The only problem is if you don’t know the software, the learning curve for making electronic jams is incredibly steep. Despite the fact there are an endless amount of free lessons and tutorials on YouTube, translating what’s in your head onto the computer is often difficult and frustrating. And then there’s the whole computer aspect. There’s just something so uncomfortable about making music with a mouse and keyboard while you stare into a screen.
These are exactly the problems that Ableton set out to solve with Push. You may have heard about Ableton – their Live software is one of the most popular digital audio workstations in the world. When it first arrived on the scene in 2001, Live took the industry by storm with its innovative user interface that threw away convention and redefined what a digital audio workstation could do. It was this kind of radical thinking and fearlessness to try something new that helped Ableton create Push.
Up until now Ableton stuck to making software, but despite the fact that this is the company’s first foray into hardware, Push is still pretty groundbreaking. It’s been designed from the ground up to work seamlessly with Ableton’s industry-leading software. The idea is that, once you’re proficient enough with it, you can compose music or even perform live sets without ever having to look at your computer.
As far as tech specs go, Push has 64 different pads that can be mapped on the fly to play any sound you desire. Each of these buttons is also pressure and velocity sensitive, making Push much more expressive than other controllers on the market. To help you make sense of all the buttons and knobs, it’s got a 4-line alphanumeric LCD display that adapts to show you details on whatever you’re currently tweaking, as well as RGB backlighting on each pad. And the best part: The whole unit is USB powered and weighs just over six pounds, so you could easily toss it into a laptop bag and have it ready to roll at a moment’s notice – you know, just in case you feel like starting an impromptu rave at the bus station.
Head over to Ableton’s site to learn more about Push or place an order.
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