Five best Ableton racks and Max for Live devices

In this video, producer Tim Cant runs through five of the most popular Ableton Racks & Max for Live devices. All available at Plugin Boutique Top Ableton Racks & Max for Live are… 5. AutoBeat (K-Devices) It might look like a half a drum rack glued onto an arpeggiator, but this probability-based sequencer has more […]

When you purchase through affiliate links on MusicTech.com, you may contribute to our site through commissions. Learn more
top 5 ableton racks

In this video, producer Tim Cant runs through five of the most popular Ableton Racks & Max for Live devices. All available at Plugin Boutique Top Ableton Racks & Max for Live are…

5. AutoBeat (K-Devices)

top 5 ableton racks

It might look like a half a drum rack glued onto an arpeggiator, but this probability-based sequencer has more to it than meets the eye. Each of its eight notes houses an entire sequencer, letting you set velocities, the probabilities of any note being triggered, and the lengths of the notes you get. You can also drag MIDI clips out from AutoBeat into Ableton, based on the setting you have at any given point. It’s a simple sequencer, but its location in a track’s device panel is what makes AutoBeat an inspiring solution for all types of producer.

Buy at Plugin Boutique

4. Ableton Bass Instruments (Sample Magic)

top 5 ableton racks

This pack or racks contains not one, not two, not nine, not eleven, but ten down-n-dirty bass instruments. Let’s have a look at just two of them. Bass 808 is, surprise surprise, inspired by the Roland TR-808 drum machine, specifically its use in creating basslines. For that reason, it’s Saw Level and Saw Octave controls add an extra tonal layer to any bass patch. Boof! Bass Dirty gives you sub level controls, Filter Drive, Glide Time, Resonance and loads more to easily control a classic filthy Reese sound. And there are eight more bass specialists in this pack, including Reese, Moog, Dirty, 303, Sub, Wobble, Analogue Power, and Analogue Pluck. Nice!

Buy at Plugin Boutique

3. Random Riff Generator Pro 2 (Audiomodern)

top 5 ableton racks

If you find melody-making a bit hit-and-miss, this one’s for you. Random Riff Generator Pro 2 starts out with a random sequence of notes, and lets you randomise it again until you’ve found something you like. The trick with this one is to tweak the settings and let Random Riff Generator Pro know exactly how you’d like your melody cooked: maybe you’d like gappy 16th-notes with a loose shuffle in the pentatonic scale… or perhaps sir would prefer some droning, pitchy chromatic slides? The controls at the top let you guide exactly how the Randomiser will affect your melody line. Random Riff Generator Pro 2 is also available as part of Audiomodern’s Random Generators Bundle, alongside Chords Generator and Groove Generator.

Buy at Plugin Boutique

2. Ableton Chord Rack (Loopmasters)

top 5 ableton racks

This isn’t your everyday Ableton Rack – this is actually two masterful MIDI processors: one for progressions and one for single chords. The Single Chords rack is great for one-finger chords, as it works with every note on your keyboard. The Progressions rack, on the other hand, intelligently combines chords that work together, giving you solid chord sets to start a track with. It’s the first Macro knob in each rack that has you selecting between chords or progressions, and the others are set up to dial in other unique characteristics, such as fixed Velocity, Note Expression or Arpeggiation.

Buy at Plugin Boutique

1. Dope Matrix Mod Squad (Sonic Faction)

top 5 ableton racks

Need an inspiring Max For Live device to add to your Ableton arsenal? Well how about over twenty of them? That’s what you get with this huge pack of effects from Sonic Faction, including sequencers, modulators, and control devices to modulate other devices! These effects are also great for sequencing using Push, as they were built with this kind of usage in mind. But even if you’re just using them as processors in the own right, this is a crazy amount of power to add to your setup. Highly recommended as part of the Mod Squad is the Auto Panda, a sort of dual modulated filter effect that’s super-fun and super-cute!

Buy at Plugin Boutique

logo

Get the latest news, reviews and tutorials to your inbox.

Subscribe
Join Our Mailing List & Get Exclusive DealsSign Up Now
logo

The world’s leading media brand at the intersection of music and technology.

© 2024 MusicTech is part of NME Networks.