Recording automation of Kontakt parameters in Arrangement View over existing notes using sliders

Discuss music production with Ableton Live.
Post Reply
thedoseoftea
Posts: 1
Joined: Tue Oct 22, 2019 7:03 pm

Recording automation of Kontakt parameters in Arrangement View over existing notes using sliders

Post by thedoseoftea » Tue Oct 22, 2019 7:41 pm

Hello, I've been trying to get this to work for the past week during evenings now.

I am using Ableton Live 10 Suite. I already have my MIDI notes of multiple instruments (violin parts, violas, cellos, basses, brass) written and inserted into MIDI clips in Arrangement View. I would like to afterwards record automation of two parameters (Dynamics and Expression) on each of my Kontakt library Spitfire Albion One instrumenti in such a way as the creator of the library shows in his video, where he is using Logic. In this video he deleted the Dynamics and Expression automation from his previous session and re-records their changes for each instrument using his sliders on his controller.

1. The problem I'm having is that if I map the sliders of my MIDI controller in Kontakt as midi autonation, it only allows me to record their gradual change at the same time as playing them on my keyboard (not record them afterwards over already-written MIDI notes), because their changes are not recorded as automation, but as modulation inside the MIDI clip, which I can't re-record in arrangement view. Mapping inside Kontakt shown on this screenshot:
Image

2. Another thing I've tried (see picture below) is to Configure the CC inputs in Kontakt in using the "Configure" button, and assigning my sliders in the MIDI mode of Ableton in a way described in this video from Sasha's Soundlab, which allowed me to record the parameter changes afterwards not as modulation, but as automation. But the problemwith that was that because it only worked for one instrument (for example violins) and if I wanted to then record the same parameter changes for violas, trumpets or other instruments, I would have to either
- reassign the sliders from one instrument, which would be a massive workflow killer since I work with many different orchestral instruments and each one of them would have to be automated this way in each project; or
- assign different two sliders for the second automated instrument, but since my MIDI controller only has nine sliders, I would soon run out of them, and either way in every orchestral project using a Spitfire orchestra I would have to assign the sliders again.
Image

This is the Happy Scenario I'm trying to achieve:
1. For very Spitfire instrument:
1a) I load up a Spitfire library
1b) I record my MIDI notes / write them out by hand / import MIDI notes from an external source
1c.)I record Automation of the Dynamics/Expressions parameters using 2 sliders of my MIDI controller
2. during mixing, whenever I decide to change the Dynamics/Expression parameters, I just arm my instrument and re-record those two parameters at the same time without changing the MIDI notes using 2 sliders of my MIDI controller

Is there a way to come close to the process Christian Henson uses in his Logic-baseed video, but in Ableton? I would really try to avoid drawing the automation/modulation with mouse or have to reassign the MIDI controls every time I want to record a diferent instrument's Dynamics and Exression.

MThorrez
Posts: 22
Joined: Sat Feb 17, 2018 2:52 pm

Re: Recording automation of Kontakt parameters in Arrangement View over existing notes using sliders

Post by MThorrez » Mon Apr 13, 2020 2:36 pm

Hi there!

Did you find a solution for this yet? I have the same question ..
Is it even possible in Ableton?
I don't get why dynamics/Expression etc are not in the automation list?

Anyone?

Thanks a lot!

Arthur000
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Apr 15, 2021 8:40 am

Re: Recording automation of Kontakt parameters in Arrangement View over existing notes using sliders

Post by Arthur000 » Thu Apr 15, 2021 8:41 am

Hey !

Same problem there, any news ?

Thanks a lot !

Magic150
Posts: 1
Joined: Fri Apr 13, 2012 12:17 pm

Re: Recording automation of Kontakt parameters in Arrangement View over existing notes using sliders

Post by Magic150 » Wed Aug 11, 2021 12:31 pm

Here is a little trick i figured out in the past couple weeks :)

With this free m4l device you can map Ableton dials to midi cc
Url: https://nick-hyde-violin.gumroad.com/l/vPkZi

I use 3 instances of it for cc 11 (expression), cc 1 (modulation) and cc 19 (technique), and group them together into one little versatile device like this:
Image

P.S. this also works to map the Akai APC 40 dials to midi cc

Thumping Ninja
Posts: 1
Joined: Mon Dec 13, 2021 6:41 am

Re: Recording automation of Kontakt parameters in Arrangement View over existing notes using sliders

Post by Thumping Ninja » Mon Dec 13, 2021 6:43 am

Throwing this up there in case there are any late bloomers like me. It's in the manual (sort of). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JNeE3jCV3Gc

Super easy: drag a MIDI CC channel form the Automaiton tab in the Kontakt browser ("MIDI" not "Host" drop down), to the value you want to adjust with a Live automation bar, and it will show up in the Track automation like everything you're used to in Live.

No extra software necessary.

Post Reply