One of the biggest limitations of Ableton Live Lite is the number of tracks you can make is capped at 8. You also don’t have access to as many instruments or samples as you do with expanded versions of the DAW.
My name is Donovan, and I’ve been working in recording studios and on stage for over a decade. I’ve built several home studios and have a lot of experience working with Ableton Live and other DAWs.
This post will give you a good look at the limitations of Ableton Live Lite. I’ll highlight each major limitation to help you understand how it can impact your projects or why you might not be that concerned. My goal is to help you get the most out of your Ableton experience.
Let’s get after it.
Contents
Ableton Live Lite Explained
Ableton Live Lite can be a great way to get started with using or learning how to use Ableton Live. This is a limited version of the software that still gives you many great tools and features that can help you produce better music projects.
Live Lite is free, but there are a few considerations with that in mind. You’ll need to purchase some sort of hardware – like an interface or MIDI controller to get an access code that lets you download Live Lite.
So even though you get the download for free, you’ll still need to purchase some type of product to get the code. That means the Ableton Live Lite isn’t technically free. But it’s still well worth exploring – especially if you need that hardware anyway.
If you are looking for a no-cost version of Ableton, remember that you can take advantage of a free 30-day trial period. You’ll need to purchase a version after those 30 days, but that gives you enough time to explore the DAW in some depth thoroughly.
Ableton Live Lite Limitations
While you still get access to a lot of the features of standard versions of Ableton, Live Lite definitely has some limitations you should know about. These can prevent you from completing a full project, so you’ll want to keep them in mind as you get rolling.
Many of these limitations relate to how many functions and features you need from the DAW. I’ll break this down a bit more in another section, but beginners might be just fine with Live Lite, while professionals likely shouldn’t use it all.
The following are some of the most significant limitations you’ll encounter when using Ableton Live Lite.
Limited Number of Tracks
In my experience, the biggest drawback and limitation of using Ableton Live Lite is that you can only access a limited number of tracks. While that might not be a big deal if you are just learning how to produce, most projects I work on have many more tracks than that.
Live Lite only gives you 8 tracks total. You get up to 16 scenes in the newest version of Live Lite, but those are different than tracks. This means you can have 8 audio tracks, 8 MIDI tracks, or some combination of the two that add up to 8.
There is no way to go above that allotted number of tracks, which is a major limiting factor in my opinion. Now, you can certainly still make plenty of music with only 8 tracks, and many people have done this for years.
But I like having access to as many tracks as possible rather than being limited to a certain amount. I don’t like the idea of having to insert or take away a musical idea I’m scheming up because my DAW won’t allow it.
Limited Send and Return Tracks
Similar to the limitations on the number of total tracks in a project, Live Lite also limits the send and return tracks you can have in a project. This can affect your overall production, whether you are mixing or just getting a track organized.
Live Lite only allows for 2 send and return tracks. That’s not very many and is an intentional limitation by Ableton to keep your production possibilities lowered here. You won’t get that far in the production process with just two send and return tracks.
Again, this is more of an issue for professionals than for beginners. But I think this is another significant disadvantage to using Live Lite compared to shelling out a bit of money for the expanded versions.
When I am mixing tracks, I use sends and returns often as part of my workflow. I wouldn’t even consider using a DAW that only allows for 2 because it would severely limit what I can do and wouldn’t be worth it.
Limited Software Instruments
Another limitation with Ableton Live Lite is the number of software instruments you get compared to the other versions. You can only access four software instruments here – the Drum Rack, Impulse, Instrument Rack, and Simpler.
Now, this is still a pretty sweet setup for you to use to create music, whether you are producing or DJing. Those four software instruments give you a lot of possibilities and versatility, and they come included for free.
But compared to the paid versions of Ableton, this is a very small amount of instruments. You’ll have a lot more to play with if you go with one of those versions, and you won’t be limited to these four options.
Limited Audio Effects
In my experience, this one isn’t as big of a limitation as the software instruments because Live Lite still comes with 16 audio effects. That’s much less than the paid versions, but it’s still plenty to work with and should keep you busy and productive in a lot of situations.
Here are the audio effects that come included with Ableton Live Lite 11:
- Audio Effect Rack
- Auto Filter
- Beat Repeat
- Channel EQ
- Chorus-Ensemble
- Compressor
- Delay
- EQ Three
- Erosion
- Limiter
- Phaser-Flanger
- Redux
- Reverb
- Saturator
- Tuner
- Utility
As you can see, that’s still a solid number of features for you to use, and it covers all the basics. You can get a lot done with all of those, and even though it’s fewer effects than the paid versions, it’s still quite a bit.
Limited Input/Output Channels
As expected, with the total tracks being capped at 8, you also only get 8 input and 8 output channels in Live Lite. That’s enough for you to work with while using 8 tracks, but it is limiting for the same reasons 8 tracks are limiting.
You simply can’t dive into an expansive project with that number of input/output channels. You can still make some music and have some fun, but I think this is another fairly significant limitation that experienced producers will want to avoid.
On the other hand, this might not be that much of a limitation if you don’t have any desire or need to work with more than 8 tracks. You have enough inputs/outputs to handle an 8-track project, and that might suffice for some beginner producers.
Should You Get Ableton Live Lite?
If you recently purchased some hardware and it included a download code for Ableton Live Lite, and you have an interest in using the platform, then you should give it a shot. It’s worth exploring to see if you like it and want to continue using Ableton.
But I don’t think there is much reason to get Ableton Live Lite other than that. It’s a decent option for beginners who want to learn the basic features and functions of a solid DAW, but the limitations keep it in the beginner realm.
If you are a professional producer, DJ, or musician, or aspire to be one, then I don’t recommend using Ableton Live Lite. You should spend some money and invest in one of the paid versions of Ableton.
In my experience, the full range of features you get access to with the paid versions of the DAW outweighs the fact that Live Lite is “kind of” free. You’ll have more success in the long run with access to more features and the ability to develop a complete project.
All that said, music production is an art and not a science. You can make great music with just about any sort of software or DAW if you have the skills and artistic vision to do so. This is just my opinion, and you are free to explore whatever you want to.
Final Thoughts
Ableton Live Lite is worth exploring if you purchased a product and got a download code to use this free but limited version of the DAW. But I don’t recommend exploring Live Lite as a full DAW because of its inherent limitations.
Live Lite can still be a good tool for beginners to use, and it definitely has enough features and functions to show you the basics of DJing or producing. But once you have moved past the basics, you’ll want to get a program that gives you more tools to work with.
Have you ever used Ableton Live Lite? What do you think was its most significant limitation? Let me know in the comments below.
