Control Ableton Live with your voice
Talk to LIA and it performs supported Ableton Live actions through LIA Bridge, the small helper app that connects LIA to Ableton Live. Voice control with push-to-talk is included on paid plans, and Realtime Talk Mode is planned for launch as a live, back and forth conversation on supported plans. Voice follows the same shipped catalog as text.
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Voice lets you keep your hands on an instrument and ask LIA out loud. It runs the same shipped actions as typing, inside your Ableton Live session, through LIA Bridge, the small helper app that connects LIA to Ableton Live. For the full list of what you can ask, see the command catalog. To watch it in a real session, see the live demos.
Voice performs the same catalog as text and nothing outside it. Everything runs in Ableton Live through LIA Bridge on macOS and Windows. You talk to LIA from your browser, on desktop or phone.
What you can say
Voice mirrors the command catalog. Speak the same requests you would type, and LIA returns editable MIDI and session actions.
- Create MIDI:
"Write a warm lo-fi chord progression in E flat minor" - Build drums and beats:
"Build a heavy techno beat around 128 BPM" - Edit and arrange ideas:
"Make the melody darker and move it up an octave" - Session actions:
"Create a new MIDI track and load that bassline into it" - Mix suggestions:
"Suggest EQ and compression moves for this bass"
Mix suggestions stay suggestions by voice too: LIA proposes the moves and you choose which to apply. See the full breakdown in the command catalog.
How to start
Getting to voice takes three steps:
- Open LIA from your browser, on desktop or phone.
- Connect LIA Bridge to Ableton Live. New to this? Follow getting started and the Bridge setup for macOS or Windows.
- Start voice and speak your request. With push-to-talk you hold to talk, then let go, so LIA only listens when you ask it to.
Realtime Talk Mode (planned for launch)
Realtime Talk Mode is planned for launch as a live, back and forth conversation with LIA: you would talk your way through the session and keep the exchange going without stopping to type. It is planned for Studio up. Voice control still works with push-to-talk from Starter up. See how the plans compare on pricing.
Tips
- Name a concrete action.
"Load that drum pattern into a new track"lands more cleanly than a vague ask. - Say the key, tempo or feel when it matters, for example
"a darker pad in E flat minor". - Keep the conversation going: ask for a variation or a change and refine the idea in place, exactly as you would by text.
Limitation
Voice follows the same shipped catalog as text. It does what the command catalog lists and nothing beyond it. Voice control with push-to-talk is included on paid plans from Starter up, and Realtime Talk Mode is planned for launch from Studio up.
Frequently asked questions
What can I do with voice control?
You can do by voice what you can do by text: create melodies, chords, basslines and drum patterns, build beats, refine ideas in conversation, run supported session actions, and ask for mix suggestions. Voice follows the same shipped catalog.
Which plans include voice?
Voice control with push-to-talk is included on paid plans from Starter up. Realtime Talk Mode, the live back and forth voice conversation with LIA, is planned for launch from Studio up. See the plan breakdown on the pricing page.
Do I need LIA Bridge for voice?
Yes. Voice performs actions in Ableton Live through LIA Bridge on macOS or Windows, so the Bridge needs to be connected while you work, just like it is for typed commands.
Does voice do anything text cannot?
No. Voice runs the same shipped catalog as text. It is a faster way to ask while your hands are on an instrument, not a separate set of capabilities.
Next: browse the command catalog, set up in getting started, watch the live demos, or compare plans on pricing.