Hey folks,
I’m thinking about moving to ableton from reason 10 after 15+ years. Reason has been really laggy over the past two years and overall ableton has far more option when it comes to midi and audio editing.
I really thinking about getting ableton standard bundled with push 2, being able to chop samples with a controller and launching clips is really tempting to me. What do you think? Is push 2 still a good controller? What about a possible successor any time soon? What is your experience with push 2 especially in regards to a sample heavy breakbeat chopping workflow?
I sold OT because of Push 2, might get it back but for me nothing beats Ableton + Push 2 combo, chopping samples on the screen is just a joy
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Bear in mind, Push 2 becomes pretty useless when in arrangement mode
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How much experience do you have using Live? Live has been my only DAW for 10+ years and so I always found myself reverting back to the mouse as it was just much faster for me to do that. However, Push is a beautiful controller and well integrated - I imagine that if you are new to Live it would be great.
Working in the arranagemwnt view is not really what Push is designed to do though so if you want to move from clip to arrangement view you will find yourself back to using the mouse.
Is Push worth it in 2020? I would say yes. I can’t imagine Ableton will go for a standalone version of Live, and even if they do it will surely only be a very basic and limited version of what Live can do. The Push controller is already very high quality and upgrades would surely be only minor (except for maybe the inclusion of an audio interface).
The new vst version of the Reason rack works really nicely in Ableton so that would help you transition too.
For chopping breaks, Maschine is really effective and their controller is also top drawer. But at the end of the day, you will find a fast and smooth workflow whatever DAW/system you use. In my experience, editing with a mouse is always the fastest and easiest way to to things, but not necessarily the most fun.
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Push is really easy to use and with a bit of practice I think its definitely worthwhile having if you produce within Ableton, as mentioned above, slicing samples is a Breeze once you get your head around it ,integration with drum racks is also really efficient, if your Looking for an alternative though I find some of the Novation controllers are great also, really enjoying the combo of launchpad and the launch control xl to incorporate faders. , haven’t personally tried others like machine / Akai. The Launch key series from Novation include faders, assignable pots, keys and work stand alone also.
Why not give it a go? You’ll need an interface, obviously.
I don’t know if a Push 3 needs to be ‘standalone’ ie instruments etc onboard, but battery powered and perhaps wireless over Ableton Link, maybe even an internal sampling interface could give it a nice edge.
At the moment it still is a tethered affair but it is a truly lovely device. Dreamy as to play. And once you get the workflow down iterating on ideas is great.
I really like Push but just find it takes up a bit too much real estate for my liking. But if that’s all you’re rolling it could be perfect.
I find Push to be the perfect middle ground between the power of a DAW and the tactility of hardware. After sitting at a computer all day, I don’t want to sit staring at a screen, mouse and keyboard in hand. Most of the day to day things you will want to do with Live can be done with Push, but if you need anything more complex, you can always revert to the mouse and keyboard and have the full DAW power at your disposal.
If you choose to go down this route, I’d recommend trying to force yourself to work only from Push for a little while, as it forces you to learn your way around it.
If you want to make the absolute most of Push, I’d also recommend working on getting some setup done for any vsts / hardware you have. I have some Max 4 Live patches built that give full push integration and I’m working on a few more. Being able to make automation tweaks for hardware synths within the Push environment is brilliant.
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I wouldn’t say that Push 2 is useless in Arrangement View, just limited. The workflow is more Session View orientated.
Andri Søren provides a thorough overview of the limitations is his course:
The course is free for a limited time (offer ends midday UTC, Monday 26th October).
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I often think about getting back a push. Loved the pads, and I still use Ableton for most of my stuff.
But I sold it twice. I always found that I’m faster doing it with mouse and keyboard. Maybe I didn’t try hard enough to get more muscle memory. But it always felt more like a midi controller (I know it is a midi controller) rather than an instrument like elektrons
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I love Push and use it every day. The visual response of FX, Racks and Instruments in Ableton is precise and very straight forward. It is also customizable if you want to have “your” parameters on the front page. The knobs have a fine resolution unlike other midi or DAW controllers that I used before. In my perfect world they would release a 49 keys version with the upper row of display and knobs and leave the buttons. For my taste you have to hammer on them too hard to get a result, I´d prefer the simpler buttons like the old AKAI APC or the 4x4 matrix on the Iridium.
Would I buy one right now? Not sure! Push 2 is on the market since 2015 which is an eternity these days. I´d put my bets on Push 3 for 2021 which means that you can either get Push 2 much cheaper on the second hand market or benefit from the new features of the Push3.
Also keep in mind that Push 2 takes a little bit of your CPU power. It´s not that big of an issue than some people say in the forums but I can notice a difference on my old dual core Macbook. On a faster computer you won´t notice anything. But if you already work on the limits on your system I would be careful.
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The Push2 is awesome, … and to my mind it becomes better with each update. Its such a thoughtful integration into Live 10 and I am using it more and more instead of looking to the computer monitor the whole time. (chopping samples, turning encoders, etc )
It is limited in arrangement mode, but for jamming and looping in session mode it is great.
p.s. and Live has the possibility to integrate C74 max patches
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Maybe I’m strange but I prefer the Push1 over the Push2. I guess it has to do with the fact that I feel less urge to look at its display, and listen more. You can buy a secondhand push1 for a little over 100 euros.
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Push 1 vs. 2 - what’s better/worse? Price obviously way better … how about size? Knob resolution?
I thought about buying a Push 2 several times - but it’s way to big imho
Definitely get the demo version of Live 10 before you make the decision. I think I got 3 months of full functionality (including saving and exporting etc) and managed to mix/complete an album on it before it expired 
Then, once you know the basic functions and have explored the areas that most concern you like chopping up samples with a mouse/trackpad, watch videos of Push 2 and see if it will really help you do what you want it to do. Just my 2 cents 
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I find it odd/annoying that afaik ableton can’t live record automation changes in arrangement view. It can record live midi info changes such as pb, mod wheel, aftertouch, pressure, velocity just fine. Really hope the next update fixes this, if I’m not alone in using ableton in this way.
I wonder if covid is going to delay any push 3 development. If novation is any indication, next year ableton will release a push 2 with a purple bottom and an autechre logo 
Yep, Push does take some cpu behind the scenes because ableton has a whole process/app behind the scenes generating the UI and sending it to the Push 2 screen. I think the Push 3 will have this process embedded and be partially standalone - or at least receiving all the info it needs from Live remotely to draw the UI on the screen and sending midi signals over wifi (Link).
feel the same. i don’t think it’s just about muscle memory tho, some things just are faster to do with a mouse and a keyboard. after a while, i noticed to only use it for the play/pause button and the occasional finger drumming. have been thinking about replacing it with a keystep.
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hm, wow… I always thought I hit the wrong combination of or armed the wrong buttons… what a bummer. I just checked it and you are right… why in god’s name?! Thanks for giving back a bit of sanity. I always thought I am too dumb to find the correct workflow.
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First of all thank you all for your replies. This is the best music production related forum! Period!
That’s another thing I am trying to get my head around, if I should get live standard or live suite. Really not sure. Max for live seems quite confusing and overwhelming and since I mostly work sample based I think I really don’t need the extra synths. What’s your opinion?
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Definitely go for Suite if you can afford it. The MfL devices can be used like any other VST plugin instrument/effect. No need to delve into coding anything.
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