DAW / Ableton
Ableton Live 12
9.2Essential
Ableton Live 12 is a digital audio workstation (DAW) for music creation, performance, recording, mixing, and production, available in Intro, Standard, and Suite editions.
Plugin comparison
Ableton Live 12 vs Splice Create
Specs, price and the Dubspot Score, side by side — with our verdict on which daw to buy.
Independent score / workflow fit / buying signal
Contenders
The side-by-side
Splice Create is a free macOS DAW powered by the Splice sample catalog, with voice and text control, built-in instruments and a $9.99/mo Pro tier.
Technical matrix
Specs compared
| Signal | Ableton Live 12 | Splice Create |
|---|---|---|
| Price | — | Free |
| Dubspot Score | 9.2 | — |
| Formats | VST2, VST3, Audio Unit v2 (AU), Audio Unit v3 (AUv3) | standalone, macOS |
| Editions | Three: Intro, Standard, Suite | — |
| Plugin format support | VST2, VST3, and Audio Unit v2 and v3 | — |
| Audio & MIDI tracks | Intro: 16; Standard & Suite: Unlimited | — |
| Scenes | Intro: 16; Standard & Suite: Unlimited | — |
| Software instruments | Intro: 8; Standard: 12; Suite: 21 | — |
| Audio effects | Intro: 27; Standard: 36; Suite: 59 | — |
| Sound library size | Intro: 5+ GB; Standard: 38+ GB; Suite: 71+ GB | — |
| Max for Live | Included in Suite edition only | — |
| Type | — | Standalone desktop DAW |
| Platform | — | macOS 12 or later (beta) |
| Coming soon | — | Windows and web versions |
| Bundled sounds | — | Splice Sounds catalog, 100% royalty-free |
| Instruments | — | Splice INSTRUMENT virtual instruments |
| Plugins | — | 130+ rent-to-own tools, interest-free monthly payments |
| Assistance | — | Voice and text control, Point guidance, Assist |
| Export | — | Full mixes or stems as WAV (Create Pro) |
| DAW interop | — | Open sessions in Ableton Live; shortcut presets for Ableton, Logic, Bitwig, Pro Tools |
| Price | — | Free; Create Pro $9.99/mo introductory |
See the full plugin database for more comparisons.