Ableton is letting users build their own tools
The new Extensions SDK lets producers make custom add-ons that can read, edit, and reorganize a Live Set.
Ableton is opening up Live in a new way.
On June 2, the Berlin software company launched the public beta of its Extensions SDK, a free JavaScript toolkit that lets users build custom add-ons for Ableton Live Suite. In other words, producers can now make their own tools for Live instead of waiting for Ableton to add the feature they need.
Extensions run inside Live and can be opened with a right-click from anywhere in a Set. Once launched, they can read and edit parts of a project, including tracks, clips, parameters, and automation. That could mean a tool that cleans up a messy session, renames and color-codes tracks, analyzes an arrangement, moves clips around, generates variations, or connects Live to another service.
SuperCollider's CutLab library. Created by Ben Casey.
Ableton is treating the beta as a starting point. “Some Extensions will help you move faster,” the company says in its announcement. “Others might slow you down in just the right way.”
Gamify music making with Bird Game, a playful Extension that generates MIDI notes with each flap of your bird’s wings. Created by Federico Pepe.
Until now, deep customization in Ableton usually meant learning Max for Live. Extensions will now give users another way to shape that space around how they make music. The Extensions SDK will use JavaScript and familiar web technologies with the aim of being more approachable for producers, developers, and technically curious artists.
RNMR uses track name, content, duration, and automatic versioning to rename clips – or just roll the dice for a random name. Created by Stéphane Roulliere.
Craft ambient soundscapes out of a single snippet of audio with the extreme time stretching capabilities of PaulStretch for Live, based on PaulStretch by Nasca Octavian Paul. Created by Oli Larkin.
Anyone will be able to build an Extension under Ableton’s SDK license, including unofficial tools Ableton has not reviewed. Ableton says users install third-party Extensions at their own risk.
The Extensions SDK is available as a free download from Ableton. Live 12 Suite users can join the beta by downloading the Live 12.4.5 beta. Ableton has also opened a dedicated Discord space for users to share, test, and collaborate on Extensions, with early examples available through the Explore section of the Extensions page.
Photo MIDI takes an image and converts it into MIDI notes. Created by Tom Cameron.
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