From The Verge · Terrence O'Brien · · 1m 40s
Ableton Live 13 brings step sequencer and new tools
Ableton announced Live 13, arriving in early 2027 with major features including a step sequencer, ARA plugin support, and Looplet looping instrument.
In brief
Ableton announced Live 13, arriving in early 2027 with major features including a step sequencer, ARA plugin support, and Looplet looping instrument. Ableton Live 13, due in early 2027, adds a step sequencer, ARA plugin support, and Looplet looping instrument in the biggest update to the DAW in years. Originally…
Ableton Live 13 announced
Ableton announced Live 13, expected to arrive in early 2027 with a slew of new features. The update is the biggest to the digital audio workstation in years.
Step sequencer finally arrives
Live 13 adds a proper step sequencer to the desktop app. You can change velocity, timing, chance, length, and repeats for each step. Each track can have its own length, playback rate, and direction.
ARA plugin support added
ARA plugin support lets compatible plugins work directly on audio in the DAW. Pitch correction and time-stretching tool Melodyne can now clean up vocal takes directly in Live's UI instead of requiring export and reimport.
Looplet looping instrument
Looplet is an experimental looping instrument with four playheads and options for manipulating audio. It offers granular processing, filtering, pitch and speed control, with each playhead routable to individual tracks for additional processing.
New drum synth and more
Live 13 adds a new drum synth with more than twenty different models across nine categories spanning classic drum machines and experimental abstract percussion.
Mixer and workflow improvements
A new mixer view shows all loaded devices on a track in compact vertical layout.Contextual browsing lets you swap instruments and presets directly in device view.
The takeaway
Ableton Live 13, due in early 2027, adds a step sequencer, ARA plugin support, and Looplet looping instrument in the biggest update to the DAW in years.
