Ableton has announced a robust update, currently in the beta stages of development, to its wildly popular Live software.

Live 9.7 will continue the company’s mission to optimize its flagship software into an intuitive instrument for studio composition and live performance. More options for sound manipulation, an improved drum layout, and a variety of other on-screen workflow improvements enables easier slicing, recording, and programming.

Full features include:

–New slicing functions – chop samples by beat divisions or regions, as well as manually or by transients.
–New drum layout – with 16 set velocity levels for playing and programming more dynamic beats.
–Hands-on audio routing – select and record ins and outs directly from Push for sampling external or internal audio without disrupting your flow.
–Visual feedback for tighter recordings – new display info shows clip phase and count-in so you can start and finish clip recordings more accurately.
–Hands-on color customization – color pads, tracks and clips using Push to make your performance easier.
–Better playability – pad sensitivity adapts to what you play, whether it’s drums or sustained chords.

The update will be free for all Live users. You can join the Ableton beta community beforehand by going here.