wtf is ableton-linux?

This project lets you run Ableton Live 12, and experimentally Live 11, on Linux, along with Max for Live and Ableton's Push 1 and 2 hardware controllers. It works through a customized fork of Wine, the compatibility layer that lets Windows software run on Linux, purpose built to make Ableton behave like a normal Linux application rather than something bolted on. The project makes clear it is unofficial and has no connection to Ableton the company. Getting started means downloading the actual Ableton Live installer zip file from Ableton's own website, since you still need a legitimate copy of the software, then downloading this project's installer and running both from the same folder. The installer checks that your machine is 64 bit, running a distro from 2022 or newer, and has a recent enough version of PipeWire, then installs the patched Wine into your home folder, sets up a dedicated Wine environment, and launches Ableton's own installer. Nothing outside your home directory is touched. After that, Live launches from your applications menu or a simple command. Updating later is a single command that keeps your existing settings and license while refreshing the underlying Wine build. Feature wise, the project covers most things you would expect from a real desktop music application: audio and MIDI devices, including Push, can disconnect and reconnect without breaking your session, open and save dialogs use your normal Linux file picker, the interface follows your system's dark or light theme and can use your desktop's fonts, and audio runs at low latency through a custom PipeWire based driver, with an optional extra tuning step for even lower latency. It also handles high resolution displays automatically, supports many popular VST plugins with specific fixes, and lets you sync tempo with other music apps and hardware over the network using Ableton Link. For Live 11 specifically, support is newer and needs an extra environment variable during install plus a one time fix afterward for a Max for Live crash, and there is a known issue where previewing certain video or WMA files can crash the app.