Enter to Win a $8000 PA System!

New Ableton Live 12 Standard

Nonlinear DAW Software with 13 Software Instruments, 16 Packs, 38+GB of Content, 42 Audio Effects, 13 MIDI Effects, 14 MIDI Tools, and 6 Modulators - Mac/PC VST2, VST3, AU v2, AU v3
Write review Item ID: Live12Std
$439.00

Or pay $73.16 for 6 months with Easy Pay

See all payment options
Delivered In Minutes!

Delivered by download. Our unique partnership with Ableton delivers your license code within minutes.

Software Is Not Returnable
Sorry, Software cannot be returned once it has been delivered. Contact your Sales Engineer or give us a call at (800) 222-4700 if you need any help with ensuring compatibility or finding the right version.
Add to Cart
Notify me about deals

Compatible with:

Mac
Windows
AU
VST

Software Compatibility

Most software is compatible with both Mac and Windows computers, but check to make sure.

If you're using Pro Tools, AAX plug-ins (or RTAS for older versions) are what you need. Most other Mac DAWs support AU plug-ins. VST is compatible with a number of Mac and Windows programs. Be sure you choose plug-ins that work with your DAW!

To learn more about software compatibility, check out our buying guide.

Ask An Expert

Our expertly trained Sales Engineers are ready to help!

What is a Sales Engineer?

Most Popular Accessories & Related Items

Ableton Live 12 Standard
Delivered In Minutes!
$439.00
Add to Cart
Add to list
Back to navigation

This article was Written By

Our Product Research Team

Get to know them!

Setting the Standard in Creative Music Production

Ableton Live is fast, fluid, and flexible, enabling you to tackle music creation, recording, and live performance with equal assurance. This revolutionary DAW software allows for traditional linear song creation, or you can leverage its Session View for nonlinear improvisation without the constraints of a timeline. With Live, you'll find yourself playing with musical elements and ideas like never before, and you can do so in real time without disrupting your creative flow. And with a treasure trove of integrated processors, effects, and instrument sounds onboard, you'll never run out of options when you get creative with Ableton Live 12 Standard. Whether you use it as a music creation instrument or as the central hub for your stage show, Ableton Live 12 Standard provides you with an endlessly powerful creative toolset.

An ideal DAW for creative artists

From the beginning, Ableton Live has been as much a creative tool as a DAW. This duality essentially has to do with the way Live lets you construct tracks and play with audio in real time. There are two main parts to Live: the Arrangement View and the Session View. The Arrangement View is more or less a standard linear DAW, with time on the X axis and tracks on the Y axis. Where Live differs from other DAWs is its Session View, which puts individual tracks on the X axis and scenes on the Y axis. Each scene contains a slot on each channel for a clip. Clips are usually short pieces of audio or MIDI, a few measures longer or shorter, that loop to create grooves. Launched individually, these loops let you experiment with your arrangements, trying out various combinations of grooves and riffs.

Since everything from modern electronic music to classic rock and blues is heavily based on repeating sections, Live's Session View makes it an ideal creative tool for all kinds of songwriters. In fact, the songwriting tools don't stop there. In addition to launching individual clips, you can launch entire scenes, complete with automatic advancement to subsequent scenes, scene repeat instructions, and other logic options.

Using scenes makes it easy to arrange entire songs in parts (verse, chorus, etc.). When you record your progression to the linear Arrangement View, you add the possibility to record lead lines and other performances that fall outside the rest of the song structure. What's more, all of the loop-/riff-based arrangement options are still available on the timeline, so you can continue to edit and build on your song even after you record it to the Session View.

All of the standard DAW functions you need

In addition to the standard linear Session View, Ableton Live comes loaded with every standard DAW function you need. Nondestructive multitrack recording at up to 32-bit/192kHz is the beginning. You get powerful mixing and signal-flow tools such as bussing and return tracks. VST and AU plug-in formats fit right into your workflow, right alongside the wonderful tools bundled with Live. Live's MIDI sequencing capabilities are second to none, and easy access to automation curves, MIDI learn, and more make this a total DAW powerhouse.

Raising the bar on standard included content

In the ever-escalating battle to provide the most content for the money, Sweetwater can confidently say that Ableton Live 12 Standard more than holds its own. Packed with more than 38GB of content, including 13 software instruments, 42 audio effects, and 13 MIDI effects, Live 10 Standard is no joke. It puts drums and sample-based instruments at your fingertips, old-school breakbeats and modern electronic music tools at your disposal, and all of the distortion, modulation, and other basic effects you could ask for right in your DAW. Of course, you also get essentials such as EQ, dynamics, and real-time analysis tool, and with unlimited AU and VST plug-in support, the included content is only the beginning.

Tons of powerful new features

Ableton really stepped up their game with Live 12, introducing a bunch of great new features. If you've used previous versions of Live, then you're definitely going to want to check these out.

  • MIDI Transformations: add variations to your MIDI clips, such as creating ornamental articulations, drawing acceleration and deceleration curves, connecting successive notes and chords, and simulating strumming
  • MIDI Generators: craft melodies, chords, and rhythms by using the new MIDI Generators to create engaging patterns
  • MIDI Editing Improvements: arrange the order of a selection of notes by pitch, velocity, or duration to conjure up exciting new sonic concoctions
  • Keys and Scales: set the selected clip's scale in Live's Control Bar to see its notes in any clip you create, then edit the clip using scale highlighting as a guide, use the clip scale to transform and generate musical ideas, or sync the scale of MIDI devices and instruments to the clip being played
  • Expanded Probability: assign a single probability rule to a group of notes so that the entire group of notes is played whenever the trigger is fired
  • Embrace and Explore Tunings: easily access alternate tuning systems — even those outside of the 12-note equal temperament system
  • Stack Live's Detail Views: view your devices and the Clip Editor or automation at the same time for distraction-free toggling between views
  • Mixer in Arrangement: Live's Mixer can now be viewed in the Arrangement Window instead of only in the Session Window
  • Browser Tagging and Filtered Searches: search for sounds in the Browser without the constraints of Live's built-in categorization
  • Sound Similarity Search: easily find comparable sounds and instrument presets to any other sample
  • Drum Rack Swapping: instantly swap out the samples in your Drum Rack for similar ones to audition new percussive textures

Ableton Live 12 Standard Features:

  • Comprehensive DAW designed from the ground up for the creative studio or performing musician
  • Includes 38+GB of content, unlimited tracks and scenes, 13 software instruments, 55 effects, and 16 content packs
  • Session View provides a nonlinear approach to music creation via groove/loop/riff arrangement
  • Arrangement View provides quick and intuitive composition plus flexible performance and improvisation options
  • Multitrack recording up to 32-bit/192kHz
  • Nondestructive editing with unlimited undo lets you freely create
  • Powerful MIDI sequencing lets you take control of software and hardware instruments
  • Convert audio to MIDI to use with virtual instruments and more
  • Advanced warping and real-time time stretching provides extensive flexibility with audio files
  • Get creative with unlimited Audio effects and MIDI effects per project
  • Includes a comprehensive selection of built-in audio effects, including a host of creative delays, filters, distortions, studio compressors, and EQs
  • VST and Audio Unit support lets you use all of your favorite plug-ins and virtual instruments
  • Mix, match, and add effects without ever stopping the music
  • Powerful creative and performing environment for DJs and mash-up artists
  • Group tracks for better organization and simpler automation
  • Time signature changes allow you greater flexibility when scoring to video
  • Multiple automation lanes make setting up intensely dynamic mixes easy
  • Track Freeze lets you free up your computer's resources without stripping down your mix
  • Automatic plug-in delay compensation minimizes phase issues and tightens up your mix
  • Instantly map MIDI control to nearly any parameter for a fully customized control environment
  • MIDI output and MIDI Clock/sync let you create deeply complex rigs combining hardware and software seamlessly
  • REX file support and native sliced audio file creation
  • Video import and export for scoring to picture or warping picture to music
  • Includes built-in step-by-step tutorials
  • Multicore/multiprocessor support
  • WAV, AIFF, MP3, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC file support
Back to navigation

Tech Specs

  • Software Type: DAW
  • Platform: Mac, PC
  • Upgrade/Full: Full
  • Download/Boxed: Download
  • Bit Depth: 64-bit
  • Format: AU, VST2, VST3
  • Hardware Requirements - Mac: 5th Generation or later Intel Core i5 / Apple Silicon CPU or higher, 8GB RAM or more recommended
  • Hardware Requirements - PC: 5th Generation or later Intel Core i5 / AMD Quad-core or higher, 8GB RAM or more recommended
  • OS Requirements - Mac: macOS 11 or later
  • OS Requirements - PC: Windows 10 or later
  • Manufacturer Part Number: 89152

What Makes Our Sales Engineers Great?

Sweetwater Sales Engineers are a world-class team of experts dedicated to you. Hand selected from across the globe, each brings a wealth of experience and expertise in the world of music gear to provide you with unparalleled service completely free of charge. Friendly relationships, real trust, and the right gear are only a call or a click away!

Back to navigation

Customer Reviews

Be the first to review this product.
Write your review
Close Close $8,000 PA System Giveaway -- input your email address below to enter or click here to learn more.

See giveaway details & rules or check out our past winners!

Success!

Your email, test has been entered to win this giveaway. Good Luck!