Ableton Link: Tutorials and Jams with Multiple Devices!
Ableton Link may change the way you make music. Link allows you to sync tempo between multiple devices wirelessly over wifi or with an ethernet cable. You can sync computers to iPhones, iPads to iPhones, computers to computers, and there's no limit to how many devices you can connect. The good news is that it just works. Syncing devices has been nothing short of a pain, but Link solves that.
What's more is there is no hierarchy of masters and slaves. Link gives equal power to all participants. That means: power to join and leave a jam without disrupting the other players, and power to change the tempo for all the devices.
All About Ableton Link and How to Use It
Over the last few months, I've been using Link with my iPad, iPhone, and Ableton Live (running the 9.6 beta). I wrote an article for Ask.Audio discussing Link, its uses, and some tips and tricks. Read it here, I think it might inspire the creative juices. Here's the video walkthrough I made for the article.
Jam with Your Friends!
Although it's been a blast syncing up a few of my devices and jamming on my own, nothing beats getting some friends together and Link-ing up. Check out this jam below I created with my friends from Expanding Sound. My friend, Mike, is on the left using the Roland Boutique JP-08, an iPad running Korg Gadget, and an iPhone running iKaossilator. I'm on the right using Push 2 and Fugue Machine on the iPad to control some of my Smooth Pocket Operator presets in Live 9.6. This jam is very spontaneous, we spent a lot more time setting up the camera than we did syncing our devices.
Get The Ableton Live Sounds from the Video!
All of my work on the right side of the screen in the jam above was done with my Smooth Pocket Operators Ableton Live Pack. The Pack contains loads of clips, instrument racks, drum racks, and samples created from Teenage Engineering's Pocket Operator series (All 6 of them). There's an incredibly wide range of sounds in the Pack that I'm sure will fit into any genre or type production. Buy it now or join the AfroDJMac Music Production Club during the month of February 2016 to receive the Smooth Pocket Operators Pack as the Pack of the Month.