In addition to passing MPE information to third-party plug-ins, many of Ableton’s native tools have been updated with support. Most notably, the Sampler and Wavetable, which should cover a large area of ​​land – especially multi-sample acoustic instruments. You can also draw pitch, slide, and pressure envelopes for each note in the new expression view.

Another major addition to Live is compilation, which combines multiple tracks of audio or MIDI into single shots so you can put the best parts together. You could always have done something similar manually in Live before, but this greatly simplifies the process. It can even be a sound design tool where you can combine drastically different syllables of the same melody or tone to create a contrasting juxtaposition, for example.

Of course, there are also a number of new tools and effects. There is a new hybrid frequency that combines the Ableton physical modeling engine and its algorithm drive, as well as a spectral resonator and spectral time blanking out the incoming sound in various ways allowing you to transform almost anything into a playable instrument or surrounding texture. There are also new audio packages, including Inspired by Nature which, as the name suggests, features six tools and effects drawn from nature and PitchLoop89, which is all about digital loopholes and sparkling delays.

There are also some new tools to add a bit of unpredictability, like chance of notice and speed. And a large number of small updates for editing basic clips, sounds and benchmarking. In short, Ableton Live 11 is as much about catch-up as it is about looking ahead.

Perhaps the best part about the Live 11 release is that between now and that day (whenever that is), Live 10 is available at a 20 percent discount and includes a free upgrade to Live 11 when it rocks.