stepgrid: you already know how this works.

A drum step sequencer and piano roll for Ableton Live 12, as a Max for Live MIDI effect. The FL Studio style step grid you learned beats on, inside Live. No sequencer runs in the device: every step is a note in a real MIDI clip and Live plays it itself. Zero added latency.

Price and specs

Price

$29. One-time purchase, free updates through 1.x.

Runs on

macOS and Windows.

Needs

Ableton Live 12.3 or later: Live Suite, or Live Standard with Max for Live. The Sounds panel needs Live 12.4 or later.

Format

Max for Live MIDI effect (.amxd). No license manager.

On sale

Oct 12, 2026, on Gumroad: stepgrid.gumroad.com/l/stepgrid.

Current build

1.0.5.

Made by

dyce & MalikNinetyFive.

Features

• Paint steps with a click or drag, drag a step for velocity. Each row runs its own rate, and the rows take your Drum Rack's pad names.
• + Sounds: drop a folder of samples and it sorts them by file name into kick, snare, hats and the rest and fills the 16 pads of your Drum Rack. One Cmd-Z takes it all back.
• A piano roll for melodies and chords, in the same device.
• Undo is Live's own undo. Remove the device and the clip stays.

FAQ

Is this the FL Studio step sequencer, inside Ableton?

Close. stepgrid is a Max for Live step sequencer for Ableton Live 12 laid out like the FL Studio channel rack: rows of drums, sixteen steps per bar, click to add a hit. The difference is that it writes a real Live MIDI clip instead of running its own sequencer. The full walkthrough is in the stepgrid guide.

Does it add latency?

No. stepgrid does not play anything. Your steps are notes in a real MIDI clip and Live plays them like any other clip.

Which Live versions and editions?

The grid and the piano roll need Live 12.3 or later. The Sounds panel needs Live 12.4 or later. You need Live Suite, or Live Standard with Max for Live. Not Live Lite, Live Intro or Live 11.

Does it run on Windows?

Yes. stepgrid runs on macOS and Windows. The Oct 20, 2026 Windows test passed (Windows 10, Live 12.4.6, 100 % display scaling): install, grid, roll, slicing, velocity, Sounds, save and reopen. Five open Windows notes are in the guide, the main one is that the pop-out can open off screen at 125 % or 150 % display scaling. If you are on Windows and hit anything else, email and it gets fixed first.

Do my beats survive if I remove the device?

Yes. The clip stays. It is a normal MIDI clip.

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