After years of fierce debate, Twitter discourse and more, Ableton has announced the latest iteration in its flagship Push hardware. MPE compatibility, standalone, built-in audio interface and hard drive, new jog wheel- this is Push 2 and then some.
It’s been 8 years since Push 2 was released and nine since Push 1. During that time, the hardware market exploded with an array of controller devices. The calls for a standalone push have exponentially increased.
Today the German company announces the new Push, called “Push” rather than Push 3. Fans of the company have a lot to be excited about. We’ll hopefully have a full review soon. Let’s see what’s new.
TLDR?
What’s New With Push?
Expressiveness
Push is armed with 64 MPE-capable pads. It will now detect finger pressure and placement across X and Y axes for nuanced per-note control. Play bends and slides, filter or affect some notes within a chord, or play multiple articulations within one pad. From our initial foraging, you can truly consider Push an independent instrument. Plus with the pads, you do not rely on the finger gymnastics usually asked of you while playing an MPE keyboard.
Connectivity
The connectivity has greatly increased courtesy of a built-in audio interface. You can plug external instruments, synths and effects straight into Push’s built-in audio interface to record directly into your Push set or into Ableton Live. Plus, send gate and CV signals to your modular gear for a combined Eurorack/Push setup, or use your Push with class-compliant MIDI gear.
Standalone playability
As a standalone instrument, Push is designed to sit at the heart of a laptop-free music setup. With a built-in battery and hard drive storage, you can make music without plugging in a single cable using instruments and effects you know from Ableton Live, along with your own Packs and sample libraries. Connect to WiFi to transfer sets back and forth between Push and Live.
The standalone configuration of Push is powered by a specially-adapted Intel® NUC Compute Element, which combines a processor, RAM memory and WiFi in a credit-card-sized component.
Configurability
Push is available in two configurations to suit different needs and budgets.
The first is with a processor, Push functions as a standalone instrument.
The second is without a processor, Push needs to be connected to a computer.
If you buy your Push without a processor, you can add one yourself later using the Upgrade Kit. And it will also be possible to replace the processor, hard drive and battery later, so your instrument can keep up with the advance of technology.
The standalone configuration of Push is powered by a specially-adapted Intel® NUC Compute Element, which combines a processor, RAM memory and WiFi in a credit-card-sized component.
Push is available now through Ableton.com
- Push (standalone) – USD 1999 / EUR 1899
- Push – USD 999 / EUR 949
Upgrade Kits will be available in late 2023, and will cost USD 1049 / EUR 999
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