Playing Chess Against LLMs and the Mystery of Instruct ModelsAt first glance, trying to play chess against a large language model (LLM) seems like a daft idea, as its weighted nodes have, at most, been trained on some chess-adjacent texts. It has no concept of board state, stratagems, or even whatever a ‘rook’ or ‘knight’ piece is. This daftness is indeed demonstrated by [Dynomight] in a recent blog post (Substack version), where the Stockfish chess AI is pitted against a range of LLMs, from a small Llama model to GPT-3.5. Although the outcomes (see featured image) are largely as you’d expect, there is one surprise: the gpt-3.5-turbo-instruct model, which seems quite capable of giving Stockfish a run for its money, albeit on Stockfish’s lower settings.
Each model was given the same query, telling it to be a chess grandmaster, to use standard notation, and to choose its next move. The stark difference between the instruct model and the others calls investigation. OpenAI describes the instruct model as an ‘InstructGPT 3.5 class model’, which leads us to this page on OpenAI’s site and an associated 2022 paper that describes how InstructGPT is effectively the standard GPT LLM model heavily fine-tuned using human feedback.

Ultimately, it seems that instruct models do better with instruction-based queries because they have been programmed that way using extensive tuning. A [Hacker News] thread from last year discusses the Turbo vs Instruct version of GPT 3.5. That thread also uses chess as a comparison point. Meanwhile, ChatGPT is a sibling of InstructGPT, per OpenAI, using Reinforcement Learning from Human Feedback (RLHF), with presumably ChatGPT users now mostly providing said feedback.
OpenAI notes repeatedly that InstructGPT nor ChatGPT provide correct responses all the time. However, within the limited problem space of chess, it would seem that it’s good enough not to bore a dedicated chess AI into digital oblivion.
If you want a digital chess partner, try your Postscript printer. Chess software doesn’t have to be as large as an AI model.

Last week in DIY & Independent Musician NewsLast week in DIY & independent musician news we covered how to prepare for Spotify Wrapped (they extended the deadline!), Bandsintown’s new free tool that let’s every artist do a ticket. Continue reading
The post Last week in DIY & Independent Musician News appeared first on Hypebot.

REWIND: Music industry news last weekA busy week by any definition and music industry news last week was no exception, with Spotify and Live Nation reporting strong growth, Bandsintown adding presales, and more…
The post REWIND: Music industry news last week appeared first on Hypebot.

Bastl introduce Kastle 2 FX Wizard  Bastl Instruments have announced the release of the Kastle 2 FX Wizard, the latest addition to its celebrated family of affordable mini-modular synthesizers.

The Jeremiah Show | Kimi Kato Show | Arwen Lewis Show | Mike Gormley ShowLISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW - https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-jeremiah-show/id1186940086?i=1000674230859THE JEREMIAH SHOW - Featuring Cameron Wright - NBC's The Voice Season 26 - Team Michael BubléWhen he was 12, Cameron recorded a tribute to Rosa Parks with songwriter Larry Long, selling over 300,000 copies!Cameron has been a guest artist at Smokey Robinson and Spike Lee events and he performed a duet with six-time Grammy award-winning music legend Al Jarreau. By the age of thirteen, he became one of the most recognized teenage singers in the country.Stevie Wonder heard him sing “The Greatest Love of All” and sought him out. He received a personal invitation from Stevie Wonder to perform at his annual House of Toys event in Los Angeles, CA.  He shared the stage with legends such as Chaka Khan, Natalie Cole, and Michael McDonald.  Cameron Wright is on season 26 of The Voice, where Michael Bublé, Gwen Stefani, Reba McEntire, and Snoop Dogg search for the country's best singers. And they may have found him!  Cameron Wright had an incredible four-chair turn during his Blind Auditions singing Barbara Streisand’s The Way We Were.”https://www.instagram.com/cameronwrightladivaSN 26 - NBC’s The VoiceMONDAYS AND TUESDAYS 8/7cMichael Bublé, Gwen Stefani, Reba McEntire, and Snoop Dogg search for the country's best singers. https://www.instagram.com/nbcthevoice/THE ARWEN LEWIS SHOW - The Arwen Lewis Show Featuring SaplingLISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW -  https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/the-arwen-lewis-show/id1744820042?i=1000660247976Once declared “the best band in America” by a heavily intoxicated gentleman at a pub gig, Sapling is New England’s premier bitchpop and art rock band.Their live show has drawn comparisons to Sleater-Kinney, Roxy Music, and Swans, undoubtedly due to their signature blending of pop hooks and confetti with spooky chaos and precariously complex signal chains. Sapling’s current lineup was formed in 2018 and features Rainy Maple Sugar Candy on bass, vocals, and extraneous woodwinds; Amber ToiletFire Tortorelli on guitar, vocals, Theremin, and whatever’s in the clown box; and Jonny Spaghetti Cordaro on drums and merriment. The band is based between central Rhode Island and Worcester, Massachusetts.  www.saplingband.comThe Arwen Lewis Showhttps://arwenlewismusic.comhttps://www.instagram.com/arwenlewishttps://www.instagram.com/thearwenlewisshowThe Arwen Lewis Show is Brought to you byevolve entertainment network - www.thejeremiahshow.comPantheon Media - http://pantheonpodcasts.com/Radio Candy Media - https://www.facebook.com/RadioCandyMedia/PROMO #3 - THE KIMI KATO SHOWTHE KIMI KATO SHOW - NicoTheOwlLISTEN TO THE INTERVIEW - https://apple.co/47IcjZsTHE KIMI KATO SHOW with Jeremiah - Featuring NICO THE OWL - MULTI-PLATINUM, GRAMMY NOMINATED PRODUCER / SONGWRITER / TASTEMAKERNicoTheOwl is an award-winning music producer and songwriter who graduated from Berklee College of Music with a jazz composition and production degree. Over his illustrious career, NicoTheOwl has collaborated with prominent artists and contributed to several acclaimed projects.His work includes producing Daniel Powter’s “Bad Day (Stripped Down),” working with Twice/Misamo on the platinum record “It’s Not Easy for You,” and producing Cher Lloyd’s hit “M.I.A,” which reached the top 5 in the UK charts. NicoTheOwl also produced Lena’s “Boundaries,” featured in the movie X-Men and a top 5 song in Germany.Beyond his work with individual artists, NicoTheOwl has contributed to the soundtracks of major films, including Zoolander 2, Coming to America 2, and Baywatch. He has also collaborated with Ayaka Hirahara, producing over ten albums and serving as her tour music director from 2010 to 2017.Drawing from an extensive background in jazz and modern production, NicoTheOwl creates evocative compositions that resonate with listeners, capturing emotion and complexity. His work continues to push the boundaries of music production, earning widespread recognition and a loyal following.
NicoTheOwl aka Nicolas Farmakalidis
https://www.instagram.com/nicotheowlTHE KIMI KATO SHOWHost - Kimi KatoCo-Host - Jeremiah D. HigginsExecutive Producers - Kimi Kato & Jeremiah D. HigginsSound Engineer - Graham Parker | Surprise StudioKimi Kato on Instagram https://www.instagram.com/kimitaka.katohttps://www.instagram.com/project_asteriProject Asteri Website: https://projectasteri.comTHE MIKE GORMLEY SHOW Featuring Cary Baker,  author of “Down On The Corner - Adventures in Busking and Street Music”Mike Gormley catches up with his long-time friend, author Cary Baker.Cary Baker is a writer from Chicago, Illinois, who worked as a freelance journalist before becoming a publicist in the music industry. Cary began writing in high school, publishing the blues fanzine Blue Flame.After studying journalism at Northern Illinois University, Cary Baker was an editor at Triad Magazine and later directed publicity and wrote liner notes for Ovation Records. Also at this time, Cary ran the short-lived record label Fiction Records. Cary wrote freelance articles for several publications throughout the 1970s and early 1980s.In 1984, he became the vice president of publicity at I.R.S. Records, where he worked with artists such as R.E.M. and the Go-Go's until 1988, when he became the national director of media & artist relations for Capitol Records, a position he held for two years.Following his time at Capitol Records, Cary worked for a variety of independent record labels, as well as for PLA Media in Nashville, Tennessee. Cary Baker founded two publicity firms, Baker/Northrop Media Group and Conqueroo. In 2022, he announced his retirement from the music industry and a return to writing.https://www.carybaker.comhttps://www.instagram.com/_caryroo_THE MIKE GORMLEY SHOWHost | Mike GormleyExecutive Producer | Jeremiah D. HigginsSenior Sound Engineer | Producer - Graham Palmer | Surprise StudioMike Gormley's Socialshttp://www.lapersdev.com/https://www.instagram.com/lapersonaldevelopmenthttps://www.facebook.com/mike.gormley.10The Mike Gormley Show is Proudly Brought to You By evolve entertainment networkwww.thejeremiahshow.com, http://pantheonpodcasts.com/, https://radiocandy.media/Find Graham Palmer Surprise Studio on Instagram at:https://www.instagram.com/surprise__studioThe post The Jeremiah Show | Kimi Kato Show | Arwen Lewis Show | Mike Gormley Show first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

Daniel Ek just cashed out $35.8 million in Spotify shares. But that’s nothing compared to his co-founder… who just cashed out $383.8 million.Spotify’s share price is flying. Following the firm’s announcement of its Q3 2024 results on Tuesday (November 12), SPOT’s stock price jumped on the NYSE, closing at an all-time high of USD $477.50 yesterday (November 14). It settled back down to $458.32 at the close of trading today (November 15), but that was still enough … Continued
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Ethena adopts fee-sharing proposal for ENA tokenNow the protocol is working on a value accrual mechanism for ENA stakers. 

Unlike X, Bluesky says it won’t train AI on your postsBluesky, a social network that’s experiencing a surge in users this week as users abandon X, says it has “no intention” of using user content to train generative AI tools. The social network made the announcement on the same day that X (formerly Twitter) is implementing its new terms of service that allow the platform […]
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Bypassing Airpods Hearing Aid Georestriction With a Faraday CageWhen Apple recently announced the hearing aid feature on their new AirPods Pro 2, it got the attention of quite a few people. Among these were [Rithwik Jayasimha] and friends, with [Rithwik] getting a pair together with his dad for use by his hard-of-hearing grandmother. That’s when he found out that this feature is effectively limited to the US and a small number of other countries due them being ‘regulated health features’, per Apple. With India not being on the approved countries list and with no interest in official approval legalities, [Rithwik] set to work to devise a way to bypass this restriction.
As noted in the blog post, the primary reason for using AirPods here instead of official hearing aids is due to the cost of the latter, which makes them a steal for anyone who is dealing with mild to moderate hearing loss. Following the official Hearing Aid feature setup instructions requires that your location is detected as being in an approved country. If it is, the Health App (on iOS 18.1) will popup a ‘Get Started’ screen. The challenge was thus to make the iOS device believe that it was actually in the FDA-blessed US and not India.
Merely spoofing the location and locale didn’t work, so the next step was to put the iOS device into a Faraday cage along with an ESP32 that broadcast California-based WiFi SSIDs. Once the thus treated iPad rebooted into the US, it could be used to enable the hearing aid feature. Next [Rithwik] and friends created a more streamlined setup and procedure to make it possible for others to replicate this feat.
As also noted in the blog post, the Hearing Aid feature is essentially a specially tuned Transparency mode preset, which is why using AirPods for this feature has been a thing for a while, but with this preset it’s much better tuned for cases of hearing loss.

Megan Thee Stallion Event Calls on Showtime & Sommer CableLeading event production specialists Showtime Sound LLC recently supported the debut concert at the new Audi Field in Washington, D.C. Featuring Megan Thee Stallion, the event utilized SC-Mercator QUAD 4 x CAT.7 cable from Sommer Cable, a 2025 TEC Award finalist.One of the biggest US music gatherings, the Broccoli City Festival was an impressive debut for the new Audi Field venue. This year's two-day festival was headlined by Megan Thee Stallion and Gunna, with special guest Offset. The star-studded gathering celebrated music, culture, and unity for crowds of 40,000+ attendees over two days.Showtime Sound continued their reliance on trusted partners at L-Acoustics, Absen Inc., Tyler Truss Systems, LLC, and Sommer Cable to ensure a smooth and flawless event. Marc Chauvin (SSM, MSPM, CTS), Showtime's Director of Technical Operations explained the choice of cabling, "In planning transmission systems for audio, lighting, and video distribution we know that reliability and quality is a must to ensure the high level of productions that we do. No single show for us is more or less important than any other - that's why we continue to invest and rely on our partnership with Sommer Cable."Photo by Pete Redel.The post Megan Thee Stallion Event Calls on Showtime & Sommer Cable first appeared on Music Connection Magazine.

I Want To Believe: How To Make Technology Value JudgementsIn the iconic 1990s TV series The X Files, David Duchovny’s FBI agent-paranormal investigator Fox Mulder has a poster on his office wall. It shows a flying saucer in flight, with the slogan “I Want To Believe”. It perfectly sums up the dilemma the character faces. And while I’m guessing that only a few Hackaday readers have gone down the full lizard-people rabbit hole, wanting to believe is probably something that a lot of us who love sci-fi understand. It would be a fascinating event for science if a real extraterrestrial craft would show up, so of course we want to believe to some extent, even if we’re not seriously expecting it to appear in a Midwestern cornfield and break out the probes any time soon.
By All Means Believe. But Don’t Wreck Your Career
The infamous Fleischmann and Pons paper from 1989 on cold fusion.
Outside the realm of TV drama and science fiction it’s a sentiment that also applies in more credible situations. Back at the end of the 1980s for example when so-called cold fusion became a global story it seemed as though we might be on the verge of the Holy Grail of clean energy breakthroughs. Sadly we never got our Mr. Fusion to power our DeLorean, and the scientific proof was revealed to be on very weak foundations. The careers of the two researchers involved were irreparably damaged, and the entire field became a byword for junk science. A more recently story in a similar vein is the EM drive, a theoretical reactionless force generator that was promising enough at one point that even NASA performed some research on it. Sadly there were no magic engines forthcoming, so while it was worth reporting on the initial excitement, we’re guessing the story won’t come back.
When evaluating a scientific or technical breakthrough that seems as miraculous as it is unexpected then, of course we all want to believe. We evaluate based on the information we have in front of us though, and we all have a credibility pyramid. There’s nothing wrong with having an interest in fields that are more hope than delivery, indeed almost every technology that powers our world will at some time have to overcome skepticism in its gestation period. Perhaps it’s best to say that it’s okay to have hope, but hope shouldn’t override our scrutiny of the proof. Of course I want a perpetual motion machine, who wouldn’t, but as a fictional engineer once allegedly said, “Ye cannae change the laws of physics”.
An Example Here In 2024
The hydrogen future is very seductive. But does it work? Jóhann Heiðar Árnason, CC BY-SA 3.0.
All this introspection has been brought to the fore for me by something very much in the present, the so-called hydrogen economy. It’s difficult to ignore our climate emergency, and among the energy solutions aimed at doing something about it, hydrogen seems very promising.
It’s really easy to make from water by electrolysis, there are several ways to turn it into useful energy, and the idea is that if you can store it for later use you’re on to a winner. We’ve seen hydrogen cars, trucks, aircraft, heavy machinery, trains, and even the gas supplanting methane in the domestic grid, so surely the hydrogen future is well under way, right?
Sadly not, because as many a pilot project has shown, it’s difficult to store or transport, it makes many existing metal fittings brittle, and the environmental benefit is often negated by the hydrogen being generated from higher carbon electrical supplies. We still want to believe, but we can’t claim it’s delivering yet.
Whenever we feature a hydrogen-based story, as for example with this experimental storage tech from Swiss researchers, there is no shortage of comments about all of hydrogen’s shortcomings, and some even accuse us of somehow being the snake-oil salesmen shilling the questionable product. I feel this misses the point, that even though in almost all cases the battery is for now the better option, we cover interesting technology stories regardless of judgements over their eventual success. Hydrogen has enough real science and engineering behind it that its problems might one day be overcome, thus we’d be doing our readers a disservice if we didn’t cover it. There are sometimes newsworthy stories upon which we very much take a credible stand based on opinion, but when it comes to pure tech stories such as a hydrogen vehicle we’re simply reporting on the story because we find it interesting and we think you will too. We don’t know that the breakthrough engineering work won’t occur, but we do know that it hasn’t yet.
So when looking at a piece of technology that’s not delivered on its promise, ask for a moment whether there’s a likely “yet” on the end of the sentence without too much of a suspension of credibility. You might find yourself pleasantly surprised.

“We dare say it’s probably the most complete, portable sequencer ever built”: Teenage Engineering introduces the OP-XYLast week, astute Reddit users cottoned on to a potential new product from the Teenage Engineering camp, thanks to an FCC filing which suggested the imminent launch of the OP-XY.
Now, the OP-XY, a successor to the Swedish brand’s OP-Z synth, has officially arrived. Dubbed an “all-in-one powerful synthesizer and composer with deep, direct sequencing capabilities”, the OP-XY takes the advanced sequencing of the OP-Z and places it in a smaller enclosure, more similar to the brands’ OP-1.

READ MORE: 5 of the best new plugins, effects and VST instruments released this week

The OP-XY features a shrunk-down keyboard relative to the OP-1, and adds a strip of 16 LED-equipped buttons which control its 64-step sequencer. There’s also portability-friendly features like a built-in speaker and a USB-C rechargeable battery with up to 16 hours of continuous use, as well as 8GB of internal storage, 512MB of RAM and a dual CPU system. There’s also a gyroscope which enables the user to bring tracks in and out by rotating the unit.

Meanwhile, the OP-XY also features 24-voice polyphony, multiple synth engines, and a stereo signal path. In terms of connectivity, the OP-XY also sports a 3.5mm stereo input, MIDI in and MIDI sync, and Bluetooth.
“Be careful what you wish for – we know you’ve had wet fantasies about a no-compromise, dual-CPU-boosted and fully rebuilt sequencer, sampler and performance instrument, based on the much-loved workflow of the OP-Z,” reads the product page on TE’s website.
“Now including built-in CV, effect sends, and a best-in-class DAC. with 8 individual instrument tracks and 8 auxiliary tracks for controlling any external synthesizer, modular or otherwise, and adding effects. We dare to say it’s probably the most complete, portable sequencer ever built. It’s here. It’s real. It’s black. And it’s got so much more than you’ve wished for.”
In terms of price, the OP-XY clocks in at $2,299, a significantly higher price tag than both the OP-1 and OP-Z.
For more information, head to Teenage Engineering.
The post “We dare say it’s probably the most complete, portable sequencer ever built”: Teenage Engineering introduces the OP-XY appeared first on MusicTech.

“We wanted to make something simpler, more immediate, more joyful”: How Ableton built MoveA tiny-but-mighty travel buddy. A pint-sized production station. A mini, mobile, music machine. What are we talking about? Ableton Move, of course.
In October, seemingly out of nowhere, the Berlin-based outfit dropped its latest foray into the world of standalone hardware – and this time it’s all about portability. “We wanted to make something more accessible to enable music makers of all experience levels to create with Ableton hardware,” says Johannes Russ, Ableton’s head of product, Move. “We wanted something simpler, more immediate, more joyful.”
Appealing to the small, but not insignificant, demographic of music makers who want to regularly produce on the go, Move boasts in-built speakers, a rechargeable battery, a microphone for quick and gritty sampling, some premium pads, buttons, and dials, and a solid selection of instrumental sounds. It’s also surprisingly robust at just under 1kg, with a tough, slab-like feel that seems to promise longevity, and while there are no immediate plans to weather-proof the Move – “maybe in future generations” Russ laughs when asked – this is a groovebox that will be as much at home on a park bench as on a couch cushion.
Ableton’s vision is for Move to serve as a starting point – ideal for catching a rough idea on the fly, building it up into something with legs, and then taking it to the next level in Ableton’s recently refreshed desktop DAW, Live 12. Once you’re familiar with the unit’s largely intuitive layout, the journey from a vague idea to fully realised production can happen surprisingly fast.
Ableton Move, photo by Simon Vinall
This is no accident. To ensure that Move will become your go-to device for rapid musical ideation, Ableton has taken pains to ensure you can blast past those irksome creative roadblocks “We have this design principle of immediacy,” Russ explains. “We want to get you creating super quick. But something we learned, from talking to people about Push and Live, is that when you start a new idea there can be this feeling of decision paralysis; this is something we wanted to address.”
The team’s solution was to build in some creative variation at the foundational level. Boot up Move and each new set you make will come populated with four randomly selected instruments broadly providing melody, harmony, percussion and bass. It’s a simple but surprisingly effective way of avoiding the decide-o-phobia that can come with a blank canvas “Honestly, it started as a hack when we were quickly building and prototyping,” Russ says of the design feature. “But everyone just loved it, and so we stuck with it. Now people want it for Push and Live as well because it’s such a great idea starter.”
Of course, Russ points out that if you already have a strong idea, or just prefer to start from scratch, then Move can also provide you with a clean slate. “It’s not for everyone,” he concedes. “We certainly don’t want to overrule your creativity – but in the context of Move, it’s just a great way to get started super quickly.”
You might think a device that prioritises accessibility would primarily interest young producers who are still learning their craft, but Russ says that, surprisingly, the people initially seizing on Move’s potential have been the power users.
Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
“It’s interesting,” he muses. “The first wave of people that bought it are on the very prolific end of things; existing Live users that view it as this kind of idea machine.” Russ points out that users have already gotten busy hacking still-experimental features to export Drift and Drum Rack presets to Move from Live – with one user exporting a whopping 196 Drift presets and sharing them with the Ableton community. “There’s a Discord channel where people are starting to share these presets, I have to say it all happened much faster than I expected.”
While the pros are already pushing Move’s limits, Russ says that over the longer term, he sees the device having lots of potential for producers who are just starting out – or even as a tool for music education. “It’s a great way to teach concepts around how loops work, how drum machines work,” he enthuses. “I’ve given it to younger people in my family and they had a great time because there’s this immediate sense of ‘Hey, I can play this!’ So, we are looking into how Move can work in education; we have a partnership with Melodics, and we’ve included some lessons with Move so that you can use Melodics to start playing finger drums.”
Move invites a number of comparisons with its hardware big brother, 2023’s Push 3 standalone, but, in truth, initial ideas for the instrument started percolating through Ableton in 2016 with the release of Push 2.“The question of how to make standalone hardware was quite important at that time,” Russ recalls. “One answer to that is Push, which is based on Live, but we also began building up a completely new technology platform, which now powers Note and Move.”
For this reason, Russ says the frequent characterisations of Move as a ‘mini Push’ miss the mark: “The connotation there is that Move can do everything Push can do. We borrow concepts from Push, obviously, but the better comparison is to see it as Note in hardware form.”
Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
Ableton’s Note app for iOS has fast become a favourite for producers on the go – offering a boiled-down version of Live’s clip-centric Session View, some nice input methods for capturing beats and melodies, and the ability to export projects and port them over to Live via Ableton Cloud. As it’s built on the same engine, it’s no surprise that Move harnesses the same instruments, effects, and workflow – but where the iOS app served as a digital notepad, Move is more of a full-fledged sketchbook.
There’s a row of nine endless-scroll, touch-sensitive encoders, thirty-two velocity-sensitive pads, lots of navigation buttons which give a very satisfying ‘click’ when pushed, and, in contrast to Note, a nicely featured offline sequencer section. Where touchscreen-based music production can still feel a bit cramped and uninspiring, Move takes those same foundations and makes them feel liberating.
“It has this tactility in its workflow,” says Russ of the hardware’s design. “The pads have polyphonic aftertouch so you can express yourself in a much richer way, there are all these direct access buttons, different modifiers, and shortcuts. It’s for people who really enjoy playing an instrument.
“There’s also something about the immersion you get when sitting down on the couch with Move on your lap,” Russ continues. “Speaking for myself, I could easily spend an hour with it and I get really immersed – the Note app is great for shorter moments, like when you want to put down an idea or quickly try out a couple of things.”
Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
While Move may be most closely related to Note, the instrument also fits seamlessly into Ableton’s larger product ecosystem. Achieving that tight integration was a significant design challenge in itself. “It meant many iterations and many conversations with designers from Live, Push, and Note,” allows Russ. “You always need to think about what can easily be transferred to these other products. So, there were prototypes where we had a fantastic feature idea that worked well on Move, but we just couldn’t make them work with the existing concepts of Live. Those ideas we had to take out.”
For the most part, Ableton’s pursuit of seamless integration has paid off. The new Move Manager, a browser-based tool for handling sets, samples, presets, and recordings, lets you wirelessly sync projects to your computer via a local area network, and everything you do on Move can be continued on Live. Of course, taking your projects in the opposite direction – from Live to Move – is not currently feasible, but Russ makes clear that the links between these devices will only get tighter in the future.
“How these products connect and collaborate with each other is something we will look into over the coming years,” he states. “That’s really the next phase because we have these four products now; two based on Live and Push, and two based on the new platform that powers Move and Note. They’re always going to be in slightly different worlds, but there are ways to connect these things.”
Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
It’s unlikely we’ll ever be able to open a fully-fledged Live project on Move, but a safer bet would be a streamlined process for loading on your own presets and samples – something Russ clearly sees as essential. “Move is not just a preset machine,” he emphasises. “There’s a real need for people to personalise it, to enable people to bring their own sounds to it and make it their own.”
Slotting Move into the Ableton software ecosystem was tricky, but perhaps the biggest hurdles lay on the hardware side. Balancing weight, power, portability, and real-time audio performance, while keeping the unit affordable – compared to the mighty Push, which comes in at £1669 for the standalone version, Move’s £399 price point is downright cheap – presented plenty of challenges. Hell, even fine-tuning Move’s wireless connectivity system took the better part of a year, says Russ.
“In all honesty, figuring out the hardware stack took us much longer than expected,” he reflects. “In the end, we realised we were trying to build a computer – with everything that entails.”
Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
Move employs a low-power Quad-core ARM CPU with a bare 2GB of RAM, and has to balance its capabilities against a four-hour battery life. With those kinds of real-world limitations, the team behind Move at times had to sacrifice more expansive feature sets to ensure that the instrument retained the fast and immediate workflow they were aiming for.
“We know there’s a big conversation around why Move has four tracks and not eight,” Russ concedes. “Our top priority was that Move would feel very fluid and very snappy; the UI shouldn’t lag, there needs to be really fast loading times, you can automate any parameter and there’s never any performance issues or audio dropouts. That’s something we prioritised over feature breadth.”
What’s important about those trade-offs is that the team weren’t working in a bubble when they made them; from conception, to design, to prototyping, to production, Russ says user involvement is key. “There’s a whole process around how we think about UX and usability,” he says. “We iterate a lot, we do a lot of user testing to really make every interaction as intuitive as possible, and we listen a lot to community feedback. Our Discord server is open and people put up their wish lists, and it’s something that we actively look at.”
Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
The importance of user feedback doesn’t end on launch day either, Russ makes clear that during the post-release period, users have a lot of power to steer future updates: “The community can really help us shape the future. Of course, we’re always going to factor in our own product vision, our design principles, and things like feasibility — but we actively look at that user feedback to see what the community is wishing for.”
So do people wish for? And what might Ableton deliver? On that front, Russ says we’ll have to wait and see. “Obviously people ask us ‘when is feature XYZ’ coming,” he says ruefully. “That’s something we don’t disclose for a simple reason: we just don’t want to disappoint people. Things are often more complex than people expect, and they just take longer.”
“We are actually not a big team,” Russ continues. “I feel that sometimes people think of Ableton as this huge company which, in the grand scheme of things, we’re not. So, we need to go step by step and take time to get things right.”
He might opt for discretion when it comes to specific features or timeframes, but Russ is unequivocal about the potential Move has to grow in the coming months and years. “It is a very modern software platform that’s powering it,” Russ says as he considers Move’s future. “There’s a lot of potential to bring new instruments and effects and add to the workflow. There’s still a lot of things we want to unfold in the future.”
Image: Simon Vinall for MusicTech
It’s hard not to love Move once you get your hands on it. It identifies and addresses a musical niche few other companies are touching, and does so with style. For people who want to get creative on the morning commute, sit under a tree and jam some beats, or just need an affordable Live controller that won’t eat up too much desk space, Move is an intriguing option. As Ableton continues to refine and expand its capabilities, it could become an essential.
The post “We wanted to make something simpler, more immediate, more joyful”: How Ableton built Move appeared first on MusicTech.

From GEMA’s copyright lawsuit against OpenAI to Hipgnosis’ $1.47bn ABS deal… it’s MBW’s Weekly Round-UpThe biggest stories from the past week – all in one place…
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Jin of BTS is the latest artist to launch an interactive hub on TikTok to promote new solo album, ‘Happy’TikTok has partnered with K-Pop superstar Jin on a new multimedia campaign in support of his first solo album, Happy,
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