Working with Ableton Live has myriad perks: ease of use, a streamlined GUI, simplified MIDI integration that’s coupled with stellar made-for-Live controllers, and so much more. But none is more celebrated than its out-of-studio capabilities. Live allows you to take your work to the people, where you can actually perform your productions for your adoring fans. To do that, you’ll need to assemble a mobile studio environment. From the heart of it all—the laptop—to the many mobile-studio– specific components you’ll need to make this happen, that’s what the first half of this part is all about. Once you have the pieces in place, you’ll need to optimize your laptop for the rigors of mobile audio production and performance; that’s the know-how the second half of this part provides.

In order to build your Ableton Live mobile studio, you’ll have to make another series of informed decisions. Chapter 9, “The Shopping List v2.0,” lays out the mobile must-haves, starting with the laptop and working through the line-up all the way to what you use to cart your precious gear around. From there, it’s onto Chapter 10, “Setting Up Your Ableton Live [Mobile] Studio,” where you will learn how to fine-tune both Mac and PC laptops. What’s more, you’ll read about some important tips ranging from which crucial items you need pack in your spiffy travel bag to suggestions on ensuring your gear remains just that—yours!