature set as it stands, and no small learning curve as a result. Adding more, in my opinion, would only detract from usability. To implement VST compatibility, it would be reasonable to assume plugin developers would need dedicated custom installers, and authorisation protocols for licensing. Should Push take-off, this could be an eventuality, but I think the likelihood is slim. Developers are already stretched with constant plugin updates for OSX and, to a lesser extent, Windows. On top of the drive to innovate new tech, the requirement to create new installers and authorisation protocols, would be excessive. Instead, we might see the porting of VST’s to Max4Live devices using technologies similar to Cycling74’s RNBO (pronounced rainbow). RNBO allows programmers to export Max patches to almost any format including VST, AU, Max4Live, Max Objects and web objects. Ableton used this technology to develop the Learning Synths website. From my understanding, whilst it is not possible to import existing code into RNBO, it is possible to script custom DSP objects in addition to those already present within the Max MSP code base. Without a crystal ball, it’s impossible to know if RNBO will be used specifically for this purpose, but I’m happy to wager the Max4Live space is going to get a lot busier as Push matures.

Ableton are to be congratulated on the release of Push. The quality of the manufacturing is stunning and the pads are simply incredible in use. Bringing together standalone operation, 64 MPE enabled pads, CV, MIDI and audio I/O plus the almost limitless sound design possibilities when used in concert with Live, Ableton have made Push, an object of desire. So, the question is, “Will Push be a game changer?” I think on many levels, the likelihood is very high.

For more information, head to Ableton.com

BY GREG LONG