Tight midi control over external devices with Live
Posted: Thu Nov 08, 2018 2:41 pm
Hello gents! I'm gradually putting together my live setup and I'm starting to get concerned by Ableton Live as, just like in countless sets (I'm thinking to Caribou, for example), it will be used to send midi sequences and melodies to external devices, to send a midi metronome and start/stop programs and to play backing tracks here and there.
I'm doing my best to lower the audio tracks and the plugin counts to a minimum, though these are the machines that still need to be managed by Live:
- Oberheim Matrix
- Nord Electro 2
- Behringer Deepmind
- Modular synth (midi interface is Doepfer A-190-2)
- Arturia Minibrute 2S
- midi metronome
- Elektron Octatrack MK2.
Matrix, Deepmind and Nord need to receive notes, while Elektron OTMK2, modular synth, Arturia Minibrute 2S and the metronome need to receive tempo and start/stop messages. Right now my midi out is that of a RME Babyface Pro, so that's where all midi messages would hit a Kenton Midi Thru 5 (that will probably be replaced with a larger midi hub). My concern is with latency as the only time I've tried to control something through Ableton it was my modular system back in the days when I had an Expert Sleepers ES-4 S/PDIF interface. I used to use the "Silent Way" plugin but the latency simply made it all unusable. On another occasion, I tried to give the drummer Ableton's audio metronome by routing the cue output to another output of my then-soundcard (Focusrite Saffire PRO24) but I assume every out apart from 1-2 has some sort of latency, so that was out #3 and I guess it was manageable but still, well… not on the spot.
The question is: is there any way I can have rock-solid timing on midi sequences/melodies/chords/tempo and start/stop messages without having to calibrate each latency via the compensation device? I've heard of Innerclock Systems Sync Gen-2 Pro, I know there's the turbo midi TM-1 interface out there… I wonder if any of those interfaces are needed or there's a much more cost effective and easier alternative with the items I already have (namely the aforementioned RME Babyface Pro).
Thank you all in upfront!
I'm doing my best to lower the audio tracks and the plugin counts to a minimum, though these are the machines that still need to be managed by Live:
- Oberheim Matrix
- Nord Electro 2
- Behringer Deepmind
- Modular synth (midi interface is Doepfer A-190-2)
- Arturia Minibrute 2S
- midi metronome
- Elektron Octatrack MK2.
Matrix, Deepmind and Nord need to receive notes, while Elektron OTMK2, modular synth, Arturia Minibrute 2S and the metronome need to receive tempo and start/stop messages. Right now my midi out is that of a RME Babyface Pro, so that's where all midi messages would hit a Kenton Midi Thru 5 (that will probably be replaced with a larger midi hub). My concern is with latency as the only time I've tried to control something through Ableton it was my modular system back in the days when I had an Expert Sleepers ES-4 S/PDIF interface. I used to use the "Silent Way" plugin but the latency simply made it all unusable. On another occasion, I tried to give the drummer Ableton's audio metronome by routing the cue output to another output of my then-soundcard (Focusrite Saffire PRO24) but I assume every out apart from 1-2 has some sort of latency, so that was out #3 and I guess it was manageable but still, well… not on the spot.
The question is: is there any way I can have rock-solid timing on midi sequences/melodies/chords/tempo and start/stop messages without having to calibrate each latency via the compensation device? I've heard of Innerclock Systems Sync Gen-2 Pro, I know there's the turbo midi TM-1 interface out there… I wonder if any of those interfaces are needed or there's a much more cost effective and easier alternative with the items I already have (namely the aforementioned RME Babyface Pro).
Thank you all in upfront!