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Hardware synth setup?

Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 1:22 am
by Gothboy
I'm using a version of Ableton Live 8.2.6(Not Live Lite however) that apparently doesn't come with Analog or any of the Live instruments so there's no external instrument plugin. Is there another way I can get an external hardware synth set up in Ableton Live?

Re: Hardware synth setup?

Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 6:03 am
by hps909
external instrument comes with the standard non suite live it's in the library . select the live devices menu in the browser, open the instrument folder it should be in there with impulse and simpler

Re: Hardware synth setup?

Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 8:17 am
by rosti
^ That.

Also you could just have separate audio and midi tracks.

Re: Hardware synth setup?

Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 1:59 pm
by Gothboy
Thanks guys for some reason I didn't see it there. After reading about the external instrument device in the manual it doesn't describe what kind of track you can put it on. Is this a plugin for an audio track or a midi track?

Re: Hardware synth setup?

Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 3:18 pm
by JuanSOLO
Midi Track.

Re: Hardware synth setup?

Posted: Mon Mar 05, 2012 5:06 pm
by channelite
The external instrument is a midi track with an audio insert combined. Once you have it configured correctly, you can then save it to the library. I have my default setup have two external instruments. What's cool is, you can add Live's effects to them, or convert them into an instrument rack.

Re: Hardware synth setup?

Posted: Tue Mar 06, 2012 5:46 pm
by ambientidm
how does one send midi back out to the hardware when using the external instrument?

Re: Hardware synth setup?

Posted: Thu Mar 08, 2012 5:17 am
by ark
It's an instrument. An instrument is something that takes MIDI in and produces audio out. So you put it in a MIDI track, and whatever MIDI the track produces is sent to your external device. Whatever audio results from that device comes back into your track and goes into whatever FX modules you have after that point in the track.

Re: Hardware synth setup?

Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 3:58 am
by ambientidm
ark wrote:It's an instrument. An instrument is something that takes MIDI in and produces audio out. So you put it in a MIDI track, and whatever MIDI the track produces is sent to your external device. Whatever audio results from that device comes back into your track and goes into whatever FX modules you have after that point in the track.
it will not work that way for me
i am using my virus without the ti mode
the midi track will send midi back to the virus just fine until i put the external instrument in there
then it no longer sends the midi back to the virus
so i have to use two tracks
one for midi and the other is set to audio monitoring of the virus
i thought the external instrument would fix that

Re: Hardware synth setup?

Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 4:42 am
by hps909
you need the virus hooked up to a pair of inputs on your soundcard .

when you open the external instrument in the live rack down the bottom you will presented with a midi to and an audio from ..

in the midi to box, select the midi port your virus is connected to (make sure you select the correct midi channel here also) ... in the audio from, select the soundcard input your virus is connected to .

to play the track in realtime through a controller keyboard you have to check the monitor in button on the live mixer .. to play back recorded midi you have to make the monitor auto..

you might have to adjust the gain knob inside the E.I rack to get a solid output..

i have 4 E.I's connected at once and they work flawlessly

Re: Hardware synth setup?

Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 8:29 pm
by ambientidm
have no problem getting audio into the ext instrument and recording midi or audio but it will not send the midi back out unless i remove the ext instrument regardless of what midi channel is set to be output
the virus still receives midi clock but somehow the ext instrument is blocking notes being sent back out

Re: Hardware synth setup?

Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 8:32 pm
by ambientidm
i am using a motu traveller btw but that shouldn't make any difference
so i have to use two tracks one for audio and one for midi which the ext instrument was supposed to solve but it is blocking midi being sent back out to my hardware

Re: Hardware synth setup?

Posted: Fri Mar 09, 2012 8:35 pm
by JuanSOLO
In your midi preferences you need to tick "Track" on the output and input of what ever your virus is hooked up to via midi cables or usb. Then in the external instrument you need to choose Midi To 'whatever your virus is hooked up to via midi or usb.

ALSO when playing a midi clip, 'AUTO' needs to be selected for the monitoring on the track.

Re: Hardware synth setup?

Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2012 12:53 am
by ambientidm
i am such a dunce :oops:
i have been using the ext effect
cue homer simpson doooh
sorry for wasting peoples time
i just never use any ableton instruments so i never even look in there

Re: Hardware synth setup?

Posted: Sat Mar 10, 2012 1:00 am
by ark
ambientidm wrote:i am such a dunce :oops:
i have been using the ext effect
Oops!

Just to recap: There are two kinds of effects, audio effects and MIDI effects. An audio effect takes in audio and puts out audio; a MIDI effect takes in MIDI and puts out MIDI. An audio effect can appear in either an audio track or a MIDI track (after an instrument); a MIDI effect can appear only in a MIDI track.

An instrument can appear only in a MIDI track. It takes in MIDI and puts out audio.

There is both an "external instrument" and an "external effect" plugin. The external effect plugin is, of course, an effect. It takes in audio, routes it to an external audio output, takes audio from an external audio input, and routes that audio to the next part of the signal chain. So if you were using the "external effect," of course you wouldn't be able to send it MIDI.