Fucking automation points. Shit and fuck. Arghgh.

[popslut]

I want to kill somebody.


I just mapped out a 90 minute set in arrange view - 12 songs all at different tempos.

I want Live to follow the tempos of the songs so I opened up the tempo track and set envelop points at the appropriate positions. Or, at least, I tried.


Even with the tempo lane opened right out and using the ctrl [?] key so that the values of the points change at finer resolution, the struggle to get the point to arrive at 90bpm was just fucking infuriating.

90.07 or 89.96 is easy - it seems to want to jump to either of those, but 90 dead on? Nope - you have to slide the mouse around for 3 minutes until by miraculous luck it alights on the correct value.

100bpm dead on? Sorry. 100.7 or 99.04 but not 100 unless you have a really steady hand and a lot of patience.

I would understand if the value jumped to 90bpm and it was a bit fiddly to get it to 89.05 - that would be obvious. It is almost as if somebody has sat down and thought really hard about how to make it irritating and virtually unuseable.


Is my mouse just too low a resolution device or do my fingers lack finesse or does anyone else think that Ableton automation points are just ridiculously fiddly?

Likewise with trying to get a track volume automation point to arrive at 0dB.
I can get it to -0.7dB or +0.12 dB with consummate ease but 0dB? Only after the kind of fucking about which takes years off your carpal tunnel lining.

Talk about workflow killer - it's like trying to thread a needle whilst wearing boxing gloves and it is eroding my will to live.

[beats me]

That does sound super frustrating. It would be nice if there was some kind of tempo "quantize" for lack of a better word where you could tell it how fine you want the tempo adjustments to be. But is there a reason you can't work with those slight tempo variations?

[kabelton]

my workaround is to set the wanted bpm as max. value, then the wanted value is on top...

bye

[COSM]

What I do is set the punch in point (the start of the loop marker) at the point where i want the tempo change.

I then make sure it is set to record at the punch points, hit record, go a few bars back, hit play and change the bpm to the tempo I want. Then as soon as the cursor reaches the punch in point it creates your little square perfectly for you.

Pain in the bum eh.. I always thought I wasn't clued up but I guess there are others out there that have this problem

[COSM]

Or as kabelton said (I think...) either assign a key or a midi controller to the tempo, then assign the maximum amount to the tempo you want, so you just have to crank that controller to set the value.

[popslut]

But is there a reason you can't work with those slight tempo variations?

Yes.

I don't want to warp the tracks [because I don't.] but I want Live to follow them exactly.

Track A is precisely 90bpm and so the tempo needs to be precisely 90bpm to match it.

[popslut]

Or as kabelton said (I think...) either assign a key or a midi controller to the tempo, then assign the maximum amount to the tempo you want, so you just have to crank that controller to set the value.

That is looking like the best workaround so far - thanks guys.


Which kind of reminds me - I'm having to use a LOT of workarounds just to use this quite expensive piece of software.

maybe rename the upcoming upgrade - Ableton 7 - Workaround Edition.

[metapathik]

popslut is right; ableton has needed an improved automation breakpoint entry system for years and there should be no need to create a midi control workaround for this relatively simple task. a breakpoint right-click 'enter numeric value' context-menu option (as in <blargh> acid pro) would work just fine...

[popslut]

a breakpoint right-click 'enter numeric value' context-menu option (as in <blargh> acid pro) would work just fine...

Oh that would be heaven.

And so incredibly simple.

[Angstrom]

yes, it's not great.

I use the "stop the timeline, type the exact tempo into the tempo box, hit record then play, stop , delete the second tempo breakpoint." method

have done for years. Not brilliant, but it is precise.

[popslut]

yes, it's not great.

I use the "stop the timeline, type the exact tempo into the tempo box, hit record then play, stop , delete the second tempo breakpoint." method

have done for years. Not brilliant, but it is precise.

Most elegant.

I *really* miss Logic automation. *sniff!*

Not enough to want a Mac though.

[popslut]

But is there a reason you can't work with those slight tempo variations?

This has been playing on my mind for several minutes now.

Does anybody else consider that to be a strange question to ask?

[blank]

I use to create scenes with the files at the right tempo after I record the tempo changes by playing it.

Not the best, never understood why there is no way to enter a value for a break point directly ( or for a midi cc number!!) in a software like ableton.


For a 90 minuts set this method is a bit time consuming but it works well.

best

-B

[forge]

does anyone else think that Ableton automation points are just ridiculously fiddly?
.

hell yeah

in fact this should have been in the other thread - but I see it as included in the Arrange overhaul that's needed

a constrain direction modifier is another thing I've banged on about

[ishimaru]

You could always use the best piece of equipment you own... your ears.