Ableton launches Note, a new app for on-the-go producing

A new music sketching app from Ableton will to allow users to create tracks on the go.

Note, which is currently only available on iOS devices, is a musical sketching tool and a place to “start ideas”, rather than created fleshed-out music.

“Note is a place to start ideas, experiment with sounds, and find direction,” reads Ableton’s website. “As part of your regular music-making routine, it can help you hone the skill of starting or ease into a creative headspace at the start of a session.”

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Note encourages you to “play around” with the app using its drum kits, melodic instruments and synth sounds. Users can also create a “sound palette” by recording real sounds and field recordings.

“Play just for fun, or start song ideas to continue in Live. Using Ableton Cloud, you can send your Note Set to Live without leaving the app,” reads the website. Users can also continue working on the same devices, and edit MIDI notes and samples in exactly the same way.

Note also uses all of the same instruments and devices as Ableton Live, and allows for use of effects such as Reverb, Delay and Chorus-Ensemble.

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“Turn the beat in your mind into something tangible, or just start finger drumming on the 16-pad grid and see what you come up with,” encourages Ableton. “Plus, experiment with parameters and effects to make the sound your own.”

After announcing the launch on social media this morning, Ableton added that while the app is currently only available on iOS, “we'll be paying close attention to how the music-making app space continues to develop” in regards to launching on Android.

Producers including ELKKA and Jacques Greene have since commemorated the new app. “Thank you for dropping this as I’m at the airport for a long flight,” Greene posted on Twitter earlier today.

Find out more about Note here.

Gemma Ross is Mixmag's Editorial Assistant follow her on Twitter