Ableton updates Live to v11.2

Ableton has announced the release of Live 11.2. This free update delivers improvements to the Reverb device – a standard device in every Live edition. It's been refreshed with a modernized UI, improved usability and subtle sound improvements.

Live 11.2 also introduces AUv3 support, making more plug-ins available to music makers using Mac computers with Apple silicon chips.

If you already own a Live 11 license, the Live 11.2 update is free for you.

New features and improvements

• Capture MIDI:

  • Capture results are no longer influenced by the song tempo set by the target track's previous Capture attempts.

  • When Live's transport is running, Capture MIDI will keep longer phrases in captured clips.

• Control Surfaces:

  • In the Launchkey MK3 Control Surface script, the Quantise button can now quantize clips in Session or Arrangement View.

  • The Launchkey MK3 Control Surface script now also works with the Launchkey 88.

  • On the PreSonus ATOM SQ, it is now possible to scroll between device parameter banks by holding the bank navigation buttons down.

  • In the ATOM SQ Control Surface script, it is now possible to control the Master Track volume and pan in Song mode when the Master Track is selected.

  • The encoder sensitivity for the ATOM SQ Control Surface script has been refined to better match the parameters they control. Additionally, the encoders can be used to fine tune parameter values when the Shift button is pressed.

• Core Library:

  • Added audio and MIDI clips to Session View in Live's Demo Song.

  • In the DS Drum Rack preset, devices contained in the selected chain are now always shown by default.

• Interface:

  • The icons in Live's Preferences and dialogs have been improved.

  • Updated the appearance of the "Record/Warp/Launch" tab in Live's Preferences.

  • The error dialog window that appears when loading a Live Set with disabled plug-ins now displays the track name before the timestamp.

  • Live now shows different icons for Live Clip (.alc) files that distinguish between Audio and MIDI content in the browser.

  • When renaming tracks, [Tab] will navigate to the next track or chain header, while [Shift][Tab] navigates to the previous track or chain header.

  • Value ranges on vertical rulers in the MIDI Note Editor are now always displayed as two values stacked vertically.

  • Improved drag and drop behavior within list views (such as the Groove Pool and device chains). Instead of always being inserted before the target item, dropped items will now be placed dynamically, depending on which half of the target item the cursor hovers over. In addition, the copy modifier [ALT] now works more consistently.

  • When Num Lock is switched off on Windows, the number pad arrows, PgUp, PgDn, Home, and End keys now function as expected.

  • Disabled devices now display an alert icon above error messages in Device View.

  • When exporting multiple tracks, the option to also export video at the same time is now deactivated in the Export Audio/Video dialog.

  • Updated various software texts.

  • Updated various Help View lessons.

  • Updated various software text and Help View lesson translations in German, Spanish, French, Italian, Japanese, and Simplified Chinese.

• Max for Live:

  • Updated the bundled Max build to version 8.3.1. For the changelog, visit: cycling74.com:

    • live.banks: added warnings to explain non-reactivity in Max-only.

    • Dynamic Colors: changed label of 'live_control_fg' to 'Text /Icon'

    • jweb / CEF: fixed usage in Max for Live (Windows).

    • live.* ui objects: updated color code.

    • live.banks: banks configuration is retained if device is opened and saved in Max.

    • live.comment: linecount is preserved.

    • live.gain~: @orientation 1 typed-in a box works as expected.

    • live.gain~: auto-adapts when transforming to MC version.

    • live.observer: fixed value output after opening/closing Max editor.

    • crosspatch: works in the context of a Max for Live device hosted in Live.

    • Max for Live / Gen: improved fixes for intermittent crashes.

  • A new property in the Max for Live API allows users to observe the number of visible Macro Controls for a RackDevice.

  • Audio driver input and output latencies are now taken into account for Max for Live devices that contain audio routings to external targets. If needed, users can revert to the previous behavior by using the -DisableM4LRoutingCompensation debug option in an Options.txt file.

  • The time_signature_numerator, time_signature_denominator, time_signature_enabled and tempo_enabled properties are now available in the Max for Live API. Corrected descriptions for the properties have also been added.

  • Improved and updated the scale_name and scale_intervals descriptions in the Max for Live API.

• New Devices and Device Improvements:

  • Reverb:

    • The Reverb device's interface has been updated with a fresh design.

    • The Reverb device's Density and Quality parameters have been renamed to Diffusion and Density. The parameter values for Density (previously Quality) have also been changed from Eco, Mid, and High to Sparse, Low, Mid, and High. Sparse mode allows for lower CPU usage.

    • Added a Smooth dropdown menu to the Reverb device. You can now specify how the Size parameter responds when changed using the Smooth options None, Slow, or Fast.

    • Setting Smooth to None means that some artifacts may occur when changing the Size parameter values. The Slow and Fast options ensure that new delay times are updated over a specific period of time, resulting in a more musical sound.

    • Added a switchable filter type to the High filter in Reverb's Diffusion Network. You can choose between a one-pole low-pass filter or a low-shelf filter.

    • Optimized for better CPU performance.

  • Tuner:

    • The Tuner device now includes three new options for note spellings. You can access a menu with these options when you right-click anywhere within Tuner's UI:

      • Sharps (C#).

      • Flats (D♭).

      • Sharps and Flats (C#/D♭).

    • It is now possible to zoom out to a full octave in Tuner's Histogram View by clicking the interface and dragging the cursor horizontally.

  • In the Phaser-Flanger device, the Phase parameter of the LFO now has a default value of 180 degrees.

  • The Excitator section of the Tension device is now called "Exciter" in Live and on Push.

  • A context menu option for a Hi-Quality mode has been added to the Delay device. Switching off Hi-Quality uses less CPU resources.

  • The Channel EQ device now uses less CPU resources.

  • Presets containing the Saturator device now run with improved CPU usage.

  • Inactive visualization data will no longer be sent in the Wavetable and Phaser devices, resulting in slightly improved performance.

  • When mapping and unmapping device parameters to Macros, the Map/Unmap labels now appear as expected.

  • A Hi-Quality option has been added to the [right-click](Win) / [CTRL-click](Mac) context menu of the Redux device. Using Redux with Hi-Quality switched off saves some extra CPU.

• Plug-ins:

  • Added native support for AUv3 plug-ins on macOS 10.15 or higher:

    • Live's Preferences now include options to enable both AUv2 and AUv3 plug-ins.

  • Plug-in errors are now shown in Live's Status Bar, along with a linked detailed error report.

  • If the connection to an AUv3 plug-in gets lost, an error message will be displayed. The plug-in will also be disabled, the output muted, and the plug-in window closed.

• Push:

  • On Push 2, the parameter names of the AAS devices (Analog, Collision, Tension and Electric) have been improved and aligned with the UI for readability.

• Session View Improvements:

  • It is now possible to simultaneously rename multiple Rack chains in Session View.

  • When navigating tracks and device chains using the left arrow key in Session View, navigation will stop at the first track header as expected.

• Setup:

  • To avoid incompatibilities, you will be asked to save Live Sets created with an older version of Live as a new file in Live 11.2.

  • Renamed the Customization section of Live's Preferences to Display Customization, which now also includes the Zoom Display setting.

  • Metal rendering is now enabled on macOS by default to improve UI rendering performance. To deactivate this, use the Options.txt entry -DisableGraphicsHardwareAcceleration.

Bugfixes

• Live Bugfixes:

  • Improved Live's performance when selecting or deselecting many clips.

  • On macOS, Live's UI would sometimes show graphical errors after opening Live on a HiDPI monitor, changing the Zoom Display settings to a value other than 100%, and moving the window to a LowDPI monitor.

  • Fixed the appearance of the Phaser-Flanger device's Env Fol parameter when the device is deactivated.

  • Fixed a bug that would stop the manual freeze output when switching the Spectral Time device's Freezer Fade Shape from Crossfade to Envelope mode.

  • Fixed an issue that caused the Corpus device to output silence when using larger buffer sizes on Windows.

  • Added info texts for the Frz > Dly and Dly > Frz toggles in the Spectral Time device.

  • Added a missing info text for the Env Amt parameter in Collision's Noise Filter section.

  • Fixed some issues with the LFO and MPE Control devices.

  • Previously, Live would crash when routing an Ext. Instrument's MIDI output to an MPE routing target if the track's device chain also contained a plug-in, Max for Live device, or certain built-in audio effects.

  • The dropdown menu for Reverb's Density parameter is now 2px wider to avoid cutting off the word "Sparse."

  • Fixed an issue that could cause an invalid selection when selecting all chains in a Drum Rack in Session View.

  • On Windows, Live's UI now refreshes as expected after tapping [ALT] to open the main menu.

  • Any time the Clip Detail view panels are arranged vertically, Live now opens the Envelopes panel and scrolls it into view when creating per-step automation on Push or using the "Show Automation" or "Show Modulation" context menu entries on a parameter.

  • Opening a context menu on Windows with the keyboard shortcut [Shift][F10] no longer changes the time selection in Arrangement View, Session scene selection, or browser selection.

  • On Windows, opening a context menu with the [Shift][F10] keyboard shortcut no longer changes the selected Session track header or Session clip.

  • Fixed an issue that could cause artifacts when using the Complex or Complex Pro warping mode on clips that were only slightly warped.

  • Fixed an issue that caused unnecessary freeze tail clips when freezing and flattening clips with small gaps between them.

  • Fixed a bug that caused MIDI notes and audio waveforms to jiggle slightly when adjusting clip edges in Arrangement View.

  • Selecting a velocity or probability marker and typing in a number sets the value as expected.

  • When Rack Macro Controls and chains are unfolded, the Rand and Map buttons are now properly aligned.

  • When showing or hiding chains in a Rack, the buttons would previously move up and down depending on the view shown. These buttons are now evenly spaced at all times.

  • Fixed an issue that caused Session clips to be added over Arrangement clips when copying a track in Session View and pasting it into Arrangement View.

  • Fixed an issue that caused inconsistent time signatures when launching scenes with specific time signatures in Session View, and then quickly going back to the Arrangement View. This issue could also cause the Re-enable Automation button to become stuck.

  • When a track is frozen, the Velocity Range slider will now freeze as expected in MIDI clips.

  • Fixed an issue that prevented the keyboard shortcut to expand Clip View [CTRL][ALT][E] (Win) / [CMD][OPT][E] (Mac) from working when switching from Session View to Arrangement View (or vice versa) when no clip was selected.

  • Selecting time in the MIDI Velocity Editor now works as expected when multi-clip editing.

  • When a user changes the MIDI Envelope Auto-Reset option in a set, they will be prompted to save the changes when they close the set or quit Live.

  • Fixed an issue that caused Live to hang when zooming out of a clip with a small loop region that was being recorded.

  • Fixed a crash that occurred when loading certain Live Sets containing more than 1,000 tracks.

  • Fixed a crash that occurred when using the header area of a time selection to select time in a MIDI clip when in the Expression tab.

  • Fixed a potential crash when opening old Live Sets that contained devices that have since been removed from Live.

  • AU plug-ins are now informed about silent inputs so that they can release CPU resources and report output silence if possible. This will allow any device in the device chain after the AU plug-in to release CPU resources as well.

  • Fixed an issue that caused note feedback to break when using certain Control Surface script interactions, such as repeatedly switching the note layout on Push while a MIDI clip was playing.

  • Fixed an issue that inadvertently showed blue hand icons and device locking options for particular device control features not available in some Control Surface scripts.

  • Fixed a bug that kept internal buffers of VST3 plug-ins from resetting properly. As a result of this fix, lingering signals (like reverb and delay tails) are now reset before audio export starts. Lingering signals can also be cut off quickly by clicking the Stop button three times.

  • Fixed an issue with certain VST3 plug-ins that created unwanted artifacts in rendered audio.

  • Fixed a crash that occurred when loading a Live Set with plug-in automation on the Master track, or on a Return or Group Track.

  • Live no longer hangs when opening a dropdown menu while Grammarly is running.

  • Fixed a crash that would occur when VST plug-ins requested the dedicated GPU, or when the user changed the macOS Battery "Automatic graphics switching" preference.

  • Fixed a bug that caused silence and/or hanging notes when recording MIDI notes into clips that already contained those same notes.

  • Improved high DPI support for VST3 plug-ins on Windows:

    • Plug-ins that support high DPI and IPlugViewContentScale should be the correct size.

    • Plug-ins that have their own resizing logic should not resize when the user drags the window around.

    • Plug-in windows are instantiated with the correct size in both scaled and non-scaled modes.

    • Plug-ins that support host-initiated resizing are interrogated by calling checkSizeContraint in the correct place.

    • Plug-ins that support host-initiated resizing can be maximized by double-clicking on the title bar.

  • Fixed a potential crash on Windows that occurred when closing Live right before the program tried to install default Packs.

  • Fixed an issue with various Control Surface scripts that caused clip launch button LEDs to be in an incorrect state when changing the input type of a track.

  • When using the ATOM, ATOM SQ, and FANTOM Control Surface scripts, Arm button LEDs now reflect a track's implicit armed state.

  • Fixed an issue in the SL_MKIII Control Surface script that resulted in incorrect LED button states when exiting Drum Mode.

  • Fixed a crash when loading a corrupt Live Set containing non-unique Pointee IDs. Live now recognizes if the set is corrupt and displays a corresponding error message. Users can reach out to Support to see if their sets can be repaired.

  • Fixed a bug where context menus would close abruptly if Voice Control was enabled on System Settings on macOS.

  • Switching between Session and Arrangement View while a launched clip is playing on Push will now always display the clip as expected.

  • Previously, Live would crash when deleting an instance of Simpler from a Drum Rack pad while the Simpler's Envelopes view was visible on Push.

  • Previously, Live would crash when using the Extract Chains command on a Drum Rack chain that had automation or modulation for the Chain Send Level.

  • Fixed an issue that deselected AU plug-ins after duplicating a selected plug-in.

  • Fixed a crash that sometimes occurred when loading a plug-in that could not instantiate its presets.

  • Fixed an issue that caused Live's menu bar to become invisible after deleting all video clips if the video window was in Full Screen Mode on macOS.

  • Fixed a crash that occurred when dragging and dropping another Live Set with Group Tracks into Session View as a new scene in certain circumstances.

• Max for Live Bugfixes:

  • Fixed a bug where adding Expression Control would create unnecessary undo steps.

  • Fixed an issue that caused Shaper MIDI to produce unnecessary Undo steps.

  • Fixed an issue that resulted in incorrect Undo values when using Align Delay in Distance mode.