Switching device chains via midi footcontroller

[ejectorset]

I play guitar into live. I was hoping to be able to setup a main guitar in track and then a bunch of different effects chains and switch between them with my behringer fcb-1010.

Since we can't midi map the solo buttons in a chain, is there any way around this. I would like a setup where I press button 1 on the foot controller to play through only chain 1, button 2 -> only chain 2, etc.

I have other tracks playing back as well, so just setting up a bunch of monitoring tracks and soloing those is out.

Does anyone have any ideas?

Right now it seems like I am going to have to use dummy clips with enveloped controlling the chain selector and midi map those. I feel like there is a more straightfoward way to do this though.

ps. why the heck can't we map the solo buttons in device chains?

[LoopStationZebra]

You can definitely do this in the chain selector grid by using one of the expression pedals on your FCB.

If you've got 4 FX in your chain, open up the grid and distribute evenly. Hit MIDI map mode in Live and select the area above the selector grid. Move your expression pedal. Get out of Midi map mode. Now when you move your expression pedal you will see the chain selector marker moving between chain ranges.

Oh, check out Christopher Willit's latest vid. He explains this well, lol.

http://www.xlr8r.com/tv/132

He has this set up for one effect per range, but of course you can add more effects to get different combos in the same range.

There's no real way to do this on the FCB foot control buttons, but the Launchpad does this well because you can select a 'range' between multiple buttons, heh.

[ejectorset]

Thanks. I am trying not to use the expression pedals, they are very flaky. I love the Willit's TV videos!!

I still don't understand why the solo buttons in device groups aren't assignable.

[dinaiz]

But you can also use the FCB switches ! You just have to assign all of them to the same controler and different values (using FCB PC Editor, is way easier ) . Then map this to the chain selector.

[LoopStationZebra]

Thanks. I am trying not to use the expression pedals, they are very flaky. I love the Willit's TV videos!!

I still don't understand why the solo buttons in device groups aren't assignable.

Yeah, that is odd that you can't assign the solo buttons. Although you can assign the mute buttons, lol.

dinaiz have ;you actually done that?

[dinaiz]

dinaiz have ;you actually done that?

No I had never done that before, so I tried it JUST FOR YOU . And yep, it works, I can select the chain selector value, depending on which pedal I press on the FCB. Really cool feature by the way

[LoopStationZebra]

dinaiz have ;you actually done that?

No I had never done that before, so I tried it JUST FOR YOU . And yep, it works, I can select the chain selector value, depending on which pedal I press on the FCB. Really cool feature by the way

Ahh. Cool. What are sending out of the FCB? For instance, if device one is in the 1-5 range on the chain grid, are you sending out a 1,2,3,4, or 5 CC?

[dinaiz]

dinaiz have ;you actually done that?

No I had never done that before, so I tried it JUST FOR YOU . And yep, it works, I can select the chain selector value, depending on which pedal I press on the FCB. Really cool feature by the way

Ahh. Cool. What are sending out of the FCB? For instance, if device one is in the 1-5 range on the chain grid, are you sending out a 1,2,3,4, or 5 CC?

Actually the CC number must be the same for all your pedals.
In my test I assigned the pedals 1 to 5 to CC number 22, but the 5 pedals send a different CC value :

For example : pedal 1 sends CC 22 with a value of 0, pedal 2 sends CC 22 with a value of 10, pedal 3 with a value of 20, and so on.
Then you assign CC 22 to your chain selector (enter midi map mode, and press one of the 1 - 5 pedals) . And for the values 0-9 on the chain grid, the chain selector selects chain one, for 10-19, chain 2 and so on ....

Generally, when I program a device like that,I always use midiox, to check which CC numbers and values the device is sending, before testing with ableton live, and I find it helps.

[mojofunk]

Dinaiz's method absolutely works - I have done that myself, but then I ended up asking myself why I was complicating things and what was the advantage to the use of chains - just put the devices into your track and you can map any FCB button (w/ midi notes) to turn on/off any number of devices, additionally you can also map the device focus (which I find helps keep track of what is going on). Chains seem more useful to me for using expression pedals to blur through overlapping effect zones, or for knob twiddling. Food for thought.

[LoopStationZebra]

Actually the CC number must be the same for all your pedals.
In my test I assigned the pedals 1 to 5 to CC number 22, but the 5 pedals send a different CC value :

For example : pedal 1 sends CC 22 with a value of 0, pedal 2 sends CC 22 with a value of 10, pedal 3 with a value of 20, and so on.
Then you assign CC 22 to your chain selector (enter midi map mode, and press one of the 1 - 5 pedals) . And for the values 0-9 on the chain grid, the chain selector selects chain one, for 10-19, chain 2 and so on ....

Generally, when I program a device like that,I always use midiox, to check which CC numbers and values the device is sending, before testing with ableton live, and I find it helps.

Ahh. Of course. Duh. Tnx!

[LoopStationZebra]

Dinaiz's method absolutely works - I have done that myself, but then I ended up asking myself why I was complicating things and what was the advantage to the use of chains - just put the devices into your track and you can map any FCB button (w/ midi notes) to turn on/off any number of devices, additionally you can also map the device focus (which I find helps keep track of what is going on). Chains seem more useful to me for using expression pedals to blur through overlapping effect zones, or for knob twiddling. Food for thought.

Indeed. The dummy clip option does the same thing. Lots of ways to skin this cat!

[dinaiz]

Dinaiz's method absolutely works - I have done that myself, but then I ended up asking myself why I was complicating things and what was the advantage to the use of chains - just put the devices into your track and you can map any FCB button (w/ midi notes) to turn on/off any number of devices, additionally you can also map the device focus (which I find helps keep track of what is going on). Chains seem more useful to me for using expression pedals to blur through overlapping effect zones, or for knob twiddling. Food for thought.

Absolutely, and that's the method I use myself, that's why I didn't test the method I mentioned above before LoopStationZebra mentioned it !
Now the good thing I can see by using effect racks & chains is that you have more "clarity". You can name a chain "clean", "heavy flanger and distortion", "and so on, and then add remove some effects to these chains without having to change your midi mapping. However I still prefer the "mapping to on-off button" method cause,a s you mentioned it, it's way simpler !

Indeed. The dummy clip option does the same thing. Lots of ways to skin this cat!

True but I never managed to find a way to control the on-off state of a device using dummy clips. Is there a way actually ?

[LoopStationZebra]

True but I never managed to find a way to control the on-off state of a device using dummy clips. Is there a way actually ?

Don't think so, which is odd. Always means that in addition to a dummy clip you need to hassle with mapping the on and off, lol.

[ejectorset]

You can map a device chain macro knob in such a way that it turns devices on and off. Some of the chains that come with live are setup this way. I don't remember which ones off the top of my head, but I noticed some of them doing it the other night.

Once you have the macro mapped, you can automate that with an automation (dummy) clip right?

[dinaiz]

You can map a device chain macro knob in such a way that it turns devices on and off. Some of the chains that come with live are setup this way. I don't remember which ones off the top of my head, but I noticed some of them doing it the other night.

Once you have the macro mapped, you can automate that with an automation (dummy) clip right?

It makes sense at least
Yeah that's probably the solution ! I'll try tomorrow