Journey through time: video shows 20 years of Ableton Live (version 1 to 11)
In 2001, the first commercial version of Ableton Live was released. 20 years later, the unique DAW is among the most successful of its kind and its 11th version was recently released. YouTuber Julian Gray, himself a user since Live 8, now showcases all previous versions in a video. It’s a cool little journey through time.
Ableton Live from version 1 to 11
YouTuber Julian Gray has been with Ableton since Live 8 and regularly publishes tutorials for the software on his channel. Julian, who is also a collector of old computers and game consoles, rummaged around in the past to create a video. After he got hold of a number of old Apple laptops, he got the idea to install all available versions of Ableton Live. For this, he got support from a friend and Ableton employee.
In the finished video, you can see how Ableton Live has changed since the first version from 2001. The YouTuber also touches a bit on the history of the company – mainly about its two creators, Gerhard Behles and Robert Henke. There are also anecdotes here and there, for example Ableton’s first trade fair appearance and one of its early supporters somebody named Hans Zimmer.
Anyone who knows Live and sees the first version in action may be surprised how little has actually changed. At least visually (even if the colors look fancier today) and the basic workflow. First and foremost is the division into Session and Arrangement view and the addition of audio warping. MIDI only came around with version 4 to enable control of external sound generators, plug-ins and instruments. In 2010, the expansion Max for Live was released – another big step in Live’s development which made it possible to create new sound generators and effects devices.
Well, enough talk – just take a look at the video and embark on a journey through time. If you feel like it, you can share in the comments about the time when you discovered Live for yourself. And if you are yet to get into the world of Live, just take a look at Live 11 which was released this year.
Prices and dates
Ableton Live 11 is available in three versions – Intro, Standard and Suite – at different prices here at Thomann.de (affiliate link). The Intro version costs EUR 79, the Standard version costs EUR 349, and Suite costs EUR 599. Upgrade prices depend on the version from which you want to upgrade. The DAW runs on macOS 10.13 or higher and Windows 10 (version 1909) and newer. You can also download a 90-day trial version that runs without restrictions.
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