“No, we don’t intend to add four more instrument tracks to Move”: Ableton responds to critics of Move’s limited track count

Your questions about Ableton Move, answered – YouTube

Released in October, Ableton Move is a standalone groove box and controller designed for fast and intuitive music creation. Equipped with an operating system that shares many similarities with Ableton’s iOS app, the Note, Move is a stripped-down and portable alternative to the company’s Push controllers that are significantly cheaper at $449.

As is the case with pretty much every notable release in the music technology world, Move received both high praise and sharp criticism from the online community. This spring reviewwe described the Push as an “excellent sketchpad and handy Live controller” that was great for roughing out rhythmic and melodic ideas, while noting that it was a device that some might struggle to integrate into their creative workflow.

The device is not without its limitations, and the one that prompted the most pushback from Ableton’s user base is Move’s limited track count. Move is equipped with four tracks, each of which can hold a single Drum Rack device (which itself contains 16 instances of the Drum Sampler device), a Melodic Sampler device, or one of two Ableton synths: Drift and Wavetable.

In a video shared earlier this week, Ableton addressed members of its community unhappy with the Move’s track count, clearly responding to those who asked if it would provide the device with additional tracks via a firmware update down the road.

In response to a comment that suggested four additional tracks would “take Move to another level”, Ableton’s head of product Johannes Russ said: “I want to be straight about this. No, we do not intend to add another four instrumental track to Move.”

Russ goes on to explain that the way Ableton has optimized Move’s CPU performance would not allow the addition of extra tracks. “Move’s CPU performance memory is optimized to give you a really stable, fast and fluid experience so you can stay in the flow,” he says. “That was the first priority when we made Move.”

“When we built the first prototypes, we thought about the question of whether four tracks is enough, a lot. But then we made these prototypes and we put it in the hands of artists and colleagues and everyone really clicked with it. It was really fun, they created tons of ideas and we knew we were onto something very special.

“We decided to go ahead with it, knowing that whatever you start on Move, you can always expand on Live and Push. That’s where you finish your music and put in all the details.”

Elsewhere in the video, Ableton gives insight into the genesis of Move, saying their original goal was to create something “accessible and affordable” that would be useful for music creators of various experience levels.

With affordability comes compromises, and it was Move’s banana speech that took the hit. As the old saying goes, less is often more – this spring reviewwe observed that Move’s limited and focused design contributes to an overall workflow that is fast and accessible. Sometimes four tracks everything you need.

Is Ableton Move a must-have Live accessory? Review & Developer Interview – YouTube