Ableton Push Gets Live 13 Features Including Step Sequencer, Custom Layouts
Ableton said its Push 3 and Push standalone hardware will get a major update alongside Live 13, adding a physical step sequencer, custom layouts, a performance mixer and deeper device control. The Push update is in public beta now, with the full release due in early 2027.
Ableton Push gets Live 13 features including a built-in step sequencer, custom layouts and a performance mixer, the company announced alongside its new version of the Live music software. The update covers Push 3 and Push standalone, and it is in public beta now. Ableton expects the full release in early 2027.
What Push users get
The step sequencer is the headline addition. On Push 3 it appears on the controller's display, with physical pads and parameter controls, so users can program steps without reaching for a mouse.
Each pitch row or drum rack pad can have its own sequence length and playback settings. That lets simple patterns drift against each other into polyrhythms. Expressive Step Editing adjusts velocity, chance, repeat and pitch bend on individual steps.
Custom layouts are the second big change. Users can build a different performance surface for every Set, combining buttons, XY controls, faders, note areas and session views. One layout can pull controls from several tracks into a single screen.
Performance mixer and device mode
A new performance mixer places Session View above touch-responsive pad faders. Users can launch clips and scenes, make sharp cuts and ride sends with both hands. Ableton says it is designed for DJ performances, dub-style improvisation and similar uses.
Device mode also changes. The jog wheel now moves through devices, parameter banks and nested rack chains. Push users can work with drum rack returns and pad routing for the first time.
The update adds 32 new macros that can serve as modulators. It also brings Live 13's Multi-Band and Mid/Side Racks to the hardware, for processing specific frequency bands or the mid and side signals separately.
What else is in Live 13
The step sequencer also arrives in the desktop software, where Live has not had one before. Ableton added support for ARA 2, which lets compatible plugins such as the pitch-correction tool Melodyne work directly on audio inside Live instead of requiring a round trip through the plugin.
Other additions include a new mixer view showing a track's devices vertically, an experimental looping instrument called Looplet, and a drum synth with more than 20 models across nine categories. Contextual browsing lets users swap instruments and presets in the device view. Capture now records automation as well as MIDI notes.
Ableton is also offering 20% off Push 3, Push Standalone and Move for a limited time. The Push beta is available now, and the final version will ship at the same time as Live 13 in early 2027.
