Hi all! How are you?
New to digital music and Ableton! It's a very exciting world (and sometimes a frustrating one, I see!), and so far I've not encountered many problems. However, there's something I'd like to do but unfortunately no amount of googling has yielded the results I'm after.
I have an Ableton project with a total of 7 tracks, which I have assigned to my MPK249's pads (one per pad). What I'd like to do is that I'd like the 8 knobs of the keyboard to control 8 different parameters of each track. It's easy enough to do for the first clip (via MIDI mapping: I select the first track on the session view, select the parameter I want to control via a knob, move the knob and violà, it's mapped! Repeat for 7 different parameters with the other 7 knobs and Track 1 is fully mapped). However, when trying to do the same for the other clips, since the knobs have already been assigned to control parameters from Track 1, I can't find a way to change the parameters they have been assigned to so that I can control different parameters for Track 2 with them.
Any ideas on how to do this? Any help is very welcome!
MPK249 multiknob assignation to each track
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Abbie Newbie
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Sep 15, 2019 6:11 pm
MPK249 multiknob assignation to each track
Last edited by Abbie Newbie on Sun Sep 15, 2019 9:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Re: MPK249 multiknob assignation to each clip
When it comes to clips, you midi assign parameters of the clips for general overall application.
This means if you assign Pitch, it applies to controlling Pitch for ‘any selected clip’. If you have one clip selected, or several clips selected, your control will change the Pitch parameter on those.
If you need control of unique instances of clips, you’d do it in something like a sampler or a drum rack.
This means if you assign Pitch, it applies to controlling Pitch for ‘any selected clip’. If you have one clip selected, or several clips selected, your control will change the Pitch parameter on those.
If you need control of unique instances of clips, you’d do it in something like a sampler or a drum rack.
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Abbie Newbie
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Sep 15, 2019 6:11 pm
Re: MPK249 multiknob assignation to each clip
Hi! Thank you for you reply. Ok, say the first knob controls frequency, the second controls decay and so on... what if I wanted them to control those parameters but only for a specific track? Say for example knob 1 is the "frequency knob. Can I making so that if affects only certain tracks I choose, even if all are playing at the same time? THanks!
Re: MPK249 multiknob assignation to each track
You might have to go a little more in detail on what you mean.
For clips, that’s dependent on Channels. For Instruments, that can be dependent on a number of things.
The tricky part of triggering clips with Sampler though is that you’d need to make a midi clip that still triggers the device, but you can control individual parameters on that device as long as you’re assigning those parameters deep enough into the chain.
An issue though in this case is now that if you map to one device and go to another device, and map using the same knob, then you’ll control both at once, simultaneously. The trick around that is Control Surface / Remote Script / Blue Hand type stuff.
For clips, that’s dependent on Channels. For Instruments, that can be dependent on a number of things.
The tricky part of triggering clips with Sampler though is that you’d need to make a midi clip that still triggers the device, but you can control individual parameters on that device as long as you’re assigning those parameters deep enough into the chain.
An issue though in this case is now that if you map to one device and go to another device, and map using the same knob, then you’ll control both at once, simultaneously. The trick around that is Control Surface / Remote Script / Blue Hand type stuff.
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Abbie Newbie
- Posts: 3
- Joined: Sun Sep 15, 2019 6:11 pm
Re: MPK249 multiknob assignation to each track
Hi! Ok, I'll try to explain better what I'm trying to do: all I want is to be able to select a track and use the knobs to modify parameters on that track, while leaving the rest of the tracks untouched/unmodified.
I've looked into the Remote Scripts mentioned in this thread , but they do nothing for me : ( I must be doing something wrong but can't figure it out.
I've looked into the Remote Scripts mentioned in this thread , but they do nothing for me : ( I must be doing something wrong but can't figure it out.
Re: MPK249 multiknob assignation to each track
I think something that initially confused me was your use of the word ‘clip’ for mapping vs ‘track’.
If you map things to a clip, you are pretty limited. Mapping to parameters within a track is pretty much the bigger, more common practice. This in itself does get a bit complicated though.
When it comes to remote scripts, and things in those realm, firstly that is probably the avenue you are looking to go into. So that is good. But then there are more things that come with wrapping your head around the concept. They can be broken down into:
1. Understanding how to make it work.
2. Understanding what it can do and it’s limitations, which can help determine your end goal.
Making it work depends on whether or not it already exists as a form of support for your controller first of all. If in MIDI Preferences, your controller is already listed in the dropdown bar for Control Surfaces, then that should point you in the right direction for something that already works. Otherwise you can attempt a customized script which can be a little more tedious. Or go full blown code, which isn’t likely what you’d start off attempting.
So let’s say you got it to work. Whenever you selected a device, a blue hand would appear on that device to signal that you have control over that device automatically with your controller. Ableton have made a layout of automappings for every device so that you can automatically control predetermined parameters with 8 knobs. The problem of course is, a channel might have multiple devices and you only want to control one or two things from each device, or you don’t like the order of controls or the things automatically controlled for a given device.
If you embed a device, or multiple devices, within a Rack you can assign the macros on that rack to control specific things. Then when you select the rack and the blue hand is on that device, you automatically have control over the 8 macros. So the trick is to put everything into a rack, assign parameters you want to control to Macros, and use the automatic mapping to control those elements. This only works of course if you can get it to work in the first place. That usually requires careful attention to your process and questions on specifics of the setup.
ONE FINAL NOTE. There is another way you can do mappings for multiple tracks without going this route. It involves taking advantage of the ‘MIDI Channel’ settings on your controller. Or conversely taking advantage of the Presets function on your controller. It can be kind of tedious switching channels on the fly. The idea is that for all the controls you map, a CC number is used and associated for that parameter. That CC is a specific knob on your controller. By default your keyboard probably transmits on MIDI Channel 1. If you change the midi channel, you will have the same CC number for that knob, but a different channel. Being on a different channel is enough for Live to understand that it is a completely different control, even though it’s the same knob. So then on track 1 you can map things while your keyboard is on midi channel 1. On track 2, you can switch your keyboard to midi channel 2 and start mapping things. They will be separate. This only works well if it is Easy to change midi channel on your controller. If not, you are back to trying to make use of Racks.
If you map things to a clip, you are pretty limited. Mapping to parameters within a track is pretty much the bigger, more common practice. This in itself does get a bit complicated though.
When it comes to remote scripts, and things in those realm, firstly that is probably the avenue you are looking to go into. So that is good. But then there are more things that come with wrapping your head around the concept. They can be broken down into:
1. Understanding how to make it work.
2. Understanding what it can do and it’s limitations, which can help determine your end goal.
Making it work depends on whether or not it already exists as a form of support for your controller first of all. If in MIDI Preferences, your controller is already listed in the dropdown bar for Control Surfaces, then that should point you in the right direction for something that already works. Otherwise you can attempt a customized script which can be a little more tedious. Or go full blown code, which isn’t likely what you’d start off attempting.
So let’s say you got it to work. Whenever you selected a device, a blue hand would appear on that device to signal that you have control over that device automatically with your controller. Ableton have made a layout of automappings for every device so that you can automatically control predetermined parameters with 8 knobs. The problem of course is, a channel might have multiple devices and you only want to control one or two things from each device, or you don’t like the order of controls or the things automatically controlled for a given device.
If you embed a device, or multiple devices, within a Rack you can assign the macros on that rack to control specific things. Then when you select the rack and the blue hand is on that device, you automatically have control over the 8 macros. So the trick is to put everything into a rack, assign parameters you want to control to Macros, and use the automatic mapping to control those elements. This only works of course if you can get it to work in the first place. That usually requires careful attention to your process and questions on specifics of the setup.
ONE FINAL NOTE. There is another way you can do mappings for multiple tracks without going this route. It involves taking advantage of the ‘MIDI Channel’ settings on your controller. Or conversely taking advantage of the Presets function on your controller. It can be kind of tedious switching channels on the fly. The idea is that for all the controls you map, a CC number is used and associated for that parameter. That CC is a specific knob on your controller. By default your keyboard probably transmits on MIDI Channel 1. If you change the midi channel, you will have the same CC number for that knob, but a different channel. Being on a different channel is enough for Live to understand that it is a completely different control, even though it’s the same knob. So then on track 1 you can map things while your keyboard is on midi channel 1. On track 2, you can switch your keyboard to midi channel 2 and start mapping things. They will be separate. This only works well if it is Easy to change midi channel on your controller. If not, you are back to trying to make use of Racks.