Ableton has just released word on a new product. The product is something very unexpected. A Book?

When we think of the book industry, we think of a dying age. Well, some of us do. That is what makes this such an interesting move. I got to be a part of a call for Ableton Certified Trainers when the author, Dennis DeSantis, showed it off and let us ask questions. Dennis told us that Ableton as a company is out to help musicians make music. That this is above all else their goal. The move to create this book is the first step in that direction.

Here is an excerpt from the book:

For many artists, nothing inspires more existential terror than actually making art. The fear that we’re not good enough or that we don’t know enough results in untold numbers of creative crises and potential masterpieces that never get realized… Making Music was written both to answer this question and to offer ways to make it easier. It presents a systematic, concrete set of patterns that you can use when making music in order to move forward.

I love the direction they are taking with this book. It’s a reminder of why we even use Ableton Live. To express, share our creativity, and make music. The book is called Making Music: 74 Creative Strategies for Electronic Music Producers. You can order the book now, and even read it online from their website.

The book is divided into three sections, Problems of Beginning, Problems of Progressing, and Problems of Finishing. The book is very precise and you can tell that Dennis DeSantis has taken his years of knowledge as a music producer and distilled it into an amazing resource for the rest of us.

Dennis had an opportunity to read some of the book to use and from what I see, this is a great resource for any musician. I’ve read through the chapters they have online, and suggest you do as well. The whole chapter on vocal lyrics is spot on. Polyrythm, and diminishing returns really hit the mark on its head.

You can read a large amount of the book online from a new webpage made by Ableton.com: https://makingmusic.ableton.com/

For now I am wondering if we will see more products like this from Ableton Live. I can see them moving more into education and supporting the community. Hopefully this is the first of many new ideas to come out from Ableton.