Switching instruments using MIDI-controller

[delfs]

Hi -

I'm curious towards how you guys switch instruments live, in Live.

My live setup includes a MacBook running Live (currently 7, shortly 8 Suite) and a brand new M-Audio Oxygen 49 (3rd generation) MIDI controller.
As of now, I have about 10 tracks with each their instrument (or -rack) and effects on them. I then use the buttons on the Oxygen to record enable the track containing the instrument i want to play.

This works fairly well, but as the buttons toggle the record enable button, I sometimes accidently record-disable a track by pressing a button twice.

How do you do it?

(could i program the controller to send another MIDI-message so that it only enables, not disables tracks? is using different MIDI channels for different tracks an option? would one major instrument rack be convenient in some way?)

Thanks in advance.

Jonas

[yur2die4]

You have a lot of options.

What I tend to end up doing is what you are doing right now. But if you do have instruments that you almost always use, every single time, the MIDI Channel option isn't such a bad one (you could then change "Arm" buttons and assign them to the "Play" button that shows up at the bottom of each channel when MIDI Assign is on. Use fastforward and rewind for Scene Up and Down. This would then enable you to simply press those corresponding buttons for recording each loop).

It just appears that it would be a pain trying to press a bunch of keys on your keyboard every time you need to change instruments.

As for racks you could combine a few instruments that don't have a lot of range. Racks allow you to use keyrange as factors determining what plays. Your lower range on that channel could maybe do bass notes and your higher range maybe extra percussion.. The problem is that if you did a pitchbend or anything, it might record into both haha.

If you use a chain macro for selecting between instruments on one channel, it could work for playing sounds out. but if you needed to record one sound or another, they are always going to be at the whim of what you chain you have selected. A, B, or A+B.

[delfs]

I don't quite get your first suggestion, but let me explain my needs a bit better:

I don't do live looping, actually I don't even run any loops these days. What I (mainly) do is find/create instruments in Live, and play these in a rather traditional way using a keyboard - like one would play an old analog synth (just with lot more sonic diversity).

So the idea is not having to look a the computer a whole lot but being able to switch instrument in a convenient, reliable way, from the controller.

One big instrument rack isn't such a bad idea - it can be expanded in session view these days to gain overview, and then the array of buttons can be assigned to the chain selector. Only this isn't as transparent and straightforward as the many-tracks option when adding instruments or changing setup within Live.

If there's any MIDI nerds out there I'd be happy to know if there's any way of sending a MIDI note on only (not just toggle) to record enable a track in Live?

[delfs]

anyone?

[Bainesy]

I'm probably more noob than you are! but I have an idea for you:

I think you may be able to do this somehow with macros. You'll have to do the searching yourself, but if you have a 'dummy track' with nothing in it and then when you press the 'arm' button on your controller have it
1. "Arm" the dummy track, then...
2. Arm the instrument that the button actually corresponds to.

In this way, every time you press the button it would actually arm the dummy track then the 'proper' track... press it again and it would repeat this action, NOT un-arm the proper track...

Again - dunno if that's the best way to do it or even possible in ableton but it'd probably be the method I'd pursue if looking myself

Let us know if it helps!

[Blue4Ice]

I use Live with my band pretty much the same as the OP as a front end for hosting VSTs and connecting to external sound modules.

I have a Live set with 14 tracks each loaded with either a VST or routed to an external sound module. Each track is assigned an individual midi channel (1-14). I then use a controller keyboard (Oberheim MC-2000) to select which midi channel I want to play and thus which module/VST I want to play. The Oberheim allows 256 patches to be saved so I use one patch per song. When a patch is selected it sends out programme change messages so that the VSTs/modules select the sound I need for the song. The Oberheim also has 8 zones so I can layer up to 8 of the VSt/Modules to be played from the one board.

I have also recently used racks to overcome VSTs that dont respond to programme changes opening more than one instance within a rack to cover all the sounds I need. This also works well for effects.

[crumhorn]

I've been using an instrument rack and then using clip envelopes to set the position of chain selector. You can create a number of empty clips, each with a different setting. Set the clip properties to single shot, no launch quantise and then MIDI map your buttons to launch the clips.

Instead of record enabling the track just set the monitor to input. If you want to record your performance you'll need to set up an extra track to record on and route it's output to the track with the rack.

You can also use other clip envelopes to set up effects and mix parameters as appropriate for each patch.

[delfs]

Thanks for your thoughts! I'll play around with it a bit and see what works for me.

[ton]

Recording, ok, but

1. what,
2. where,
3. how and
4. why?

The more orthogonally/independently each components could be controlled the more powerful system you would have. But it is a complicated topic where you need to answer the above questions as precise as possible first. Then you can look for optimum solutions within given environments, like only live or also live + other helper solutions in win or mac.

If anyone knows already a topic which deals with the above mentioned points, I would like to read it.

[Bainesy]

By FAR creating a rack and using the 'chain selector' option (do a search for it, I'm not going to be able to explain it fully, it's too late ) is the easiest way to 'flip through instruments on the fly'.

I'm currently experimenting with having a knob on my midi gear that I turn (you could use midi clips to do this as instructed) but I have a knob, and i turn it to different values and have the chain selector set up so that i can use any of 8 different instruments using one controller, they all reside on one track. Any clips I record I can instantly change the instrument of by turning this knob and I have it set up to 'crossfade' between instruments instead of a simple on/off (you can set the chain selector to fade in/out by dragging the white bar on top of each 'chain' (if this needs more explanation please ask, I'm off to bed so I'll clarify later if need be