Back in 2009, Ableton made the brave decision to postpone development of Live 8 and answer the almost universal customer abuse and concentrate on fixing the apparent plethora of bugs. And since that time, Live 8 has got progressively better and considerably more stable. And now Live 8 has reached v8.4 beta, and with it comes 64 bit support. About bloody time.
The release:
ABLETON LIVE 8.4 NOW IN BETA, INTRODUCES 64-BIT SUPPORT
Berlin, July 4, 201
Ableton is pleased to announce the beta version of Live 8.4, featuring native 64-bit support. Registered Live 8, Suite 8, Live Intro or Live Lite 8 users can download the beta now.
The 64-bit version of Live allows the use of more than 4 gigabytes of RAM. This means that Live users can now work with Live Sets (including Sets using third-party plug-ins and ReWire configurations) that are much larger and more memory intensive than in the 32-bit version.
The 64-bit version of Live works with PCs running Windows Vista/7/8 (64-bit) and with Intel-Macs running OS X 10.5 and up. The 64-bit version of Live 8 does not support Max for Live, video, or The Bridge. Ableton is currently working with its partners to add support for these features.
The release version of Live 8.4 will be available later, as a free update for registered Live 8, Suite 8, Live Intro or Live Lite 8 users.
Live 8.4 Beta Download Link:
http://www.ableton.com/downloads/live-8-beta
Details about 64-bit operation:
http://www.ableton.com/articles/what-difference-between-32-bit-and-64-bit-version-live
Yay – more than 4Gb of RAM at last. To get it, you have to be registered, but this is strictly for Live users only, and not those who use additional plug ins like The Bridge and Max For Live, and probably some others as well. This appears to be about getting Live right. One step at a time – good development practice.
But if we’re honest, most people are most likely looking for Live 9 than upgrades to a 3 year old product. The last time I spoke to Ableton, despite the usual pre-trade show rumour mill trash talk, there seemed to be no real schedule for Live 9. And given that 8.4 is heading into a beta cycle in July, I wouldn’t be expecting Live 9 this year either.
Anyway, registered users can go download the release and become beta lemmings for Ableton. I’m sure they’re looking forward to the bug reports.