xp for live, XP, is a new spatial sound system developed for Ableton workflow. Initiated during residency at Ircam in 2019/2020. Xp is both a software development project and an axis of work at the intersection of spatial audio and generative design. It is an ambitious project that is planned to last several years and gathering years of experience in the field of spatial audio.
xp has its own website here www.xp4l.com
xp refers to both ‘expand’ and to the oral abbreviation for ‘experimental’ in French.
xp4l is a fully integrated solution designed to expand with simplicity Ableton Live potential toward the field of spatial sound performance. The goal of xp4l is to provide Ableton users with a flexible and simplified environment to create 3d audio projects.
It is made of a free m4l (max-for-live) suit consisting of 5 devices and a standalone application that users have to purchase. I used to call familiarly this package xp system.
Given the challenge of developing such features in Ableton Live, it was nonetheless important to try to retain as much as possible the spirit of what makes its workflow unique, a balance in the direction of artistic creativity and live spontaneity, which I was considering deploying for 3d-audio design.
The project is partly based on Ircam Spat library, a max-msp object library unique for its ability to simulate virtual acoustic spaces. Therefore, xp4l is intended for past, new or future users of the Spat library. Although possible before xp4l existed, accessing the library from Ableton Live in the max-for-live environment through a flexible format by users was made complex, and this fact deprived the majority of creators from taking advantage of this incredible tool. xp4l provides Ableton users with a solution that will alleviate this problem.