Update Ableton Push 3 Review – The third generation of Ableton’s Push adds audio and MIDI compatibility, as well as the option of independent battery-powered operation without a computer.
Eight years since its release, the push 2 has not slowed down. It’s still the session controller most Live users want, and it’s constantly being updated and integrated with Live’s built-in devices. That’s not to say that people have been speculating and anticipating for years how the next-gen Push might be different. Now we know: Push 3 is very similar to its predecessor, but very different.
Update Ableton Push 3 Review
Ableton has kept the form factor and main real-time workflow of Push 2 in Push 3. There’s a welcome layout and redesigned buttons, but major new features the Push 2 couldn’t do. Most impressive is the inclusion of internal I/O: Push is now an audio and MIDI interface as well as a controller. But who would have thought that a pad grid, while worth developing, would be a completely unplayable MPE controller? Oh, and Push can now be configured as a standalone workspace, running Live inside.
Ableton Live 9 & Push
Push provides control over Ableton Live, providing session view navigation and clip presentation, note and drum playback and sequencing, and device/mix control. It can be used in different ways: in its simplicity, it can be a peripheral to manage recording or performance time; but it can also be a hybrid visual instrument and drum machine. Advanced workflows and Push, like its sequence and sample clips, transforms a Live/Push combo into a practice environment like MPC or Maschine: a hands-on environment for composing and capturing ideas. Viewed in this light, new additions make sense when pushed as workspaces or tools rather than glorified Launchpads.
Push 3 looks a lot like Push 2. It’s larger overall, but the pad grid, screen, track encoders, and buttons follow the same design. The main visual differences are the all-white grille, dual gear levers on the left (with large knobs at the bottom), and the travel wheels on the right. I’ve never been a fan of the rubber buttons on the Push 2, and they’re flexibly attached to the top of the device, which makes me feel a little awkward. On the Push 3, the buttons are stiffer and protrude from the surface. They still require a direct press to register, rather than taps, which can make scrolling feel a bit more tedious than other devices, but they’re better. They both have raised ridges which I think will help visually impaired users. The buttons have been rearranged, with recording functions grouped on the left, editing functions grouped on the right, and so on.
The unit is a complete tank. It’s pretty solid, with a large metal radiator underneath that doubles as an access panel for the individual components. It’s therefore heavier: the controller version is slightly larger than the Push 2, and the standalone version weighs about a kilogram. None of this is surprising given the extra hardware components.
There are quarter-inch headphone and large analog output jacks on the rear panel, along with two more inputs. The input toggles on-screen between line, ring, and “high” level, the latter adding digital gain to dynamic mic inputs. An interesting option is ADAT I/O. Ableton may have been extended via USB (like MPC and Maschine), but this is actually a very clean and simple option.
Ableton Push 3 Is Here! And With A Standalone Version! — Sinesquares
Most of us can use a mic pre with an ADAT connection. I run all the synths on the main audio interface using a Ferrofish line/ADAT converter. I simply connect a Lightpipe cable to connect my synth rack directly to the Push, whether it’s a standalone device or a computer device. In standalone mode, I also like being able to connect to a Pro Tools-based interface in the studio via ADAT and have the Live act as a nearby hardware device, syncing via Ableton Link over Wi-Fi. It’s like ReWire reborn.
The rear panel includes quarter-inch audio I/O, ADAT I/O, 3.5mm MIDI I/O, USB A and C ports, a pedal input that doubles as a CV output, and a headphone jack.
MIDI support is provided via a 3.5mm TRS Type A port, and there is also a USB host port for direct connection of MIDI keyboards, controllers and synthesizers. The hub here can be used with up to six devices. I was able to connect a Retrokits MIDI interface to expand the number of MIDI ports. MIDI and audio device settings can now be managed directly from Push, whether in standalone or controller mode. Devices connected to the host computer’s USB port can be used in either mode, but non-MIDI peripherals such as mice are ignored by standalone devices. The Push also has a CV output as an alternative to the foot pedal port. This requires connecting a TRS splitter to two mini-jacks (not included), the same solution found in Elektron’s Analog Four. These come from Push or your computer, and like the other four audio effects, you are free to send the CV/gate signal into them. In real-time or stand-alone pushes, the CV Tools device handles this well. Yes, I tried sending audio through those ports for giggles, but it didn’t work.
The computer connection now uses USB-C, which handles the control connection as well as the computer’s access to the internal audio and MIDI interfaces. In standalone mode, there is no direct class-compliant audio connection via USB. Like the Push 2, the controller version of the Push 3 can be powered from a computer connection and have a dimmed screen. In the studio, you need to keep an exceptionally neat power module plugged in. Standalone Push can run on its own internal battery in controller or stand-alone mode. This can provide about two hours or more of clog free pipes. Not much, but two hours more than any other MPC Live device, and a good laugh backup. I’ve found that if you use the high wattage power supply that comes with your MacBook Pro, it can be powered and charged independently via USB-C. Connecting directly to a computer via USB doesn’t do enough power to keep it charged, though I think it slows down the battery.
First Look: Ableton Push 3
Let’s take a look at what’s new in terms of real-time control, all of which have standalone options that provide the same functionality. Although the screen is the same, it can do some new things, some of which are inspired by racing steering wheels. Chief among these is the timeline view: a virtual representation of an 8×8 grid of patches currently fixed by hardware. This feels more connected to the session workspace than the individual color pads, especially since you can see the name of the clip. Turn the wheel to scroll the grid up and down, and the view on the pad will scroll with it. The scroll wheel also has left/right click functionality, so you can pan horizontally and select tracks. Press and click the wheel and the selected scene will now start. Tap the button at the top of the screen to start trimming individual tracks in the focused row. Alternatively, you can select and start a single clip by pressing the Shift key on the scroll wheel.
The Push 3 measures smaller than its predecessor at 380 x 318 x 29mm, while the Push 2 measures 378 x 304 x 26mm. Not bad considering it now includes audio/MIDI interfaces and (presumably) a computer. However, it has gained the most in weight, at 3.95kg from the Push 2’s 2.71kg.
You can still use the two sets of cursors to move around or navigate the main grid. In fact, screen mode and keyboard mode are not tightly linked…
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The New Ableton Push Is An Mpe Enabled Standalone Music Production Powerhouse
Ableton released its own MIDI controller alongside the Push 3, and introduced new hardware separately, including MPEs, audio interfaces, and more.
There have long been calls for a standalone Ableton Push that embeds Ableton Live. Rumors of a standalone release have been around for a long time. There was a leak in 2020, but it was fake. Three years later we can say: This idea was wrong, because today the user’s wish has become a reality.
Berlin-based company Ableton launched Push 3 today. Not only is it the third new version of their popular Live MIDI controller, but there’s also a standalone version. Both will benefit from this freelance job sooner or later.
So Ableton took a big step forward. They put Live in his place. With all the features we know and love? whether. You get everything in Ableton Live, including Max For Live, which gives you tons of sound peeling and shaping. But without VST support and editor (updated). So it’s like the Machine Plus approach.
Ableton Push 2 Controller, Hobbies & Toys, Music & Media, Musical Instruments On Carousell
Well, you can start with a classic Push MIDI controller and switch to a standalone controller whenever you want. An upgrade kit will be available later this year, allowing you to turn it into a standalone device.
The design of the Push 3 is very reminiscent of the Push 2. Yes, but there are still some changes. The new version features 64 powerful MPE pads that detect finger pressure as well as position on the X and Y axes to control each note.
It also lets you play bendy
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