Ableton (www.ableton.com) has released Live 9, the new version of its music creation software. The company has also released Push (pictured), its first hardware instrument.

In Live 9's Session View, automation can now be recorded in real time directly within clips. Automation can move together with clips between Arrangement and Session View.

In Live 9's re-designed browser, all instruments, effects, samples, and plug-ins are in one view. You can drag and drop folders from anywhere on your computer, search as you type and navigate from the keyboard.

Live 9 comes with a large selection of production-ready sounds (more than 3,000 in the Suite edition), providing a range of synthesizers, drum kits and one-shot samples, acoustic instruments, loops and more. All are powered by Live's built-in synthesizers, samplers and effects so they can be tweaked and personalized.

Live 9 has three ways to extract MIDI from audio clips. Use Drums-to-MIDI to convert drum breaks into MIDI files for use with your own sounds. Use Harmony-to-MIDI and Melody-to-MIDI to get the notes and chords from samples. Sing, beatbox, tap a rhythm, or play any solo instrument, then use Melody or Drums-to-MIDI to turn your recordings into MIDI clips to edit and reuse with any sound.

Live 9's studio effects have all been reworked for even better sound and usability. The Glue Compressor is a new effect -- an authentic model of a legendary 1980s console bus compressor. EQ Eight now has an audition mode for isolating frequencies and an expandable spectrum display. The Gate and Compressor effects feature a Gain Reduction view that shows changes in signal level over time.

Live 9 introduces new tools and an improved workflow that allow for flexible editing of musical ideas. Users can transpose, reverse and stretch MIDI notes or warp clip automation and add curves to automation envelopes.

The Suite edition of Live 9 comes with Max for Live, giving users access to an ever-expanding array of instruments, effects and tools. The included Max for Live boasts 25 new devices such as a convolution reverb, drum synthesizer instruments, MIDI echo as well as reworked versions of classics such as Step Sequencer and Buffer Shuffler 2.

Live 9 is available immediately at retailers worldwide and at Ableton.com . Prices start at US$99 (Live 9 Intro download version), $449 (Live 9 Standard download version) and $749 (Live 9 Suite download version). Upgrades to Live 9 Standard and Live 9 Suite vary in price depending on the Ableton products you already own.

Ableton's new hardware instrument, Push, provides direct, hands-on control of melody and harmony, beats, sounds and structure, powered by Ableton Live 9 running on your computer. Dynamic pads, buttons, encoders and display combined with a workflow allow you to play and compose musical ideas without the need to look at or touch your computer.

Push includes a download version of Live 9. Prices start at $599 for Push + Live 9 Intro, $849 for Push + Live 9 Standard, and $1,099 for Push +Live 9 Suite.