Ableton Live 12.3 interface showing the new Splice integration browser panel
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SoftwareNovember 25, 20257 min read

Ableton Live 12.3: Stem Separation, Splice Integration, and Major Push 3 Updates

Ableton Live 12.3 brings AI-powered stem separation, built-in Splice integration, bounce groups, and game-changing Push 3 expressive features. Here's everything new.

Ableton Live 12.3 is here, and it's one of the most feature-packed point releases the company has ever shipped. From AI-powered stem separation to built-in Splice integration, this free update for all Live 12 users delivers tools that producers have been requesting for years.

Let's break down everything new in Live 12.3.

Stem Separation: AI-Powered Sample Splitting

The headline feature of Live 12.3 is Stem Separation, available in Live 12 Suite. With just a couple of clicks, you can split any audio into separate vocal, drum, bass, and instrumental stems.

The technology is powered by MusicAI (the team behind Moises) and runs entirely offline on your computer. Your audio isn't uploaded anywhere—everything happens locally.

What you can do with it:

  • Extract clean acapellas from full tracks for remixes
  • Remove drums or bass from samples to avoid frequency clashes
  • Isolate instrumental parts and convert them to MIDI
  • Pull apart any track to reveal its raw materials

This opens up serious creative possibilities for sample-based production. Take a vocal from one song, drums from another, and build something entirely new.

Splice Integration: Search Without Leaving Live

If you're a Splice subscriber, Live 12.3 brings the entire Splice library directly into Live's browser. No more switching windows or manual downloading—you can search, filter, and audition samples from within Live, with everything synced to your project's tempo and key.

The standout feature here is Search with Sound. Capture audio from your project (or drag an existing clip into the Splice panel) and let Splice recommend samples that match the rhythm or harmony of your material. Made an 8-bar drum groove and want a complementary percussion loop? Just drag your clip into Splice Search and it'll suggest loops with similar grooves.

This kind of contextual sample discovery is a genuine workflow improvement. You can try dozens of ideas in seconds without breaking your creative flow.

Bounce Groups and Paste Bounced Audio

Live 12.3 expands the bouncing functionality introduced in 12.2 with two key additions:

Bounce Groups: You can now bounce entire group tracks in place, capturing all the group's devices and processing into a single audio file. Have a drum group with 10 tracks? A vocal chain with heavy processing? Freeze them into a single audio track with one command.

Paste Bounced Audio: Copy any clip or time selection (MIDI or audio), then paste it as bounced audio onto a track or take lane. Live renders that snippet on the fly and drops in the resulting audio. You can repeat this multiple times, making tweaks in between—perfect for quickly iterating on sound design ideas.

These features eliminate tedious workarounds that producers have been complaining about for years. The ability to bounce groups alone is a massive time-saver for anyone doing submixing or stem exports.

Auto Pan-Tremolo: A Classic Device Reimagined

The longtime Auto Pan effect has been rebuilt as Auto Pan-Tremolo, combining panning and volume modulation in one versatile device. The updated version includes:

  • Tabbed interface for switching between Pan and Tremolo modes
  • Attack smoothing to preserve transients
  • Frequency modulation by input signal level
  • Extended time sync options including free-running times up to several seconds

Whether you want subtle stereo movement on pads, vintage amp-style tremolo on guitars, or aggressive trance gate stutters on synths, this device now covers it all. It's available in all editions of Live 12.3, including Intro and Lite.

A/B Comparison for All Stock Devices

A small but powerful addition: all of Live's stock instruments and effects now have built-in A/B comparison. Right-click a device title bar to switch between two sets of parameter settings on the fly.

This is incredibly useful for mixing decisions—dial in two different EQ curves or compressor settings and flip between them instantly to hear which one works better. It's also great for sound design, letting you tweak parameters on State B while preserving the original in State A.

Note that this currently works only with Ableton's native devices; third-party plugins aren't supported in this initial implementation.

New Creative Packs

Live 12.3 includes new content packs for Suite users:

Generators by Iftah: Includes Sting (an acid bass pattern generator inspired by 303-style sequences) and Patterns (which creates percussive rhythms at the click of a button). Sting is adapted from one of the most popular Max for Live devices ever—Ableton has essentially made a beloved community tool official.

Expressive Chords Update: The harmonic MIDI tool now includes a Chord Edit mode, letting you transpose selected chords or input your own chords via a Learn function.

Sequencers Update: Now supports reproducible arrangements, so generative sequences can be locked and recorded for consistent playback in your final arrangements.

Push 3: Major Expressive Upgrades

The Push 3 updates in Live 12.3 are substantial. Ableton is clearly moving Push from being primarily a controller to becoming a genuinely expressive instrument.

XYZ Expressive Pad Layout

The new XYZ layout transforms Push 3's pad grid into a three-dimensional touch surface. Each pad senses finger position across X and Y axes, with pressure as Z. Sliding your finger across the pads morphs assigned parameters in real time, and pressing down triggers punch-in effects.

Every instrument and effect comes with expressive macros pre-mapped, but you can assign your own parameters to the three axes. Map X to filter cutoff, Y to reverb mix, and Z to distortion—now you can sculpt all three with one finger movement.

Rhythm Generator

A new generative drum pattern mode turns 16 pads into four vertical sliders controlling pattern parameters like length, density, variation, and rhythm shift. As you adjust them, the drum pattern evolves in real time with visual feedback on the upper pad matrix.

It's excellent for sparking ideas when you're stuck or for live performance where you want to improvise drum patterns on the fly.

Touch-Sensitive Step Editing

You can now adjust step velocities by sliding your finger on the pads. Hold the Accent button and slide vertically on any step to change its velocity. Slide across multiple pads to create smooth velocity curves across a run of notes.

This makes humanizing programmed beats much more intuitive—swipe to create dynamic variations rather than turning knobs.

Class-Compliant Audio Interface Support

Push 3 Standalone now supports class-compliant USB audio interfaces for expanded I/O. Connect an external interface to Push's USB port for additional inputs and outputs, better preamps, or integration with DJ mixers and outboard gear.

This significantly expands Push 3's viability as a standalone production hub.

How to Get Live 12.3

Live 12.3 is a free update for all Live 12 users. It will install automatically the next time you open Live. If auto-update is turned off, download it from your Ableton user account.

Ableton is also running a sale until December 2nd:

  • 25% off Live 12 (all editions)
  • 20% off Push 3 and the Push Upgrade Kit
  • 20% off Move
  • 25% off all Packs

Where to buy:

For full details, check the official Ableton release notes.

Live 12.3 represents Ableton continuing to deliver meaningful updates throughout the Live 12 cycle. The stem separation and Splice integration alone justify the update, and the Push 3 enhancements show Ableton's commitment to evolving their hardware through software. If you're a Live 12 user, update now—these tools will likely become part of your regular workflow.

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