Ableton Push 3 - standalone MPE controller

[andypryce]

Anybody knows where to buy in EU?

[simmo75]

Anybody knows where to buy in EU?

Ableton.

[sQeetz]

I just want the controller.... get rid of the sound card, lower the price by a couple of bucks, and I'm sold.
Don't care for standalone functionality at all.

[UtopianLament]

I just want the controller.... get rid of the sound card, lower the price by a couple of bucks, and I'm sold.
Don't care for standalone functionality at all.

They have just a controller version for $1000.

[Ah_Dziz]

I'm not huge on Ableton but I'll buy this if it can run max 4 live devices in standalone mode and is reasonably powerful and stable. Hopefully it has reasonable support for external storage and such.

[Jolaff]

I just want the controller.... get rid of the sound card, lower the price by a couple of bucks, and I'm sold.
Don't care for standalone functionality at all.

They have just a controller version for $1000.

There is still an audio interface in the controller version....

[sQeetz]

I just want the controller.... get rid of the sound card, lower the price by a couple of bucks, and I'm sold.
Don't care for standalone functionality at all.

They have just a controller version for $1000.

There is still an audio interface in the controller version....

Exactly. Get rid of the audio interface, lower the price by 200 credits and Ill switch it for my Push 2

[Stan Navi]

Great video!

[SLiC]

I just want the controller.... get rid of the sound card, lower the price by a couple of bucks, and I'm sold.
Don't care for standalone functionality at all.

They have just a controller version for $1000.

There is still an audio interface in the controller version....

Exactly. Get rid of the audio interface, lower the price by 200 credits and Ill switch it for my Push 2

I don't think they will make a PUSH 3 without the interface as the controller and standalone units are the same design/same tooling for the case etc. so they can volume manufacture and assemble. Making new case or blanking off holes would probably cost more than the interface and would probably require a different version of firmware as all PUSH 3 units have the IO control baked in.

Also everyone with the audio IO version has the option to upgrade to standalone, that will add resale value and futureproofing to the IO version.

[SLiC]

Great to see Live packs coming out already from companies like Spitfire Audio that are fully MPE for the new PUSH 3- the future looks bright!

https://www.ableton.com/en/packs/expressive-choir/

A couple of the drum packs have already been updated to be MPE as well (session and club)

All above free with PUSH 3 by the way or you can buy the MPE packs.

[machinesworking]

I just want the controller.... get rid of the sound card, lower the price by a couple of bucks, and I'm sold.
Don't care for standalone functionality at all.

They have just a controller version for $1000.

There is still an audio interface in the controller version....

Exactly. Get rid of the audio interface, lower the price by 200 credits and Ill switch it for my Push 2

I don't think they will make a PUSH 3 without the interface as the controller and standalone units are the same design/same tooling for the case etc. so they can volume manufacture and assemble. Making new case or blanking off holes would probably cost more than the interface and would probably require a different version of firmware as all PUSH 3 units have the IO control baked in.

Also everyone with the audio IO version has the option to upgrade to standalone, that will add resale value and futureproofing to the IO version.

Honestly the fact that they added ADAT in means that the thing is a perfect hub for almost all studios. I've got an RME fireface 800 that works as an 8 in/out source via ADAT for the newer USB-C Babyface Pro FS here. It would work just as well with Push 3, and if the interface is as well thought out, (no reason it shouldn't be considering the amount of controls on the Push), and the quality is decent enough I see no reason to not switch from Push 2 and the Babyface.

The only concerns here are will it work as an MPE controller in Logic and DP11? Push 2's support outside of Reaper and Bitwig from Moss, for third party DASWs is not great. How hard is it to adjust system volume on the fly from the controller?

[SLiC]

Yes, the ADAT is also a boon for CV users with something like the Expert Sleepers ES 3 (8 CV outs) and ES 6 (6 CV in) , it makes the PUSH 3 a series modular tool.

The Audio I/O spec looks pretty good to me (from the Ableton site), I like all ins and outs being balanced with the input jacks being 'switchable' with three preamp types (you don't see that often?) to cover a range of input scenarios.

Push 3 Audio Interface Specifications

Push 3 features a built-in audio interface with 2 balanced input jacks, 2 balanced output jacks, a headphone jack, and an ADAT port for expanding the number of inputs available via an external ADAT-based audio interface for a total of 10 audio inputs.

The input jacks can be switched between three preamp types: Line (balanced); Instrument (unbalanced); and High (a higher gain instrument input, unbalanced). For each input, there is also the option to add another 20dB of gain digitally.

In addition, Push 3 can output Control Voltage (CV) signals via the pedal jacks. However, the audio interface itself is not DC-coupled. See the Push manual for how to enable the pedal jacks for CV output.

Sample rate: up to 96kHz

Bit depth: 24 bit

Line Input (balanced)
• Full Scale Level: +18dBu
• Nominal Level: +4dBu
• Signal Path Gain: 0dB
• Impedance: 10kOhm (balanced)
• Dynamic Range / SNR full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: 105dB
• THD+N full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: -94dB
• THD+N nominal: -93dB
• THD ratio full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: -94dB
• THD ratio nominal: -105dB
• Noise ratio full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: -106dB
• Noise ratio nominal: -93dB
• Frequency Response: +/- 0,1dB (20Hz - 20kHz)
• Crosstalk L/R: -109dB (10kHz, full scale, measured @ -1dBFS)
• Interchannel Phase: -0,003°
• Intermodulation Distortion (SMPTE): -82dB, full scale, measured @ -1dBFS
• Intermodulation Distortion (SMPTE): -89dB, nominal

Instrument Input Low Gain (unbalanced)
• Full Scale Level: +12dBu
• Nominal Level: -2dBu
• Signal Path Gain: +6dB
• Impedance: 1MOhm (unbalanced)
• Dynamic Range / SNR full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: 105dB
• THD+N full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: -91dB
• THD+N nominal: -91dB
• THD ratio full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: -91dB
• THD ratio nominal: -103dB
• Noise ratio full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: -105dB
• Noise ratio nominal: -91dB
• Frequency Response: +/- 0,1dB (20Hz - 20kHz)
• Crosstalk L/R: -105dB (10kHz, full scale, measured @ -1dBFS)
• Interchannel Phase: -0,002°
• Intermodulation Distortion (SMPTE): -80dB, full scale, measured @ -1dBFS
• Intermodulation Distortion (SMPTE): -87dB, nominal

Instrument Input High Gain (unbalanced)
• Full Scale Level: -8dBu
• Nominal Level: -22dBu
• Signal Path Gain: +26dB
• Impedance: 1MOhm (unbalanced)
• Dynamic Range / SNR full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: 93dB
• THD+N full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: -87dB
• THD+N nominal: -79dB
• THD ratio full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: -89dB
• THD ratio nominal: -93dB
• Noise ratio full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: -93dB
• Noise ratio nominal: -90dB
• Frequency Response: +/- 0,1dB (20Hz - 20kHz)
• Crosstalk L/R: -88dB (10kHz, full scale, measured @ -1dBFS)
• Interchannel Phase: -0,002°
• Intermodulation Distortion (SMPTE): -79dB, full scale, measured @ -1dBFS
• Intermodulation Distortion (SMPTE): -80dB, nominal

Line Output (balanced)
• Full Scale Level: +18dBu
• Nominal Level: +4dBu
• Impedance: 270Ohm (balanced)
• Dynamic Range / SNR full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: 109dB
• THD+N full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: -97dB
• THD+N nominal: -97dB
• THD ratio full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: -98dB
• THD ratio nominal: -111dB
• Noise ratio full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: -109dB
• Noise ratio nominal: -97dB
• Frequency Response: +/- 0,2dB (20Hz - 20kHz)
• Crosstalk L/R: -115dB (10kHz, full scale, measured @ -1dBFS)
• Interchannel Phase: -0,008°
• Intermodulation Distortion (SMPTE): -88dB, full scale, measured @ -1dBFS
• Intermodulation Distortion (SMPTE): -94dB, nominal

Headphone Output (stereo, unbalanced)
Measured at 600Ohm load:
• Full Scale Level: +3dBu
• Impedance: 10Ohm
• Dynamic Range / SNR full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: 93dB
• THD+N full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: -84dB
• THD ratio full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: -85dB
• Noise ratio full scale, measured @ -1dBFS: -95dB
• Frequency Response: +/- 0,3dB (20Hz - 20kHz)
• Crosstalk L/R: -66dB (10kHz, full scale, measured @ -1dBFS)
• Interchannel Phase: 0,004°
• Intermodulation Distortion (SMPTE): -80dB, full scale, measured @ -1dBFS

[SLiC]

Good demo of the CV side (just using the 4 built in CV outs) at about 19 minutes. I can see this being perfect for Eurorack users as you can sequence, modulate and record the eurorack output as clips! An ES3+6 will cost you about £300 (less second hand) but that would give you 12 CV outs and 6 CV or audio back to PUSH (+ the 2 high quality variable gain TRS recording inputs which will be also be suitable for euro rack recording). You can obviously put your Eurorack sounds through the Live FX before recording all in the standalone PUSH hardware....

(PS- check out about 16 minutes in where the new (bloody amazing) autowarp in 11.3 + MPE works like a Roland Variphrase!)

[pdxindy]

Honestly the fact that they added ADAT in means that the thing is a perfect hub for almost all studios.

I don't know the needs of most studios... but Push 3 doesn't have phantom power so I could not plug any of my studio mics into it. Push 3, even with the one ADAT, doesn't come close to meeting the needs of even my fairly modest studio.

[sQeetz]

Although they won't, but I still believe hey should release a MIDI only version of it.
I like the jogwheel and extra button for "capture MIDI" but I'm not paying for an external sound card when I don't need one. They should have left that out as an expansion as well