Good ways to tap tempo with MIDI keyboard keys?

[turnstylenyc]

Hi all,

I've been trying to map a MIDI keyboard key for use with Tap Tempo -- I was thinking I'd like to try tapping tempos via the keys themselves.

Is there a good way to do this? eg, can the mapped key "revert" back to being a normal key (non-tap-tempo) after the tempo is set?

[Tone Deft]

don't think so, besides, you'd be forced to only play in quarter notes. you can also only assign one key to the tap tempo.

maybe you can get clever by making a midi track that takes in the midi data (different from the track that you'll record into), runs the notes through the scale plug in, forcing all the notes to output as the same note. then run that out of Live and back in. then assign the output of the scale plug in to tap tempo.

there are a few ways to run midi out of Live and back in as control data, there could be hooks there to enable/disable this, like removing a midi cable or disabling the loopback software.

[JuanSOLO]

seems once you map "note on/off" functionality from a controller, you loose it's ability to play it. in other words, you cant have both, not solely within Live.
the only thing that comes to mind is something like Bomes or M4L.
Maybe Reaktor in stand alone, choose Reaktor Virtual IN?

[Tone Deft]

oops, thanks for that.

[maffmaff]

Could try "In time" by circular logic! Its a free download now. Use with a virtual midi device and it does control live. Not sure of its value personally

[ChiefNugget]

does the keyboard have assignable zones that could split to make just a few notes available on a different midi channel for use as controls like tempo, looper or clip launch? just a thought

[Per Boysen]

I too messed around with Tap Tempo and wasn't able to make it work well. You never arrive exactly at the tempo you intend. Finally I found a different solution that works better for me: using a device that listens to your first tap and then awaits your second tap before it calculates the tempo given there is one bar in time between the two taps. Live's own Looper plugin can do this (if set up correctly) but I use external third party plugin, the freeware sampler/looper Mobius, and have Mobius send MIDI Clock into Live to follow. This method did not work well before Live 8 came with enhanced sync follow functionality.

[Wulfrith]

Easiest is to use a separate MIDI controller as Remote with a button mapped to the Tap Tempo button in Live. Behringer X-touch Mini or Korg NanoKontrol2 are popular Low cost options.

Some MIDI keyboards have two USB MIDI devices, allowing you to set one as Track to play notes and another as Remote to send knobs, faders and buttons for parameter mapping.