You just have to love Ned Rush- Glad he has a PUSH 3!
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This video was extremely serendipitous - I had been thinking about creating a guitar amp feedback style patch recently, and wondering about setting up performance effects in the vein of MPC’s XYFX on my push.
So…if the Push 3, Stand Alone is an upgrade from the Push 3, Controller version, why is it taking longer for the Controller units to ship? Can’t they just take the guts out of the Stand Alone and ship the Controller version in order to expedite things since you can always upgrade later?
Shipping timeline differences as of 6.27.23:
2-4 weeks for Stand Alone
10-12 weeks for Controller version
“Can’t they just take out the CPU, Hard Drive and Memory and put them in the stock room so when people upgrade you have it on hand already?”
I know this is part of a larger issue, but I just don’t get the time difference between the two models, just makes me think that most people want the Controller model and may or may not upgrade at a later date.
Seems like Ableton is trying to force people to go the Stand Alone route with this manufactured time difference in shipping times. It really should be 2-4 weeks for either model since it’s an upgrade issue in my mind at least.
But what do I know…I just bang pads to make noise 
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anyone replace the CPU for funsies at all?
If I had to guess (which seems like a pretty easy guess to make), the net margin on a per unit basis for Ableton is certainly much higher for the Standalone version than for the Controller version. Thus, if there’s a limited supply of the controller “shells”, then it’s in Ableton’s best interest financially to prioritize selling the Standalone devices.
Once you’ve bought something there’s a lot more friction in returning it, vs. when you just have a pre-order open it’s very easy to cancel your pre-order. So Ableton would want to prioritize getting the Standalone units out there. And like you mentioned, having a longer wait for the Controller version will likely push some impatient people away from the Controller and towards the Standalone unit.
There could also be an inventory/warehousing component to the decision, i.e. if you have 200 cases and 180 processing units available, then why would you want to send out 100 Standalones and 100 Controller versions if it means you’re going to have to pay to store those 80 additional processing units you didn’t use.
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I might be one of those customers–currently waiting on a controller version, debating whether to take the plunge on standalone… 
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They want to make money, so the priority will be to fulfil the Stand Alone units for which the margin is much bigger.
This is a new one… 
GASP. gear acquisition syndrome paranoia. 
I’m Gasping, man!
I’ve just checked, ableton’s website says 4-6 wks for both units
I’m happy to wait for the controller to come into stock. I’m looking forward to playing those mpe pads
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For a boutique shop, this kind of thing is probably doable! Ableton is just too big a ship to steer this fast, however. The manufacturing contracts and supply chain were all set in motion months ago, and the process to convert a production lot of standalones to controllers would be a logistical nightmare.
The labor alone to open all the boxes, disassemble the units, and package them back up would be a significant overhead, plus the training, process planning, costs for fresh packaging… and this is before you’ve told the CPAs they’re now going to have to reclassify thousands of previously-ordered units of one SKU as another SKU, and all the accounting and tax implications of that.
So while this would be theoretically possible… it would definitely not be practical.
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It’s a conspiracy!!! 
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Doubt it. Part of me thinks it’s just the demand for either or. Ableton just may be more responsive to people wanting the standalone version…
My experience in ordering the standalone version was that it said 6-8 weeks out. I got mine in 3.
I imagine those estimates are just that. Estimates.
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Must resist…
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When i ordered the controller version, it said 8 weeks, but it actually shipped in 2.
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That’s nice to hear. I ordered mine a week after release, haven’t heard a peep.
So maybe it’s a question of where you two are living …
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Possible. I live in Minnesota, US. I am okay with waiting, actually, hoping that by the time mine arrives they’ve worked out the hardware issues of the first batch(es). Looks like they’ve already fixed a bunch of firmware and software issues (with the help of people around here submitting tickets).
I wonder what Windows laptop would be on par with the Push 3 standalone in terms of cpu power? Since the Push is an embedded unit running Linux, it doesn’t need much cpu power for unnecessary background tasks, like a Windows laptop. Hard to compare spec wise…
Would be nice if some people do some comparisons in the future would help me decide wether to go for a standalone or controller only + laptop (which has some more benefits like VST support etc)
Obviously it’s hard to compare actual performance but a quick google search has me finding laptops with higher specs for about $400.
I do think comparing music gear to computers is sort of a pointless endeavor though. The biggest advantage a standalone push has is I t’s one piece of gear not 2 (laptop + push 3, more pieces if you were going laptop + midi controller + audio interface). For production the Push 3 doesn’t make a lot of sense at the moment, it makes much more sense to work with Push 3 with a computer to build a live set using features that aren’t accessible within the standalone and then use the Push 3 to perform. If you don’t think you’re gonna perform with the Push 3 it’s not really worth it. I don’t view the additional cost worth taking the push to your couch or bed room or back yard worth it.
That’s coming from someone with a Push 3 Standalone, and I do like it a lot.
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But a laptop with similar specs would not perform as well. Eventually, the performance counts. So how many tracks with instruments and how many effects can you run on a low audio buffer without glitches? Would be interesting to see how well Push 3 competes against laptops with higher specs.
To be fair the hardware bar for live on pc is pretty low I suspect you could get away with a pretty cheap laptop if you just stick with stick within the same limitations as p3s and only use stock instruments and devices, my old MSI 8th gen i5 laptop runs live 11 just fine and you can pick one of them up second hand from cex for less than 200 quid…
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