Watch these creators showcase the power of Ableton Push 3
Andrew Huang, Rachel K Collier, Jamie Blake and more show you what’s possible with Ableton Push 3, from MPE support to standalone jams.
Image: Ableton
By now, you’ve surely seen the myriad articles, photos and clips of the new Ableton Push 3. Plenty of creators have been taking to social media to show off what is possible with the Push – here are some of our favourites.
Ableton’s third version of the Push controller was released earlier this week (23 May), building on 2015’s Push 2 with new standalone capabilities and performance enhancements. This means that you can send your Live Sets to Push, unplug the controller and work on it anywhere.
This may even be the last piece of hardware released by Ableton for quite some time. Thanks to interchangeable components and features that upgrades alongside Live, it will be a “timeless” unit that has a “deliberately long lifespan.”
Since the release, creators have taken to YouTube to share what they have been doing with the new controller. Whether it be comical or informative, it’s pretty cool to see what the Ableton Push 3 is capable of.
Rachel K Collier
Welsh multi-instrumentalist and producer Rachel K Collier offers a remote performance with the new system, showcasing how you can make music anywhere with the standalone version of Push. Rachel also gives you a walkthrough of the device’s features and how she’s integrating them into her setup. And, come on, that’s not a bad backdrop for a live set, right?
Andrew Huang
Andrew Huang, on the other hand, gives you a more in-depth overview of the newest feature on the Push 3. He demonstrates the power of the pad’s MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) capabilities, live recording workflows via the built-in interface, and shows you how to integrate external synths. It’s always fun to see Andrew jam out and have fun with a piece of inspiring music gear.
Stimming
Revered producer Stimming presents a review for Telekom Electronic Beats TV, and offers probably one of the most in-depth demos of the Push 3 out there. This hour-long video goes sees Stimming create (and dance to) a few beats, get to grips with the workflow, and explain why he “feels a bit sorry for the competitors” of Push 3. “From now on, they feel old and outdated and it’s just incredible what Ableton have done with this thing. So thanks a lot, Ableton, for doing this.”
Weaver Beats
Creator Weaver Beats purchased Ableton Push 3 with his own money and has a fair amount of criticisms of it. Before sharing his frustrations, though, he dives into his favourite parts about the music-making system and, in another video titled “The Ableton Push 3 Is INSANE”, he strongly praises a ton of the creative features Push boasts. But, in the video below, the producer explains that he has issues with Push shipping with Live Intro (rather than Suite), the two-hour battery life, and the price – particularly the tethered version’s upgrade path.
Jamie Blake
LA-based producer and certified Ableton Trainer Jamie Blake has made a demo on how to create a lo-fi beat using the Ableton Push 3 in just 10 minutes. If you want to know how Push can be used for straight-up beatmaking, this is one to watch.
Marcus Schmahl
Techno lovers, this one is for you. Marcus Schmahl hooks up the Push to a Behringer TD-3 and creates some serious stompers. There’s zero narration in Marcus’ video, so if you’re looking to watch electronic music made and performed in real-time, this one is well worth tuning into.
J Black & Bolo Da Producer
Beatmaker extraordinaire J Black joins content creator Bolo Da Producer for a discussion about the Push and how it’s new features rival that of Native Instruments’ Maschine and Akai’s MPC range. You can watch the duo explore the Push’s workflow in the context of trap and hip-hop, and learn a bunch of sampling techniques, plus see Bolo make his first beat on the Push.
Red Means Recording
Leave it to Jeremy Blake, host of Red Means Recording, to remind you not to take these product launches so seriously. He takes Ableton’s official Push launch video and has a field day overdubbing new material. Enjoy plenty of old Windows XP error sounds, horrendous synth slides, and janky beats.
Bad Snacks
Bad Snacks is already bored of production bros talking about the ‘gamechangin’ Push 3. She is right, though – it is a bummer that it’s only the beta-chad version that offers fourth-party STI compatibility. Thanks, Ableton.
For more information, you can head to Ableton.com.
