Overview
Live is built around two views of the same set. Session view is a grid of clips that can be launched, layered and improvised with in real time, and arrangement view is a conventional linear timeline. Recording a performance in one drops it into the other, which is why the application ended up on so many stages as well as in so many studios.
Suite is the full configuration and the difference from the smaller editions is large. Every instrument is present, including the sampler, the wavetable and operator synthesis engines, the physical modelling instruments, the drum machines and the acoustic instrument collections. Every audio effect is unlocked, and the Max device layer is included so third party devices load without a separate runtime.
The workflow tools around the audio are what keep people from switching away. Warping stretches any recording to the project tempo without artefacts on most material, comping builds a take from multiple passes on a lane, MIDI transformation and generation tools produce variations from an existing clip, and the browser previews anything in time with the running set before it is dragged in.
What it does well
Session and arrangement
Clip grid launching for performance and a linear timeline for composition, with recording that moves material between the two.
Full instrument set
Sampler, wavetable, operator, physical modelling, drum machines and the bundled acoustic and electric instrument collections.
Warping
Time stretch any recording to the project tempo with algorithm choice per clip, including complex mode for full mixes.
Max device layer
The device building environment is included, so third party Max devices and the bundled ones load without extra installs.
Comping and take lanes
Record multiple passes on lanes and assemble the keeper take by dragging sections, with crossfades handled automatically.
Changes in this build
- New MIDI generation and transformation tools for building variations from an existing clip.
- Auto filter and saturator devices reworked with cleaner oversampling.
- Browser previews now follow the running set tempo and key.
- Improved plug-in scanning so a bad third party plug-in no longer stalls startup.
- Lower audio engine latency on current interface drivers.
What is in the package
- Live Suite offline installer, 64-bit
- Complete instrument and effect device set
- Bundled sound pack library
- Max device layer and the bundled device collection
- Multilingual interface files, 7 languages
System requirements
| Processor | Intel or AMD 64-bit, quad core recommended |
| Memory | 8 GB minimum, 16 GB or more for large sets |
| Graphics | Any GPU with a current driver |
| Storage | 80 GB free if the full sound library is installed |
| Display | 1920 x 1080 minimum |
| Audio | ASIO compatible interface strongly recommended |
Installation
- Extract the archive to a drive with room for the library as well as the application.
- Install the audio interface driver first so the engine finds it on launch.
- Run setup and choose which sound packs to unpack, they are the bulk of the size.
- Point the library location at a fast drive before the packs install.
- Launch once, set the audio device and buffer size, then scan plug-ins.
Before you start
The sound packs are optional at install and can be skipped if disk space is short.
Keep the library on the same drive as the sets, streaming samples across a network share is painful.
Disable the update check so the installed build stays as it is.
Questions about this title
Is this the Suite edition?
Yes, the full instrument, effect and pack set is unlocked, not the smaller editions.
Is Max included?
Yes, the device layer is part of the package so Max devices load directly.
Does it host VST and other plug-ins?
Yes, the standard plug-in formats are scanned and hosted, with a scan that isolates crashes.
Do older sets open?
Yes, sets from an earlier cycle open and are upgraded on save.
About this listing
This entry was checked on a clean install of Windows 10 / 11 (64-bit) before it was published, and it is rechecked whenever the package is rebuilt. The figures on this page come from the site index rather than from the publisher, so the download count is what people here have actually pulled.
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