@@GuyGamer1 for me, I love turning on a machine, and it's immediately ready to write music, and it's restricted from all other activities - it's also nice to just have a single device to take anywhere and make music. Yes, it's expensive, and this is essentially a computer. But it's all about reducing friction to make music, and convenience, and I LOVE all in one "groovebox" style devices. I recently released an album after years of not completing much music. 8 of the 9 tracks had their music written with either Maschine+, Synthstrom Deluge, or Dirtywave M8 (then guitars, vocals and final production added later in Ableton Live). All self contained devices, far more limited than a laptop - but I wouldn't have written the same songs on a computer - I get "option paralysis" on a computer! Push 3 has some very nice features, but having it as stand alone is what I'm really excited about. Otherwise, I'd probably stick with my Push 2 - which is still an incredible controller! I just hope Ableton comes up with a way to edit arrangements from the hardware - I think that's all Push is missing now.
@@GuyGamer1😂 Well played, but here the computer has an exclusive focus and function on music. It’s also much more powerful than the systems found in alternative options from other manufacturers. That said, I too have my concerns and “don’t forget” that there’s a computer in there, with all the attendant concerns. Then again, I have faith that having a very standardised platform (as opposed to the proliferation of setups with pcs and macs) can lead to a more stable setup.
Excited about this new Push version, and love the option to later upgrade the Push if one gets the Push PC based version (due to pricing). Also, love that you're on it with a new Bible 3 course!! Will definitely check it out 😊 Exciting times ahead!!!!
Yeah same here... I love my Push 2 and what it does for my studio... I get the expressive touch experience with my Roli Seaboard and love using that - it is quite a big price jump though, especially for the standalone version.
@@cmulder007Push 2 remains today and for the next many, many years an exceptional device. As I’m often finding myself repeating, it’s the approach we take to our creative time and energy that matters most. The tech and features are important but arguably secondary.
I'm on Push 2, this is not compelling enough to justify upgrading to Push 3. It's a new toy basically. And the upgrade cost from Push 3 standard to Push 3 standalone is basically same as buying MacBook Air. Perhaps as a first time user or replacing stollen/broken unit buyer sure I'd get it. The addition of capture to ableton a couple of years ago was more exciting to me. The jogwheel is a nice touch but still not convinced. Perhaps if they had addressed using Push in arrangement mode. Native Instruments was smart in introducing that program (I forget what it's called) for third party plugins companies mapping their parameters to NI controllers. I can get a separate mpe controller for the expression features. Just my opinion guys, if you want one get it. Just doesn't feel baked enough for me
I bought my Push 2 in a bundle with Suite so it was a pretty good deal. Once you're already a customer these upgrades get more expensive. I have been looking at MPE controllers so it's enticing but too expensive. Maybe if they gave us a couple years worth of upgrades it might ease the pain. If they came up with a great scheme for handling 3rd party plugins and added some arrange mode functionality it would be more compelling. I think standalone is only worth it for folks who expect to gig with it, or just have a ton of money to throw around.
@@BCThunderthud it looks a lot like they're trying to catch up with maschine mk3. My problem with that is the differences between mk2 and mk3 are more compelling. Perhaps they can add and improve software/hardware integrations over time? As a Push 2 owner I feel they could've done more now
Andri Søren - Nice video. it looks cool, etc. Sorry it doesn't support Arrangement view. (I still am amazed by a huge amount of Ableton users not knowing how powerful/easy creating 'chunks' of audio just using Arrangement and loop braces.) Leaving out everything - except portability - is there anything Push Standalone can do that any controller or keyboard connected to Live can't do - except portability which is very big?
I think number one is “focus”. Focus on only making music. Focus on our interaction with those very sensitive pads. Focus on a single piece of hardware with less context switching.
Those Ableton f*ckers - who would have thought ?! lol ADAT connectivity is huge as well, that alone is a feat that gives the Push3 an edge over Maschine MK3 etc.
I am! But I need to first do a show in a few weeks, and maybe also check if Ableton mind me opening a pre-prod model. It might have alien tech in it. :)
How do you find the processor? Maschine+ is a sweet device but underpowered. I'm nervous using it live, although much better since the 1.4 update. Is Push 3 got enough processing power to run a good number of tracks while remaining stable? This is a key issue I reckon. Would love your thoughts.
This I’m planning on looking into in detail. First impressions are quite surprisingly positive. The cpu can handle quite a lot, and this is probably thanks to the exclusive focus on Live (and not other computer processes) and the custom Linux build. I think that is all having a “reference” build is going to be exciting rather than limiting and will be worked on by Ableton to keep it snappy. What I can already say is that Push PLAYGRND works well
Doh. I was hoping to sell my Push 2’s before Push 3 came out. Hopefully I can trade them in.. damn $2500 pricey. What about all your different plugins from Komplete Ultimate, etc? I’m guessing you can’t load those on it? Is it just all the native Ableton Plugins that are on the Standalone version?
Thank you! So far there is no support for 3rd party plugins in standalone mode. They do load it seems, but they won't make any sound. This means you can transfer sets with VSTs back and forth. The best solution for now is to freeze the tracks before transfer. I wouldn't expect any big changes on this in the near future. That said, M4L works, and I do expect to see some interesting things there in the next year.
What's the story with the arrangement view not being available in standalone? How about in Controller mode, did they improve the experience in terms of Arrangement timeline navigation, "back to arrangement" or does one still have to use workarounds like Push Arrangemode 2.1 on Max4Live? (and doe that workaround even still work on Push3?) Thanks
So still no changes here. Indeed an important discussion point. I hope/expect some changes on these fronts. What is currently possible in standalone mode is recording to arrangement view with “shift + record” but we can’t later do any editing of it via Push. Obviously far from what a lot of us are hoping for.
OK. Fabulous. BUT. Will it work in arrangement view - or at least better than it currently;y does? Thats what I want most of all. Or is that more of function of the software?
Hey Tony - as to today Push 3 doesn't add any access to Arrangement view that didn't already exist in Push 2 (which is essentially none, other than "shift + record" allows you to record into arrangement view in certain cases. So - work to do here for Ableton.
I tried to learn how to use the Push 3 from the Push 2 Bible but I eventually got discouraged and quit. I can't keep up because buttons and locations have changed and I was not familiar with Push 2 anyway.
Love your work Andri. If I want to create an instrument rack on Push 3 standalone, say with three instruments, and create a macro for the chain selector to allow me to switch between the instruments via the macro, am I right that this has to be done in Live first, and can't be done purely from standalone? I can't seem to do this from standalone. Thoughts Andri (or anyone)?
Thank you Samuel! Absolutely, that has to be done on the computer and then transferred over. Right now (and as far as I know for the foreseeable future) Live and our computer will be the place we really build and design live sets. Using Push only is generally very limited indeed. I don’t mind this per se, although I’d like a few more options in standalone more, but in any case shows where a mouse, keyboard and a big screen are in fact such a powerful thing to have.
Thanks for covering this so quickly! How do the pads feel? I've always found the push 2 pads to be a bit hard and not v responsive to velocity. Wondering if push 3 has levelled up the game in this regard?
Thank you in return Sam! The pads are still quite stiff, but they are silkier and smoother. I want to do a detailed comparison (watch this space) but my impression is that sensitivity is also much better. Definitely an overall step up.
I think you'd be surprised at how much more responsive your pads will get if you open your push and clean the circuit layer. The design let's a lot of dust in there easily. My pads lost a lot of sensitivity over time without me really realizing it, and when I cleaned it they got twice as sensitive.
@@GuyGamer1thanks for the tip! i bought an erae touch for playing things in, mpe and creating midi macros now anyway. push is for the knobs and buttons more than the pads now
Had the first one. Sold it. Much preferer my weighted studiologic SL88 combined with the madness of Renoise. Ableton died for me a while ago and I sold my license on the bay.
Hey Massumo - follow actions work, but (and it's a big but) these have to be set up in Live and can't be done directly from Push. I would expect (and certainly hope) this to change in the future.
from what i'm reading the push 3 does not work with ADAT in standalone? That makes it pretty weak in a live-performance setup. Why is that? And is this true? Such a shame actually, i thought this would replace my mixer, my octatrack you name it and be killer at it. Now I have to back down sadly... really missed the ball there
In Push 3 standalone is it possible to have various drum racks on one channel (like an instrument rack)? I've watched your instrument rack video Andri (which is brilliant) and I've put various instruments per track and am switching between them via the chain selector and having them switch on and off as I select them to minimise CPU demand. Great method, thanks for sharing that pro tip. Now I'm wondering whether I can have various drum kits on one channel and in the same way select via macro chain selector and have each kit switching on as it is selected and off as another one is selected, again for CPU reasons. Can this be done? Thanks for any guidance / insight
Absolutely! It works already, and I’ll make some updates to add extra MPE functionality to PLAYGRND’s instruments, and check if any tweaks need to be made for standalone - don’t expect any issues there however from early testing.
Good question John! It seems comparable to any other sound card, although what is so far remarkable is that Push 3 standalone seems relatively happy on quite low buffer settings (compared to Intel Mac systems). Something to explore in more detail for sure
this is kindof the ultimate hardware device for me. Ive been using a digitakt with a battery pack as my portable sketchbook synth and while i love the digitakt, overbridge routes fx to a seperate 9th channel and my beats lose all their grit and character once routed into ableton. having a portable sampler that can natively export directly to ableton in a non destructive manner sounds like something from a dream. AND its got an internal battery? i never thought id see the day when someone dethroned elektron for me and yet here we are. Ill probably keep the digi but it might be entombed its box forever once i get a push 3
Fully agree on the arrangement access, or at least improved workflows for session view. Even Ableton agree with us on this (I made some specific suggestions they liked). I really hope that now with all the focus on MPE development mostly behind us, some quality of life improvements to various workflows can be made.
Only pads are new, everything else not good enough to switch to 3. Standalone does not support plugins - but we love serum! And check how heavy 3 is. Almost twice heavy compare to 2. Bring it somewhere without a car...
So - VSTs do "load" on standalone, and can be transferred back and forth, but they won't make any noise in standalone (is what Ableton tell me). I think that freezing is an option however. That said I get so much out of the new Live instruments (and the old ones) that I'm ok with just working with them. Of course this is super personal.
I have so many questions ; what about the banks of sounds within the standalone … how much is this beauty and what is the price point of the standalone version ?
Andri, am I right in understanding that because this has its own audio inputs/soundcard/interface etc then I would have no more use for an external mixer (currently use Signature 12MTK with a few hardware synths connected and run them into Ableton)...??
You can transfer sounds to push standalone using ableton live on your computer and transferring via a local wifi connection. The usb port is currently only for midi in / out.
This is a big question with lots of answers. I would argue that for DJing other hardware is far more suitable and enjoyable. For live sampling we now have a built in soundcard, but so far live’s looper hasn’t been updated to be useful with push, and simpler/sampler are also not very quick/we’ll set up yet.
So - VSTs do "load" on standalone, and can be transferred back and forth, but they won't make any noise in standalone (is what Ableton tell me). I think that freezing is an option however. I do totally understand however - that said I get so much out of the new Live instruments (and the old ones) that I'm ok with just working with them. Of course this is super personal.
VSTs can be insanely CPU heavy so I'm not at all surprised that they're not supported. That said, with Wavetable you can do almost everything Serum and Vital can do. What about M4L support?
@@GuidoGautsch More importantly, there are some stock tools that are just done better with VST's. For example, the whole Kilobytes free library, almost every one of those VST's are waaaaay better than stock, like the stop / play VST and the Pitch Shifter. I mean the M4L Stop / Play "forgets" automation and is buggy to the point of crashing Ableton. All of which are VERY low on the resourses. I mean you can easily run up the CPU in the same way with Wavetable as you can with Serum. Plus Vital and Serum ... they have features that Wavetable just can't pull off. Idk, just was expecting more from Ableton, they usually think these things though way better. Like a bootstrap translator to make it work on the screen or something.
@3:10 hey, push 3 looks cool but you can't just throw it into a backpack. i have a push 2 and i don't have a backpack that i can throw it in. and its slightly smaller and lighter than the push 3, just sayin'
@@wrkshp thanks for the reply.. there is nothing in the manual about this, and with my current set up I would need it to follow the clock, if you do test, please share!
Push 3 works perfectly well together with Push PLAYGRND :) I’ll do some additional testing and upgrades to see what extra we can squeeze out of them both.
All depends on which platform we’ve invested time in. This is a welcome coming of age for Live. Still lots to do however, but imo a very solid step forward.
Neither. I didn’t have time for the former and this video isn’t sponsored. I have worked together with Ableton in different ways I’ve the years, and when I do so in a video I’ll aim to be very transparent about this as it matters.
Arrangement view is not an option in stand alone. That is a hard no from me. It is basically not Ableton live as stand alone. Also it cannot host VSTs. And if you want to go with the controller starting PUSH 3 the upgrade is all in or not at all. The upgrade should be offered as separate parts: Operating system, battery and the SSD should be able to be purchased from any brand you like. I can tell you from experience, SSD cards do go on sale. All of this together tells me to just stay with my PUSH 2. I do not need my PUSH to be stand alone. PUSH 3 is too expensive and incomplete Ableton Live and caters to taking the money of the music hobbies it is not a device for a music professional. They are working hard to make it look good.
What's the story with all the bugs? The ableton forums is on fire with bugs. How come you youtubers aren't talking about all the bugs? This paid promotion trickery is sickening. Speak on the bugs and all the missing features.
I think it's important to keep everything in context here. Do please excuse the "teacherly" structure I use here but I don't know how else to express it; 1) Product / social context: Indeed there have been and there are still bugs. Thing is, everyone has a different unit and uses it differently, so this is obviously a recipe for lots of different results. That said, we (including me) have no window onto how widespread this is - anecdotal evidence from our impression of forum posts doesn't quite cut it, imo. How many people go and post "hello my unit works perfectly?" 2) Video context: A video is often about a specific topic. For example this was just about the new features. It wasn't sponsored, and I made it for free, for you and everyone who wants to know what's new and the headlines. It isn't a review video nor does it pretend to be. I did however make a video (before release) where bugs are easily seen (and are now appear to be largely squashed) - ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-H4kl9w993o0.html - because here I wanted to explore Push in it's raw state rather than make a list of new features (which is this video you watched) 3) Recent Bug Context: Regarding bugs, I can only comment on my unit, which is a pre-production model (and as such isn't the same as the production models, meaning I can't say what happens to mine will happen to anyone else's). I experienced a few bugs (mostly on pad playing) and these were super quickly resolved - this was just pretty normal attenuation of a very complex MPE-capable product, in my opinion. My normal is based on how I remember it going with Push 2 as well. That said, of course some don't have a stable enough experience or one that works for them, and they move on, and that's fair enough. I'm very happy with my experience. 4) Historical Context: Lastly I don't concentrate on bugs because I have faith from 15 years working with Ableton Live and 10 with Push that they will be ironed out. I am more interested in the creative possibilities offered by the only DAW and only instrument I use. If however in some months I can't rely on it, I'll let Ableton know and if I have time to make a video or other content about it, you too. I would just gently encourage everyone watching these videos and those of others to keep context in mind, certainly before reaching for frustration or attacking anyone (which has been happening a bit more of late). Nobody here owes anyone else anything at all - that's the context of RU-vid. If something is labelled "Review" but is actually secretly a paid promotion, of course that's not ok, and will only lead to a loss of trust (which is hard to earn and easy to lose). A bit of calm, thoughtful discussion is always welcome however! That said - it's not a bad thing that you share your concerns - this public forum is a great place for that, and I welcome it. Cheers!
