From Sketch to Composition. Live's specialty is composition by improvisation. Record musical ideas, combine or create new songs, and compose on the fly. Live captures your every move for later refinement and editing.
* The Musical Hub. Come together, right now. Live offers complete multitrack recording and editing for any acoustic source, hardware synthesizer or software instrument.
* Easy MIDI. Yes, MIDI can be fun and easy. Drop a software instrument in a track and play. Drag and drop MIDI and audio effects, layer synths, and record MIDI as audio.
* Pattern Mode. Your laptop is about to turn into a groove box. Live puts an arsenal of groove-making tools at your fingertips.
* Mix and Remix. Instantly combine jazz with house with hip hop with soul... Live synchronizes it all in real time. This year, 58 international magazines voted Live as the best DJ tool on the market. Details...
* On-the-Spot Sound Design. Perform real-time sonic surgery on your sounds. Draw melodies, rhythms and effects changes onto loops and samples while they play.
* Hands-on Control. Liberate yourself from the mouse. Play your sequencer like an instrument on stage or in the studio.

Ableton Live 7 Features:
* Multitrack recording up to 32-bit/192kHz
* Complete nondestructive editing with unlimited undo
* Powerful and creative MIDI sequencing of software and hardware instruments
* Real-time time-stretching and warping of AIFF, WAV, Ogg Vorbis, FLAC and MP3 files, for improvisation and instant remixing
* A comprehensive selection of built-in audio effects, including a host of creative delays, filters, distortions, studio compressors and EQs
* Built-in software instruments: Simpler for creative sample-based synthesis, Impulse for sampled drums
* Instrument-, Drum-, Effect Racks for creating and managing complex performance setups, drum kits and multi-effects
* VST and AU effects and instruments support; automatic plug-in delay compensation
* REX file support and native sliced audio file creation
* Video import and export for scoring to picture or warping picture to music
* Real-time control of parameters with any MIDI controller—just MIDI-map it or choose from a list of popular supported controllers for instant mapping
* Full ReWire support
* Single-screen user interface for simple, creativity-focused operation
* Multicore and multiprocessor support

Essential Instrument Collection 2
The boxed version of Ableton Live 7 includes the Essential Instrument Collection 2, a multi-gigabyte library of meticulously sampled instruments providing a choice selection of acoustic and electric pianos, guitars, bass, drums, orchestral strings, brass, woodwinds and more.

Also Includes:
* Loops and construction kits: Unnatural Selection by (boxed version only)
* Printed reference manual in English, Spanish, French, German or Japanese (boxed version only)
* Extensive built-in step-by-step tutorials
* Localized software menus, tutorials, and PDF reference manuals available in English, Spanish, French, German and Japanese

What's New in Ableton Live 7 :
Ableton Live 7 renews the core of Live, with enhancements to the audio engine including 64-bit mix summing, new and improved devices with side-chaining capability, better MIDI timing, and hardware integration. We have also included the most-requested features, such as time signature changes, video export, multiple automation lanes and much more. Version 7 marks the arrival of the new "Drum Rack" which streamlines beat production via an easy drag-and-drop interface and offers native sliced audio and REX file support, bringing endless creative possibilities to beat lovers.

Version 7 Renews the Core of Live
• Enhanced Audio EngineLive 7's enhanced audio engine improves fidelity with precision 64-bit summing at all mix points throughout the program, POW-r dithering, optimized sample-rate conversion and other advances.
• New CompressorThe new compressor device integrates the compression models of Compressor I and II, and offers a new model based on a feedback design commonly found in the most praised vintage compressors.
• SidechainingFully integrated side-chaining capability is available for the new Compressor as well as Gate and Auto Filter.
• Device High-Quality ModesOperator, Dynamic Tube and Saturator now feature optional High-Quality modes for anti-aliased processing, reducing typical "digital" artifacts.
• EQ Eight—New and ImprovedEQ Eight sports an improved user interface and a new 64-bit mode for increased accuracy and fidelity.
• Introducing SpectrumThe new Spectrum device is an analyzer that provides real-time visual feedback for any audio signals within Live (and it looks really cool!).
• Improved MIDI TimingThe MIDI engine has been reworked, and we were able to significantly reduce timing error (jitter) of recorded MIDI.
• Easy Hardware IntegrationHardware integration has been streamlined with the addition of two new devices—External Instrument and External Audio Effect—allowing hardware synthesizers and effects to be inserted into device chains just like software plug-ins.
• Enhanced Memory ManagementNew memory management technology allows users of large sample libraries, such as Ableton's new sampled instruments or third-party libraries imported via Sampler, to run an impressive number of instruments at the same time. This happens automatically, with no setup changes required.
• Audio Engine Fact SheetThe Audio Engine Fact Sheet explains exactly how signals are (or are not) being modified when performing fundamental audio operations in Live, and provides tips for achieving the highest quality results.
Download in English, German, French, Spanish or Japanese.
• MIDI Engine Fact SheetThe MIDI Engine Fact Sheet documents MIDI timing tests on both Windows and Mac platforms using various MIDI interfaces, and describes exactly what users can expect in terms of MIDI timing accuracy.
Download in English, German, French, Spanish or Japanese.

Live 7 Brings the Most Requested Features
• Time Signature ChangesLive 7 allows the use of multiple time signatures within a single Live Set in the Arrangement View timeline and Session View scenes.
• Video ExportVideo that has been edited or warped in Live can be exported to a new file.
• Easier AutomationMultiple automation lanes per track can be displayed and edited at the same time.
• Tempo NudgeA new "tempo nudge" function makes it easier to synchronize to live musicians or DJs.
• REX SupportREX files can be dragged, dropped and played just like WAV or AIFF files.
• Many Other Important ImprovementsLive, Operator and Sampler have received many important improvements and additions based on user requests.

Introducing the New Drum Rack
The new "Drum Rack" streamlines beat production via an easy drag-and-drop interface and brings endless creative possibilities.
• Easy InterfaceA familiar drum pad interface allows dragging and dropping of samples, instruments and effects. Each pad has its own device chain and can be shown as a mixer channel in the Session View. Each Drum Rack also has its own sends, returns and sub-mixes.
• Slice and DiceThe slicing feature fills a Drum Rack with the individual hits from REX or audio loops. The original sequence is represented as a MIDI clip, making it easy to replace, reshuffle or re-record the events and process them individually.