Straight answers
FAQ
Which versions of Ableton Live work?
Tested on Live 11 and 12, every edition (Intro/Standard/Suite).
What exactly is “hands-on” time?
Live’s the focused window and you’ve touched the keys or mouse in the last few minutes. The honest “actually producing” number — kept separate from “Live was open all day.”
What does $9 get me?
A lifetime license: every 1.x update free forever, 2 devices, no subscription, no account.
Is there a free trial?
Yes — the full app, free for 30 days. No card, no account; the trial just starts when you install. When it ends, SetHours keeps tracking in the background and the dashboard locks until you unlock it with a license. Your data is never deleted — it’s a plain file on your machine, waiting for you.
Is there a Mac version?
Yes — SetHours runs natively on macOS 11 Big Sur and later, as a Universal build (Apple Silicon and Intel), signed and notarized by Apple. Windows 10/11 too.
Why does the Mac app ask for permissions?
On first launch macOS asks for Accessibility (and Automation). That’s the only way SetHours can tell which Ableton set is open — it reads the window title, nothing more. It never controls Live, never changes anything, and never looks at other apps. You can revoke it anytime in System Settings.
Does it slow Ableton down?
No. The tracker watches from outside — the window title, a few checks a second, a sliver of CPU idling in the tray. The optional SetHours Link script runs inside Live only if you enable it, through Ableton’s official control-surface mechanism: send-only, a handful of numbers per second, nothing anywhere near the audio path.
Can I check a set before I send it to a collaborator?
Yes — that’s Collab Preflight. Hit Collaborate on a project and SetHours lists the plug-ins the set uses. Mark the ones your collaborator has, or send them a private link and they click through the list themselves, and you get the exact tracks to freeze before you send it. The link is encrypted and expires on its own, and SetHours never changes your set — you freeze in Live.
Does SetHours touch my Live sets?
Never. Your .als files are read, never written. The one thing that can live Live-side is SetHours Link — an optional, official control-surface script placed inert in your User Library. It does nothing until you pick it in Live’s preferences, it’s send-only (it reports transport and levels out; it can’t control Live or change a set), and deleting its folder removes it completely.
New Collab Preflight →