Ableton Move

There are definetely a lot of things to like here.

// PROS:

+ It's an all in one very portable groovebox.
+ It sounds very nice if you like Ableton modern sounds and effects, thus could also be used just as a very good sound module too.
+ The UI/UX and overal workflow is very well thought out, especially considering the size.
+ Up to now at least, Ableton is killing it with the updates. Audio Tracks in beta v2 firmware was an awesome move (pun indented). Hopefuly by the end of the beta it can be used as an audio live looper.
+ It's built on a Raspberry PI, which means that it could (and already is) hacked in various ways, which kinda makes it future-proof, I think.
+ Send project to Ableton Live is really great.
+ Midi Capture works great (most of the times).
+ Sampling works great.

// MAJOR CONS:

- It does not record and not even recognize pitch bend and mod wheel from external controller (not even for its internal sounds), nor any CC for midi out automation if you plan to control external hardware with it (I did). It honestly should since this is a very modern device. Similarily there is lack of any MIDI implementation for controlling Move externally, which can be important specifially for starting/stopping recording with a footswitch for example.

- Now the big one which is missing and was prety much the reason I bought Move in the first place thinking that it would work the same as Ableton signature "Session View" mode. It is impossible to record anything while in the "Session View" mode (even with an external keyboard attached). As soon as you enter "Session View" mode, recording is simply disabled.. Honestly why not have all tracks "armed" all the time and as soon as we push a new empty clip in Session View mode start recording that clip, then push it again to stop recording and play it. This is IMO a signature Ableton Live thing for live looping/performance and the fact that it is not on this official Ableton groovebox is IMO a very major con.

I really hope Ableton address these 2 cons above because other than those 2 but rather very important things (at least for me), everything else is awesome.

- EDIT-
My 2nd con exists in the beta 2 firmware more or less! We have to manually arm the tracks though, but it's close enough to what I've been missing. Uped my score as well.

I’m a long time Ableton and Push 2 user and my first impression of the Move was very underwhelming from a design standpoint. 1 year after release and the Ableton team has upgraded many functionalities of this device and the value proposition is much better.

Pros:
- Sound quality is superb for a portable device. Much better than the OP1 which I owned a while ago.
- Workflow is fast: it feels snappy.
- Integrarion with Live is seamless.
- Sampling works great.

Cons:
- Can be limited for certain users: 4 tracks, no audio tracks.
- It looks like half push: not really an interesting design imho
- Battery life is not great
for a portable device.
- It’s compact but not the most portable device out there.

All in all the Move really surprised me more than I expected and I think it’s a compelling and competitively priced portable music making device. You won’t get fully fleshed tracks but that’s not the point of this device. You’re supposed to finish them in Live. If you don’t use Ableton the you should look somewhere else.

in my opinion this is a toy. an expensive toy. that doesnt mean its a bad product. its a good product. but it's a toy. it wont make your workflow better, if anything it will make it worse due to its limitations.

so yes, its a toy, if you want to buy a toy to play around and you can afford it, its cool. i like it. but dont expect it to be a serious product that improves your serious workflow in any way, it will not.

it is a fun toy.

it also works as an Ableton Live midi controller, so if you don't have Push, its also a pro. Even if you have a Push, you might want this as a smaller controller to have on your table.

Just dont buy this if you:
- cant really afford it.
- you think you need this to improve your workflow.

this is just a toy that works as a sketchpad for music production. KNOW WHAT YOU BUY, since it's a expensive toy. again, i like it, i can afford it, and i know what i'm buying.