Book excerpt: (Power Tools). Ableton Live 9 is a groundbreaking music production and performance application whose uniquely nonlinear and incredibly flexible features set it far apart from all the other digital audio applications. It is equally adept at making beats, remixing, live recording, DJing, live looping, sound design, electronic music, hip-hop, and much more. Unlike other books about Live that simply explain its features like a second manual, this hands-on-centric book contains a series of exercises that walk you through all the features you need to produce professional-sounding music with Ableton Live 9. As a fundamental instructional component to Power Tools for Ableton Live 9, certified Ableton instructor Jake Perrine guides you through the creation of an actual track from start to finish. In addition, you get plenty of practice using Live with the included audio content, video tutorials, exercises, audio samples, and third-party plug-in demos. A substantial appendix section offers discussions of important non-Ableton-specific topics, including digital audio basics, components of a producer's studio, considerations when buying a DAW computer, and more.