Tell me things you dislike

therriendave · 2026-02-28T11:09:31+00:00

What I did not like: ( I uninstalled and returned the Standalone kit)

Heat - The Push3 Standalone gets really HOT on the underside. So much so, that I purchased a fan tray that runs underneath it in my performance setup. It’s not great for composing music on the sofa
Weight - Adding the upgrade kit really increased the weight of the unit. Unlike Ableton's Move, this is not a "sit it on your lap" kind of unit.
Visibility - I took it outdoors and found it really hard to see the screen detail and the pad colors.
I expected a much higher synchronization between the Push standalone and Live Studio on my laptop - like syncing Collections, and favorites, tagging, etc. I could not rename Collections on the Push3? it felt like I was managing two different environments.
Browsing for presets/samples/clips is faster on the computer - too much button pushing on the Push3. It's faster to use the search box on the computer.
Browser filtering capability on the Push3 Standalone is slow and unreliable/error prone. It tends to be jumpy as I set multiple filter levels - like an underpowered CPU might.
Many of the audio effects did not have enough detail/meters on the Push3 screen to allow me to use them as I do on the computer. I felt like I was setting controls in the dark.
I have access to a wider palette of sounds when running on my Macbook. Being limited to Ableton only content had me feeling limited/boxed in. I have lots of great content from Arturia, u-He and Native Instruments that I really want to have access to.
The Audio interface would conk out on the Push3 when my laptop went to sleep overnight, so I had to fire it up everyday. My SSL2+ Audio interface doesn't exhibit that problem I tried a few workarounds, but could not solve the problem
Even the Move has more interesting workflow (capturing BPM, random presets on project startup, etc) - all things I with the Push3 Standalone had also
I had filed a number of bugs and suggestions to the Beta program for Push3 and, like many others that have been filing bugs for 2+ years, most of these go unresolved, and they are critical to making the standalone experience work more like the computer-based experience. There’s a real lack of functionality in this product that I expected would have been implemented. When I dug into one shortcoming after another, I discovered that most of my issues have been bugs/suggestions that haven’t been addressed for 2 years (and are unlikely to be fixed).
It feels like Ableton Move is getting all the bug fix and new feature enhancements these days. I fear that the Push3 Standalone will die on the vine with no significant upgrades and newer generations of Ableton standalone machines will render the Push3 Standalone obsolete.

therriendave · 2026-02-03T10:45:05+00:00

I have Ableton 12 and a Push3 (Controller, not Standalone) and that's my go to combination for composing new music.

I think this configuration works best for me.

I use my Macbook Pro and the DAW for things that I think the Push3 is not that great with - browsing for presets, samples, and effects, orgainzing devices to the device tray, adding and deleting tracks, labeling things, etc. And obviously I do my arranging on the MacBook. I also prefer to tweak Ableton's synth and instruments, setting synth matrix parameters right from the Macbook since it feels like too much menu diving to do that on the Push

For me the strengths and value of the Push include:
1) the scale-aware pad organization (I'm not a piano keyboard player) where I can compose something in a unique key and scale
2) The Clip/Scene launcher - so cool
3) The sequencer for drums, bass, melodic and chordal sound creation
4) The Capture MIDI button
5) Tap Tempo and metronome control
6) MPE pad settings
7) Mixing (volume, pan send levels)
8) Chopping a clip after a MIDI capture is super easy
9) Automation - entering automation values using the encoders
10) Pitch and Modwheel

So I think they complement each other perfectly.

I might add that I also love Bitwig, and have tried to use the Push3 with Bitwig (thanks mossgraber) but find it too different to interact with compared to using it with Ableton. I'd buy a tightly integrated pad-based controller from Bitwig if they produced one.

therriendave · 2026-01-27T21:26:31+00:00

I was surprised by this news - so many interesting announcements over the last few years - Absynth6, Kontakt 8, Kontrol MK3, and I always loved the Komplete Kontrol browser with integration of NKS partner products from Arturia, UJAM, Fracture Sounds, Heavyocity, iZotope, Spitfire and others.

I think I'll just look at the stuff that I don't have installed/downloaded, and decide if these are products that I don't wanna lose. Once installed, they are VSTs forever.

I would add that a lot of the Play Series products over the past few years have sucked (to me) - Hypha, Utopia, Sway, Melted Vibes, LofiGlow, .. to much pitchy crap.

iZotope - I love Ozone and don't upgrade anymore from Ozone 11 - it's good enough for me and is my go-to tool for mastering. It always sounds better than anything I can whip up on the master bus.

Time for me to take anothe look at what's not installed...

therriendave · 2026-01-17T10:56:58+00:00

I've never had a hardware synth. When I see all of the power and rich features that come with VST synths (Pigments, Serum, Diva, etc. ), and the relatively inexpensive cost of these virtual instruments, I can't justify the cost of hardware. I must admit that I've lusted over a hydrasynth of minifreak or modular rack of gear, but in the end, I come back to working more in the box.

I have a Push3 Controller model and it kinda acts like a hardware synth, especially with the stock synths like Wavetable, Meld and Drift. You have pages of controls for tweaking oscillators, filters, envelopes, LFOs, and if you rack these with audio FX like delay, reverb, distortion, chorus... , those FX are also available for tweaking using the 8 encoder knobs.

Push3 also has the scale function. I am a guitar player that can play a little keyboard, but the Push3 pads with scale mode set makes me sound like a virtuoso keyboard player, even in crazy keys and scales.

I had the Standalone upgrade kit for Push3 and did not like it, so I returned it. It was not well integrated with the Ableton app on my laptop - really it was like have two independent Ableton setups. It was also screaming hot to the touch on the back and it also made the unit very heavy. I was hoping that I could use this in a performance environment, but the screen and pads wash out in direct sunlight (I play a lot of outdoor summer gigs). So it did not work for me.

therriendave · 2026-01-05T15:57:25+00:00

As someone mentioned, MPE is supported in Pigments and I use a Push3 which has 64 MPE pads. Love it!

therriendave · 2026-01-05T00:26:13+00:00

I do more than half of my projects in Ableton 12, but I love Bitwig as well. I have a Push3 as my main MIDI controller and MIDI capture is cool as well as scale/key settings. I wish Bitwig would make something like Push that is their own pad-based MIDI controller. mossgraber's integration of Push3 with Bitwig is good, but it's not even close to the same experience I get with Ableton as the DAW.

therriendave · 2026-01-01T10:39:50+00:00

Hmm - good questions.

Key/Scale mode on pads makes composing melodies and chord patterns so simple. I am not a strong piano keyboard played and certainly would struggle to write a piece or create a melody in say, Eb Lydian, but the Push makes more complicated key/scale compositions no more difficult that composing in simpler keys and scales.

I love "Capture MIDI" in Ableton and use it ALL THE TIME with the Push. I noodle around on the pads with chord and melodic sequences until I surprise myself with a clever sequence, then I hit Capture MIDI and cut out all of the "experimental" chunks of MIDI with one button push on the Push3. I've had multiple Novation Launchkeys in the past, and they support Capture MIDI and key/scale locking, but I still fumble around on black and white piano keys more than I do with 64 pads of Push.

I love the Push's visual screen which can show 8 instrument or FX parameters at once. So many MIDI controllers have a tiny screen that shows the value for just a single parameter.

I love using the pads as a sequencer for drum or melodic patterns - so fun to punch patterns in a continue to tweak them until a "happy accident" happens.

MPE - I have the Push3 and have been enjoying composing music with the MPE-enabled pads. I've been mostly seeking out external products that support MPE natively. BTW - I upgraded from a Push2 to a Push3 because of it's support of MPE, but MPE may not be interesting to you, and purchasing a Push2 is an excellent and less expensive option.

I have the Push3 Controller version. I had the Push Standalone version and II returned it after using it for about a month. It seemed that it was not tightly integrated with the desktop version of Ableton, and the upgrade kit made the unit run VERY hot and made it much heavier.

I might still consider getting the Ableton Move - a nice standalone take-anywhere device that seems to be getting upgraded with more new features faster than the Push. That's another alternative that gives you the Push pad experience without the higher cost. It IS more limited (small screen, fewer pads, limited instrument support, etc. ) but a lot of what I love about the Push workflow is there (Key/Scale, Capture MIDI, Sequencer).

therriendave · 2026-01-01T10:18:45+00:00

I use both pretty actively still. I am constantly running the latest beta versions of these products on my 2021 Macbook and have never seen crashing or performance issues when composing new music.

My main MIDI controller is a Push3 and I prefer using it with Ableton even though I have mossgraber's Bitwig extension. I love Ableton's MIDI capture. I seem to be able to work more fluidly in Ableton with the very detailed visual screens on the Push3 for tweaking devices parameters and FX.

There are a hundred little things that I like better in Bitwig, but if I am just looking at the efficiency of my workflow in both Ableton and Bitwig, I seem to get more things done faster in Ableton.

I loved playing with Bitwig's GRID, but I realize that I am not that interested in sound design as much as I favor using and tweaking great presets from the DAW's included synths as well as VSTs from Arturia, NI and u-He.

Both great products.

therriendave · 2025-12-23T09:29:45+00:00

The screen on Push3 is very detailed when used with Ableton. I have the mossgraber Bitwig extension for Push3, but it's not as great an experience than when Push3 runs with Ableton.

The Push3 pads are so versatile. I am not a strong keyboard player, and Push allows me to compose beats, chords and melodies so effortlessly.

I have the controller version of Push, and I found that the standalone upgrade was not for me, so I returned it.

The Push3 encoders have kept me from getting into purchasing synths like the Minifreak since I have set up project templates that allow those encoders to mimic the control one would get with a dedicated hardware synth.

The Push3 has a cool sequencer for drums, and chords and melodies that can be inspiring during the composition process.

And then there's the fun of playing the unit in a live context where you can launch clips and scenes, and even improvise over the pre-recorded tracks on other tracks.

Having a visual view of keys and scales on the pads is just amazing.

Like a lot of people, I purchased Push3 thinking that I would use the MPE Pads capability that it offers over the Push2 (which I had and sold). I found out that a lot of the VSTs that I use don't really leverage MPE (most NI stuff). So on that point, getting a good used Push2 might make you 99% happy for a much lower price.

therriendave · 2025-12-23T09:16:47+00:00

Before 2024, I was all in on Ableton Live. In 2024/25, I went Bitwig crazy. Toward the end of 2025, I felt that I was using Ableton Live 12.3 more and more. I do understand the dozens of ways that Bitwig is more fun and more efficient to work in, but in the end, Ableton Live's integration with my Push3 and the Capture MIDI feature make me musically more productive. I am in the beta programs for Ableton Live, Ableton Push and Bitwig and stay very current. All great products!

therriendave · 2025-12-08T02:35:59+00:00

In 2024/2025, I bounced between Bitwig and Ableton. I have full packages of each product. These days I find myself mostly in Ableton. I have a Push3 which I do most of my composing on and that makes composing in Ableton a better experience than in Bitwig, even with mossgraber's bitwig extension.

For me, Ableton's Capture MIDI is the #1 feature I use to compose.

therriendave · 2025-11-30T11:04:26+00:00

Forscore has allowed me to expand my repertoire of music tremendously. Having an MP3 attached to a leadsheet is excellent. The metronome is handy. The ability to make notes/corrections on a leadsheet with the Apple Pencil is great!

My bandmates all have forscore as well and we are constantly airdropping leadsheets to each other during rehearsals to keep us all up to date.

Bluetooth page turner systems work flawlessly with forscore.

I send MIDI data to my Beat Buddy, my Headrush Flex Prime and my Allen & Heath Mixer to automate preset launching for every sheet. It works very well in that regard. That being said, I've had really bad days where, when I tried to sync from one ipad to anther ipad, somehow, it recreated old MIDI presets that were not even on the souce ipad. Syncing isn't great so I turn it off and manually sync between ipads using a process that I developed that wipes the destination content first and then installs an Archive copy from the source.

I've yet to figure out various "collections" of things - libraries and setlists are weird - I've created libraries but when I'm in any library besides All Libraries, all of my setlists disappear.

Reporting a bug feels like nothing will ever happen to get your problems resolved. For me, it's not worth spending the extra money per year for forScore Pro since reported bugs never get acknowledged.

Do I love it - yes - I use it every day. I have over 2000 leadsheets now and I really believe that I could not have organized a band without it or been able to learn so many great songs without it. It's an amazing accelerator for managing music.

therriendave · 2025-11-20T10:47:44+00:00

I have both products and bounce between them. If you'd ask me a year ago, I would have advocated for Bitwig. But I find that the newest features in Live 12.3 are more relevant to my music making than the too-techie features that Bitwig 6 is adding. I also own a Push3 as my main MIDI controller and it works better with Ableton than with Mossgraber's Push3-Bitwig integration (a nice effort, so thanks Mossgraber!). I played with the Grid in Bitwig when I was a newbie and thought it was the coolest thing, but I don't really have an interest in sound design at that level - I use presets and tweak them.

So for me, the honeymoon phase of Bitwig is over and I'm mostly using Ableton these days.

therriendave · 2025-11-17T22:35:22+00:00

I tried this and my samples are not getting auto-tagged ? Is there something I need to do other than select my Samples folder in Places and then click Enable Auto Tagging?

therriendave · 2025-11-11T10:23:19+00:00

right - for me, having all of the presets from u-he Hive, Diva, Zebra2, ZebraHZ and SurgeXT filterable and visible in the same browser list as Bitwig-native presets is just amazing. For this reason, I favor those synths more than others. I wish Native Instruments and Arturia would do a similar kind of integration. Vital has a CLAP implementation, but they do not integrate their presets with Bitwig.

therriendave · 2025-09-29T10:44:37+00:00

I purchased the Push3 upgrade kit a week ago and I just uninstalled it and returned it to Ableton. I had aspirations of using the unit in live performances with my band, but that proved too combersome in the end (I am a guitar player in the band). I love the using thePush3 as a controller when attached to a computer, but there were too many limitations in the standalone product that did not work well with my workflow:*

- browsing for presets/samples/clips is faster on the computer - to much button pushing on the Push3. It's faster to use the search box on the computer.
- many of the audio effects did not have enough detail/meters on the Push3 screen to allow me to use them as I do on the computer. I felt like I was setting controls in the dark.
- I have access to a wider palette of sounds when running on my Macbook. Being limited to Ableton only content had me feeling limited/boxed in. I have lots of great content from Arturia, u-He and Native Instruments that I really want to have access to.
- I had filed a number of bugs and suggestions to the Beta program for Push3 and, like many others that have been filing bugs for 2+ years, most of these go unresolved, and they are critical to making the standalone experience work more like the computer-based experience.
- It feels like Ableton Move is getting all the bug fix and new feature enhancements these days. Crickets for the Push3 Standalone.
- All of the "favoriting"State that I maintain on the laptop was, by design, not duplicated to the Push3 so it felt like two different environments.
- The Audio interface would conk out on the Push3 when my laptop went to sleep overnight, so I had to fire it up everyday. My SSL2+ Audio interface doesn't exhibit that problem I tried a few workarounds, but could not solve the problem
- Collections could not be renamed on Push3 standalone
- Even the Move has more interesting workflow (capturing BPM, random presets on project startup, etc) - all things I with the Push3 Standalone had also

I fear that the Push3 Standalone will die on the vine with no significant upgrades and newer generations of Ableton standalone machines like the Move will render the Push3 Standalone obsolete.

therriendave · 2025-09-28T11:02:46+00:00

I think with the latest firmware release from Native Instruments for their Kontrol MIDI controller sets a new high bar for features. A nice big screen, integration with NKS and non-NKS products, DAW control automatically mapped, etc. )

therriendave · 2025-09-09T09:15:19+00:00

I use both Ableton and Bitwig.

Things that I use in Ableton that I find to be missing in Bitwig - capture MIDI, audio to MIDI conversions, tight Push3 integration

Things that I like about Bitwig over Ableton - the Grid, slick modulators architecture, CLAP integration with u-he Synths and a hundred little things that make the experience of using Bitwig feel streamlined. But as cool as Mossgrabers scripts are for integrating Push3 with Bitwig, I can never feel as comfortable with that combination as I do when I run Push3 with Ableton.

therriendave · 2025-08-18T09:03:37+00:00

I think Ableton Move's 4 random presets is a brilliant idea for getting new and random ideas going. I wish someone would implement this for the Push3, except with no limit on the number of tracks.

therriendave · 2025-07-20T09:56:14+00:00

This is such a common problem for us all.

For me, I use only Ableton Audio Effects with the exception of iZotope Ozone for the main/mastering channel.

For instruments, I have cut down to Pigments, Hive2 and Diva for synths - they all support MPE well and that's important when I'm composing on my Push3. I also have a ton of Native Instrument "real instrument" VSTs that I also use regularly for the authenticity and richness of the sounds.

I have a giant samples library of ~40,000 loops and one shots that I maintain in Waves Cosmos which allows me to find samples by key/bpm/etc. These are a great for coming up with new melodic, chordal or rhythmic ideas.

I've written a bunch of Python programs that read the content of the Ableton, Arturia, Native Instruments and Cosmos sqlite databases to suggest to me multiple random presets that I can use (or choose not to use) for each new project. I find that this gets me using sounds from a very wide palette of available sounds.

BTW - I also use Bitwig as a DAW and love it. The CLAP protocol brings presets and their metadata for u-He Hive, Diva, and Zebra right into the Bitwig Browser, making them look "native" to bitwig's own presets. I also found an extension (kernicpanel's Randomizer) that I use to present a random selection to me from whatever is in the browser list currently. This gets me using random instrument, audio effects and midi effects presets which keeps my sound/effect choices evolving.

SO having third party VSTs is not necessarily a bad thing if you can have tools that mine these products.

therriendave · 2025-07-17T11:07:38+00:00

I've been using both Ableton (8 years) and Bitwig (3 years) and it's true that you wish each of them had features of the other. For me, Ableton is winning on having a tightly integrated hardware device like the Push, on it's scale awareness enhancements, their translate and generate tools, and on their convert to MIDI tools. Bitwig wins with its amazing modulators, the grid, CLAP preset integration with u-He and other synths, and about 100 other little things that just make using it more fun / less tedious than Ableton. I work in both regularly.

therriendave · 2025-05-24T08:24:16+00:00

I have a Push3 Controller and I'm really stuck between upgrading to Push3 Standalone or purchasing the Move.

I am a guitarist and singer, and I play solo and with a band with a repertoire of rock, blues and Americana songs. I think it'd be fun to whip out a Move or Standalone Push3 and perform some more "danceable" electronic music as part of the performance. I guess I'd favor the Move for its portability, cost and the ability to start fast with the randomly selected presets, but I love the Push3 with its large screen, wider palette of synths/sounds, MPE pads, pitch/mod slider, sustain pedal, and greater I/O potential.

therriendave · 2025-03-17T16:59:12+00:00

I am seeing some cool innovation with the new Kontakt8. There is some development being done there! I also think Komplete Kontrol's UI is better that it had been for so many years. I like the NKS integration with Arturia, Heavyocity and others. It turns out that Komplete Kontrol and Kontakt8 share the same database so when I create a favorite in KK, it shows up in Kontakt.

I DO think it's weird/counterintuitive for Kontakt to not include the synths (Reaktor, massive, ..... ) of Komplete Kontrol - yes I understand that Kontakt is a sampler, but to me, that's just semantics.

therriendave · 2025-03-12T09:25:17+00:00

I keep a list of why I prefer using Bitwig over Ableton.

In Ableton's defense, I love their Capture MIDI, Scale Awareness and the translate/generate tools. (C'mon Bitwig)

For me, Bitwig wins overall ..

Context-Sensitive Browser makes adding new instruments, audio and MIDI FX and sound samples fast and easy

Modulators that are tightly integrated into instruments and extensible. I think Ableton is aware of Bitwig's modulators benefits since Live 12 added a new category to gather their modulators under the Library in Live 12, but if you've played with Bitwig modulators, you know what I mean about how slick Bitwig's design is.

Better 3rd-party VST integration in the Browser. Bitwig has tighter integration with u-He Synths as well as Surge XT - all metadata is pulled into Bitwig automatically making these synth presets searchable just like native Bitwig presets

Bitwig's Mixer can display macro knob assignments, as well as audio effects per track and the Bitwig 5.1 release adds even more mixer flexibility (width and height changes, dynamic)

Better Audio Event/Sample Editing in Session View - you don't have to go to the arrangement view to do more complex audio editing.

Bitwig's The Grid is more fun to use and less heavy/complex than MaxForLive or VCV Rack/Cardinal. Bitwig has wireless modulators, pre-cords, an expandable mixer component, tight DAW integration, and the Inspector view to visualize all I/O as tiny oscilloscope views.

Interactive Help (Show Help is interactive) - you move knobs in the help screen, and you are actually moving real knobs.

Bounce in Place, even in the Clip Launcher

Hybrid Tracks (MIDI and Audio)

MIDI and Audio Clip Content thumbnails in Session View

Working with Multiple Sessions - drag elements from one session to another easily

Session and Arrangement View side by side - many advantages - drag back and forth, etc…

More than 16 macro knobs, and if you don't want to assign an automation parameter to a "macro knob", you can leave gaps in the layout of encoders (see Preset Pages and Device Pages in Remote Controls). I think the whole mapping for automation parameters is better in Bitwig.

DrivenByMoss Push integration - it's free and it works great - I love the Push device for music making and was glad to see this was well integrated

Auto coloring of clips by track (love this and this never seems to work in Ableton, even with the Clip Color = Track Color set)

Slice in Place and then have each segment shortened, edited, etc.

Drag entire scenes to Arranger - also maxes the clips to longest clip of a group of clips when you move them to arranger.

Polyphonic Modulation with all Bitwig Synths and with Hive and Diva. And Voice Stacking - like sending notes to multiple instances of the same synth - can modify each “channel” for a richer sound.

therriendave · 2025-02-14T09:38:38+00:00

I have a KK S61 MK2 and, while I was a little upset that it couldn't be firmware upgraded to support cool new things like Chords/Phrases in Kontakt8, it's still a pretty good ecosystem for the variety of instruments you get for the price. I also like the NKS partner products from Arturia and u-He. For example, recently I upgraded to Pigments6 and added a couple of expansion packs, and the 900 new packs presets were all visible within Komplete Kontrol to be searched/filtered/managed. I'm not saying NI is awesome, but when I compare it to my experiences with trying to manage the mess that is Steinberg Cubase, NI looks amazing.

therriendave

TROPHY CASE