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New groove engine

Groove patterns dynamically influence the timing and velocity/volume of audio and MIDI material. This can add life and swing to straight patterns, give a track more drive, or lend a piece an easy, laid-back feeling.

Live 8 enhances Live's existing groove power with some important new features:

New warping engine

Live 8 is the next logical step in warping evolution with a new, more intuitive warping paradigm and some important Warp Mode enhancements.

Looper

Looper brings the creative power of classic sound-on-sound looping to Live, without the limitations of a hardware device. Inspired by some of our favorite sample/delay devices plus a good deal of Ableton wizardry, Looper provides plenty of scope in a super-simple interface.

• One-touch operation: Looper is set up for remote operation, so you can record, overdub, undo and more using a single footswitch (not included) and without touching the computer.
• Endless overdubs, tape-loop style for infinite improv jams.
• First loop sync: Live reads the tempo from the length of the first loop you record and automatically syncs up. This eliminates timing issues and lets you record without the click.
• Simple loop management: drag and drop a loop from Looper into a clip slot to make a clip; drag a clip back again to reload it into Looper.
• Multiple Looper sync lets you run as many Loopers as you want without any synchronization headaches.

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Workflow enhancements

Version 8 makes Live easier with a number of most-wanted enhancements and some deceptively simple detail work.

Crossfades in Arrangement View: This much requested feature gives you real-time, non-destructive crossfades, neatly integrated into Live's familiar workflow.

The enhanced MIDI editor now features step recording, an insert marker and editing improvements.

Group tracks let you group selected tracks (e.g. a group for drum tracks or a group for all backing vocals). Each group works like a separate mix buss with its own effects and routing settings. You can also collapse grouped tracks to preserve screen real estate.

Multi-parameter manipulation: want to lower the volume of six different tracks? No need any more to adjust six different faders; just select all six tracks and adjust one volume control.

Magnify the user interface for optimal visibility on dark stages or hi-res screens. Zoom out for the big picture.

Browser waveform display: Audio and MIDI browser preview now with waveform display and scrubbing for more informed browsing and file selection.

Plug-in parameters: Improved configuration and control for plug-ins with numerous parameters.

And many more workflow improvements: Yes, that feature request you sent may well be in there somewhere...

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New in Ableton Suite 8

Ableton Suite 8 is a package which gives you a rich world of sound, perfectly complementing the tools and features in Live 8. Suite 8 provides all the instruments a musician could hope for, including a wide range of synths, a powerful sampler, electric and acoustic drums, mallets, numerous sampled instruments: 10 instruments in all. Here's what's new in Suite 8.

Availability

Ableton Live 8 and Suite 8 are expected to ship in the second quarter of 2009. Collision and Latin Percussion will be available with the Live 8 release. To find out about beta testing for Ableton Live 8, click here.

Pricing

New to Ableton Live?
Ableton Suite 8 will be available for EUR 549/USD 699 (download). The boxed version will be priced at EUR 699/USD 849.
Ableton Live 8 will be EUR 349/USD 449 (download). The boxed version, including the Essential Instrument Collection 2, will sell at EUR 449/USD 549.
Already own a version of Ableton Live?
Upgrades to Live 8/Suite 8 vary in price, depending on the Ableton products you already own. To find out your prices, click here.
Collision and Latin Percussion
Collision will cost EUR 129/USD 159 and Latin Percussion will be EUR 79/USD 99.