This is what's new in Ableton Live 9.7

Push owners should get a slice of Ableton Live 9.7.
Push owners should get a slice of Ableton Live 9.7.

Ableton Live 9.7 is here, with a focus on new features for those who use the DAW in conjunction with Ableton's Push hardware controller.

To kick off, there are new slicing functions; you can now chop samples by beat divisions or regions as well as manually or by transients. These features can be used even if you're not a Push owner.

There's also a new drum layout - you can set 16 velocity levels to give you a greater level of expression when you're playing and programming your beats - and you can now route audio and MIDI in and out of Push for creative sampling and resampling.

We're also told that the pad sensitivity now adapts based on what you're playing (drums or sustained chords, for example) and you can now colour-code pads, clips and tracks from the hardware.

Check out the videos below for more on the new features. Live 9.7 is available as a free update from the Ableton website.

New slicing modes

New drum mode

Route audio and MIDI with Push

Improved visual feedback

Ben Rogerson

I’m the Deputy Editor of MusicRadar, having worked on the site since its launch in 2007. I previously spent eight years working on our sister magazine, Computer Music. I’ve been playing the piano, gigging in bands and failing to finish tracks at home for more than 30 years, 24 of which I’ve also spent writing about music and the ever-changing technology used to make it.