I've had the Adam Audio D3Vs on my desk for 2 weeks.
I've been testing them in a small room with minimal acoustic treatment, and honestly, the results have surprised me.
Let me tell you about the first moment I plugged them in, because it's what sold me on them.
That First Listen
I p...
I've had the Novation Launch Control XL MK3 on my desk for over 2 weeks, putting it through its paces and I have been pleasantly surprised. There are 3 features on this controller that make it genuinely interesting, and one change that you absolutely need to know about before you buy.
Before w...
Ableton have finally added MIDI mapping to the Push 3 Standalone. Why this wasn't there from day one, I have no idea. But it's here now, and it changes how you can set up a proper laptop-free performance rig. In this post I'm going to walk you through exactly how MIDI mapping works on the Able...
Is the Ableton Push 3 Good for Beginners? An Honest Answer
Every week, someone asks me some version of this question.
In my YouTube comments, in my inbox, and most often in the room during workshops I run at colleges like ICMP, BIMM, and WaterBear.
I want to give you the most honest answer I c...
Is Ableton Hard to Learn? (Honest Answer from a Working Educator)
I get asked this question constantly. At every university I teach at, including ICMP, BIMM, NHAM, and Thinkspace Education Online, it's always the same. Performance students, creative artists, people who've never opened a DA...
How to Get Started with Ableton Live
When I first opened up Ableton Live, I had no idea what I was doing.
That was over 20 years ago.
Since then I've toured the world, worked on prime time TV shows, and taught music production at some of the most well-known universities in London.
I've ...
How Much Does Ableton Live Cost? (2026 Pricing Guide)
The honest breakdown from someone who's been using it for over 10 years.
I get asked this question constantly. At the universities I teach at, students want to know if they can afford it. Producers on YouTube want to know if it's ...
The Novation Launch Control 3 promises a lot for Ableton Live users. You get compact hands-on control, full 5-pin MIDI for hardware, and tight integration that makes it look like an ideal MIDI controller for hybrid and DAWless setups.
On paper, it ticks a lot of boxes. In practice, though, th...
Novation Launch Control 3 and Launchpad Pro Review: A Cheaper Alternative to Ableton Push 3?
If you want hands-on Ableton Live control but Push 3 pricing is a stretch, the Novation “Power Combo” (Launch Control 3 + Launchpad Pro) can cover most of the same workflow for a fraction of the cost....
How to Use Link Audio in Ableton Live (Does It Actually Work?)
Link Audio is one of the most talked-about features in Ableton Live 12.4, and the promise is genuinely exciting. Stream audio wirelessly between devices, no cables, no audio interface. In real-world testing, it works. But ther
...
Best Max for Live Synths for Ableton Live (That Also Work on Push 3 Standalone)
If you've been searching for the best Max for Live synths for Ableton Live without spending a fortune on expensive plugins, this is worth your time.
In this post, we're looking at 3 affordable Ableton synth plug...
How to Optimise Your Mac for Ableton Live Performance
If you perform with Ableton Live, yes, you should change your Mac settings before going on stage.
Default macOS features are not built for real-time audio performance. Background services, wireless activity, indexing and power-saving beh...
