00:00Ableton Push is an expressive
standalone instrument that provides
00:04hands on control of melody, harmony,
beats, samples, and song structure.
00:12The Push pads have MPE capability,
which make it possible to shape
00:16sound with subtle gestures.
00:18Such as sliding between notes,
adding vibrato, or bending tones.
00:23It's intuitive interface allows
for seamless creation of music.
00:31You can make music standalone without
requiring the interaction of a
00:34computer, and yet you can seamlessly
transfer projects, samples, and
00:38presets between your computer and Push.
00:41It is designed to be the
centerpiece of any setup.
00:45Push has a built-in audio interface, and
ADAT for recording acoustic or electronic
00:50instruments directly into your project,
and it can send MIDI data or control
00:54voltage to your external hardware.
00:58In this video, we are going to walk
you through how to set up your Push
01:01from out of the box and get to know
all of its features and workflows.
01:13Let's take a look at how you get
started with the brand new Push unit.
01:16In the packaging, you'll find
the following items: The Push
01:20power supply and a USB-C cable.
01:22You can purchase additional MIDI
and CV adapters in case you want to
01:26use these with external hardware.
01:28These are available from
the Ableton web shop.
01:31To switch on Push first connect
the Push power supply and then press
01:35the button at the back of the unit.
01:38Push will boot in Standalone Mode
for the first time, and you'll see
01:41a short onboarding tutorial to help
you get started with your Push and
01:45try out some of the new features.
01:48The next thing you'll need to do is
authorize Live on Push and update
01:51the Push firmware, which will allow
you to connect your computer and
01:54transfer files seamlessly back and
forth between Push and download packs.
01:59To do this, you'll need to
connect to a local Wi-Fi network.
02:02You'll find this in the
setup menu under Wi-Fi.
02:06On your computer, connect to the
URL provided in Push's display, and
02:10follow the instructions to authorize
your version of Live for Push.
02:15If you've authorized Live Standard
or Live Suite,
02:17 you'll need to restart,
Push before you use it.
02:21Now you can start downloading
packs directly into Push.
02:24Press the Add button on the right
hand side of the display and then
02:27press the button above the display
labeled Packs to see all available
02:31packs connected to your Live license.
02:33Simply select a pack using the
jog wheel and press the jog wheel
02:37to start downloading the pack.
02:41Push's pads take on fresh new
characteristics with MPE instruments.
02:45Each pad boasts three dimensions
of expression:
02:48Note Pitch Bend, Slide, and Pressure.
02:51And they can be utilized simultaneously
in various ways on every pad.
02:56MPE compatible instruments on Push,
such as Drift, Wavetable, or even
03:01Simpler now react to the nuanced
gestures of you playing the pads.
03:11In this example, I've loaded
a Drift preset from Push.
03:20By playing the pads, I can bend and
slide notes to create expressive
03:24vibrato and pitch slides similar
to playing a real instrument.
03:53By sliding my fingers up and down
on the pads, I can create even
03:57more changes by opening and closing
the filter of this Drift preset.
04:02The polyphonic aftertouch of the
pads allows for an incredible
04:06range of sonic possibilities.
04:09In this example, as I press into
the pads, I can control the shape
04:13of the Drift oscillators, as well as
the LFOs independently of each pad.
04:24Push's MPE technology is not
limited to melodies alone.
04:28You can also use this for drums.
04:31With the slide functionality you
can strike various areas of the
04:34pad to trigger different sounds.
04:37For instance, a pad can mimic the
natural behavior of the opening and
04:40closing of a hi-hat in a drum kit.
04:47The range of possibilities are vast
and can span from realistic drum
04:51sounds to nuances and subtle effects.
05:03Programming beats couldn't
be easier using Push.
05:06Live is always listening to the MIDI input
on record armed tracks making Capture MIDI
05:11an essential tool for retrieving material
that you've just played on those tracks.
05:15You can use this feature even
before you start recording.
05:17If you haven't quite played with
the timing you expected, you can
05:21use the Quantize button to quantize
the drum notes and add Swing.
05:27select a pad by tapping it, which
also enables it for step sequencing.
05:31Add notes with the step
sequencer by tapping the pads
05:33in the step sequencer section.
05:35By default, each step sequencer
pad corresponds to a 16th note
05:40but the step size can be changed
using the grid's scene buttons.
05:46The Repeat button on Push is a
powerful tool that allows you
05:49to record a continuous stream
of rhythmically even notes.
05:53You can use the grid buttons to
change the note repeat time divisions.
06:01In the clip edit view, you can adjust
the position and velocity of the
06:04notes that you've played in your clip.
06:12Additionally, you can use Probability to
add even more variation to your beats.
06:19Push has three different drum layouts
that you can use: The loop Locator
06:24for working with step sequences,
06:30the 16 velocities for creating 16
levels of velocity for drums
06:37and the 64 Pads so that you can play
up to 64 samples using the pads.
06:47Automation is another great way
to provide variation for the beats
06:51and melodies that you create.
06:53With the Automation button enabled
and the track armed by pressing the
06:57record button, I can record automation
of parameters directly into the clip.
07:11Push also boasts two comprehensive
melodic step sequencers that can be
07:16used to program single notes and chords.
07:19When using a melodic device in a MIDI
track, simply press the Layout button
07:23to access these step sequencers.
07:51Warp and manipulate samples to
match your project's tempo and gain
07:55complete control over your music.
07:57With the new warping algorithm, you
can either load samples directly
08:01from your User Library, or you can
record samples using the audio inputs.
08:06In this example, I'm going to
record a drum loop directly
08:09into a clip in an audio track.
08:16Once I've finished recording, I
can switch to the Clip Edit mode.
08:20Here, I can adjust the gain of
my sample that I've recorded.
08:30By pressing the Edit button, I
can now set the starting point of
08:34my loop and then warp the sample.
08:47With the sample now warped, it will
play at the same tempo as my project.
08:52In the Clip Edit Mode, you also
have the possibility to change the
08:56warping algorithms that best suit
the sample that you've recorded.
09:00You can also later convert the sample into
a Simpler device for further manipulation,
09:05such as slicing the audio or playing
back the warped loop chromatically.
09:13Now let's take a look at how you can
work with samples in a Simpler device.
09:17Press the Convert button and choose
one of the options to load it either
09:21into a Drum Rack or a Simpler device.
09:24You can then use the warping
functionality within the Simpler
09:26device to warp the sample.
09:29This keeps the sample playback
in sync with the project tempo.
09:33However, you can also use MPE and the
pitch slide to create interesting glide
09:39effects while the sample is still playing.
09:55Another great feature of using Simpler
is being able to slice samples.
10:01Samples can be sliced by Transients,
by Beat Detection, by Regions,
10:05or even Manually, and you can use
up to 64 pads to play the slices.
10:16Here in this example, I'm using
Regions to create a number of slices.
10:21With these 16 slices, I can
re-record them into a clip.
10:30Working with samples in Simpler can be
as easy or as complex as you would like.
10:35Play samples and loops polyphonically,
slice samples or playback samples
10:41in the same key as your project.
10:50Once I finish recording the idea,
I'll simply press the Quantize
10:53button to quantize the playback.
11:05Push offers a convenient way
to control, monitor and record
11:08external instruments using MIDI.
11:10You can use MIDI via the USB port,
or you can use the MIDI Output
11:15port with a MIDI adapter to connect
your external hardware to Push.
11:19By simply enabling the track and
sync settings in the MIDI setup
11:24hardware instruments can be controlled
by Push and run at the same tempo
11:28as the current project tempo.
11:31You can record audio from your devices
in either mono or stereo using the audio
11:35inputs on Push, and you can even expand
this using the ADAT ports to record
11:39a maximum of 10 channels in total.
11:42By adding an External Instrument
device to a MIDI track, you can select
11:46the MIDI ports, the MIDI channel and
the audio inputs you wish to use.
11:51Once these settings are configured, you
can use Push's pads to play your external
11:56hardware device or simply trigger clips
that are in the current MIDI track.
12:07You can then even load audio
devices such as EQs, compressors
12:11and effects to route the incoming
audio signal through these devices.
12:28If your hardware device can
send control messages from its
12:31interface, you can record these
movements directly into the clip.
12:36Simply by pressing the Record button
and moving one of these parameters on
12:39your hardware you can create interesting
variations from your original ideas.
12:56CV breakout cables are another way to
use Push to control and play devices
13:00in your modular hardware setup.
13:04Load one of the presets in the CV
Tools pack onto a MIDI track to
13:09send control voltage via the CV
adapters connected to your Push
13:12unit and control various parameters
within your modular hardware setup.
13:17In this example, I can use the slide on
the pad to control the cutoff, slide notes
13:22and add vibrato and use the aftertouch
to blend between the sound of the
13:26oscillator and the white noise generator.
13:34The Session Mode on Push is now available
on both the pads and as a visual
13:37display in the screen, and you now
also have the ability to quickly toggle
13:42between the Session Mode and your Note
Playing Mode using the D-Pad controls.
13:47Simply press the pads to launch clips
in your project, or use the grid
13:50buttons to launch an entire scene.
13:54If your project has more than eight tracks
13:57you can use the D-Pad left and
right arrow keys to navigate.
14:04or you can use the page
buttons to navigate by eight
14:07tracks in each direction.
14:12You can also use the jog wheel
to navigate your session.
14:15Simply turn the jog wheel to
navigate by scene and press the
14:18jog wheel to launch a scene.
14:25By nudging the jog wheel to the left or
to the right, you can move between tracks.
14:32Push also has a comprehensive
mix mode where you can control
14:36volumes, pans, and sends of all your
tracks in your current Live Set.
14:39You can use the upper display buttons
and the encoders to access the parameters
14:43you wish to adjust and the buttons
under the display to access the tracks.
14:59By pressing the Master button,
you can select the master track
15:02to add your favorite audio devices
to your master audio channel.
15:10Push allows you to develop
songs seamlessly between itself
15:13and Live on your computer.
15:15Create sets using Push in
Standalone Mode, and then transfer
15:19them directly to your computer.
15:21You can also transfer samples
and presets back and forth
15:24between your computer and Push.
15:25All this can be achieved by
connecting your computer and
15:28Push to the same Wi-Fi network.
15:30Locate the Push icon in the Live
browser and pair your Push unit.
15:35You now have access to all of Push's
contents from Live's browser, and
15:39you can double click a Live Set in a
project folder to open this in Live.
15:44Your computer will copy the entire project
folder and open the set and when you
15:49wish to save the set, you can choose a
location on your computer to save it.
