Recording - September 2021 - 53

R&R REVIEWED &
REVISITED
Ableton Push 2
An elegant and powerful marriage of hardware and software
REVIEW BY DAVID BLASCOE
T
he second iteration of the Ableton Push hardware controller was
released back in 2015. So why review it now? Because Ableton
has masterfully created a piece of hardware capable of gracefully
evolving alongside its flagship DAW. With the recent release of Live 11,
there is more than ever to explore and do on Push 2.
Compare and contrast
So, what are the differences between
the original Push and the Push 2? I'm
glad you asked. We reviewed the original
Push in June of 2013, and a lot
changed with the release of Push 2. The
original Push was made in collaboration
with Akai, who are no strangers to the
world of MIDI controllers-Akai still offers
many products that work in tandem with
Live. Push 2 was developed and built inhouse
by Ableton. One of the most significant
improvements was the change
from an orange dot matrix-style screen to
a bigger, full-color, high-resolution screen
offering a better look at whatever you're
working on. The top panel of the Push 2
is aluminum instead of the rubbery plastic
found on the Push. In general, everything
about the Push 2 has a premium, sturdy,
50 RECORDING September 2021
and high-quality feel. You can sense that
a lot of thought has been put into the design
of the Push 2.
While practically flush with the panel, all
of the buttons have a satisfying gentle click
to them. When a specific button's functionality
isn't needed for your current workflow,
the LED turns off, creating the illusion that
the button isn't even there as it disappears
into the sleek black panel. I found the pads
to be extremely sensitive when finger drumming,
so much so that I had to adjust my
technique to not accidentally trigger unintended
hits; even lightly resting my pinky
finger on a pad could trigger it. You can,
of course, modify this within Live, and it's
certainly a good problem to have-better
too sensitive than not sensitive enough. I've
yet to find another controller with pads that
offer this level of finesse.
What's new with Ableton 11?
With the release of Ableton 11 (see
First Look, January 2020 and June
2020), users get polyphonic aftertouch
support and MPE capability, which further
pushes the level of expression you
can utilize in your performance with any
supported VST instrument.
Push 2 takes full advantage of polyphonic
aftertouch, and while Push is not
a fully MPE compatible hardware device,
the addition of per-note pressure to the
pads adds even more dimensions of expression
to the Live Wavetable, Sampler
and Arpeggiator devices along with a
host of MPE compatible VST synths. Both
add even more dimensions of expression
to what was already possible on the Push
2. Some great new visualizations correspond
with devices inside Live as well.
When using the new Hybrid Reverb, you
can see its impulse response. At the same
time, playful icons distinguish between
reverb settings-Convolution shows a
microphone icon, and Dark Hall brings
up an image of a doorway leading into a
big hall. Even old favorite Live devices like
Pedal cycle through different iconography
for settings such as overdrive, distortion or
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