Control selected track \w keyboard shortcuts

[jonathan harker]

hey james, here is some inspiration: http://www.lividinstruments.com/software_celldna.php and a cool video where they show it together with ableton live. http://vimeo.com/8741521
cheers!

ps: wiffbi, you rule!

[wiffbi]

Hi James,

thank you very much for your donation – I really appreciate it!

Version numbers, definitely something I need to add. Sorry…

Concerning your question controlling video, jonathan’s link seems pretty awesome. If you cannot switch to this video-program, then the following might give you some ideas:

AFAIK you can only send MIDI notes from Ableton to the outside world. So you need a program that translates MIDI notes into keystrokes. The problem is though, you not only need to convert MIDI to keystrokes (midiStroke does that on Mac), but also target those shortcuts to a specific app. On a Mac, one solution might be to have an extra MIDI-track, that is routed to the virtual input of MIDIPipe (awesome program!). On each scene, that should trigger a video, this track has a clip that sends a certain MIDI note on the first beat. In MIDIPipe you write an Applescript handler, that reacts on this MIDI note and fires keystrokes directly to the app you wish to receive the keystroke (this might get you started on Applescript and keystrokes: http://dougscripts.com/itunes/itinfo/keycodes.php).

I hope this helps. If your on PC, then I don't know any starting point…


P.S.: @Jonathan: thanks!

[delicioso]

AFAIK you can only send MIDI notes from Ableton to the outside world. So you need a program that translates MIDI notes into keystrokes. The problem is though, you not only need to convert MIDI to keystrokes (midiStroke does that on Mac), but also target those shortcuts to a specific app.

QuicKeys lets you choose whether to target specific apps or not with its midi to keystroke translations. It also lets you trigger/automate applescript or automator workflows/apps. It even lets you easily assign midi to any menu item (even ones without any keyboard shortcut pre-assigned) including contextual menu items.

[JamesBowers]

delicioso and Johnathan - thanks for the info! And Wiffbi - the new version is allowing me great control of Ableton. I'm jazzed! Thanks again!

[Jekblad]

again, this is so awesome.

the midi implementation chart says "alt-down/up" is fire next clip slot, on my keyboard "alt" is shared with "option", normally you need "shift" to access the "alt", but not the case here. So it's covering the ableton native "option-up" shortcut which i use to select my FX for the "blue hand".

just a heads up!

[wiffbi]

the midi implementation chart says "alt-down/up" is fire next clip slot, on my keyboard "alt" is shared with "option", normally you need "shift" to access the "alt", but not the case here. So it's covering the ableton native "option-up" shortcut which i use to select my FX for the "blue hand".

Ah, I knew I missed some predefined shortcuts. Sorry for overwriting them…

You can change or disable that shortcut by editing a file inside the package of the app "Selected Track Control". Right-click on the app-icon, select "Show package contents", then navigate to the folder Contents/Resources/ and edit the file "MIDIActions.plist" – this a normal XML-file, but it is easier to edit in "Property List Editor" (Developer Tools needed though). Look for an entry named "clips_fire_previous" and either delete it or change the child "hotkey" to your liking (you need to add booleans like "optionKey" to it. Available key-names are: optionKey, controlKey, shiftKey).

Btw. alt/option is the same key (without shift). Combining alt/option with shift is another possible keyboard-shortcut.

[wiffbi]

Oh, I forgot to mention that I just released version 1.0.1 – this is basically a bugfix release:

• panning left works now – problem was: you could not pan left; only from right back to center and it stopped there
• added version numbers

Good news for Live 7-users: Ableton was so kind to let me test it on a demo-version of Live 7 and after my quick test, it works there too!

[Jekblad]

awesome.

i forgot to mention the panning, great to hear it's sorted.

i did not know that option/alt where the same thing... what's the deal with that?


edit: when you update do you need to replace the script as well as the app?

[JamesBowers]

When I've been monkeying with the details pane or a plugin window and close it, Ableton doesn't activate the session view window, and my Selected Track Control Commands don't get through... I have to click on the title bar to "re-connect" the commands. Anyone know of a way around this?

Thanks, James

[wiffbi]

awesome.

i forgot to mention the panning, great to hear it's sorted.

i did not know that option/alt where the same thing... what's the deal with that?


edit: when you update do you need to replace the script as well as the app?

This time actually only the MIDI Remote Script was updated, so yes, you need to update that inside the Live-app-bundle.

Concerning option/alt I guess it is just a naming thing…

@JamesBowers: I will look into this.

[wiffbi]

When I've been monkeying with the details pane or a plugin window and close it, Ableton doesn't activate the session view window, and my Selected Track Control Commands don't get through... I have to click on the title bar to "re-connect" the commands. Anyone know of a way around this?

Thanks, James

Hi James,

that seems strange, because Selected_Track_Control as a MIDI Remote Script should always be active – so it should not matter whether session view has focus or not. Even Ableton Live does not have to have focus for it to work!

Are only specific commands not working? And if so, which ones?
Which operating system are you on? Are you using the Mac-app to send the MIDI messages or do have a MIDI controller setup for it (I have read your other post, so I assume you are using your Behringer FCB).
Did you maybe accidentally lock you MIDI controller to that plugin?
Did you maybe somehow manage to not have a track selected (is that possible at all in Live)?

Sorry for all my stupid questions, but I could not reproduce your error so I need more info to debug.
Richard

[Jekblad]

i have not had the issue james had either.

[JamesBowers]

Richard - apologies - that was a weird problem I had because of conflicting commands in Ableton's "KEY" automation. My fault. Fixed.

I should probably explain how I have things set up - firstly, I'm using the Behringer FCB1010 with STC. I also have an APC40, but this is all about the FCB1010, so I can be hands free as much as possible.

I have 2 paradigms for controlling Ableton.

1. SCENE BASED - "Song structures"

I like to start with a single track and record 3 or 4 clips - as song sections verse chorus bridge....

I select a track and then trigger SCENE ONE. The selected track goes into record. From here I can-

- press record again to start playback/looping, or delete for live input and retaking.

- once I have a keeper I press SCENE DOWN to record in the next scene.

Once I have all the chord progressions for that instrument, I switch to the next instrument track (for example bass) and then do the same. This way I can build complete song arrangements. All I have to do is remember the arrangements!

Also, If you want to change from SCENE ONE to SCENE FOUR when "preforming" the song, it's pretty easy to do by pressing SCENE DOWN 3 times fairly quickly. My global quantize is set to 1 bar.

2. CLIP BASED Navigation. After I have my SCENES recorded, I like to add improvised clips on a track ( ie: Guitar solo) to cells FOLLOWING my scenes and here's where I get a snag.

I'm using option/page down to send "Fire next available empty clip". When it does this, Ableton is switching to that scene. What I want it to do is record my new clip WITHOUT changing from the current scene. Also, the delete function doesn't delete the clip being recorded - it deletes the whole scene!

Maybe the problem is when I send option/page down it is somehow selecting the Master track rather than the selected track. Any ideas?
I have a pdf with my foot board layout and corresponding commands if you're interested in seeing it..

Thanks again, James

[wiffbi]

Hi James,

I get your problem. Actually option-pagedown isn’t the problem – it does its thing just right. But I realised, when you fire a scene (via ctrl-enter or ctrl-option-up/down or any other method directly in Live), it selects the scene (not just highlights it, but selects it)! Then comes the problem, when hitting delete: delete is applied to what is selected in Ableton Live – and that is then the scene.

You can easily verify it by doing the following: arm the track, click on a clipslot (it is selected), press option-pagedown (the next empty clipslot is selected to record into), press delete (works as expected). Then press ctrl-enter (to play the currently highlighted scene) or use any other method to play a whole scene -> the scene is selected (the colored – yellow in my case – indicator is moved to the right onto the whole scene). Press delete and the whole scene is deleted.

So the problem is: triggering a scene also selects it – and the only way to deselect it, is to click somewhere inside session view. So the delete-key is not a useful option. Also, there is no way to delete a clip via MIDI Remote Scripts, so you were actually right trying to use the delete-key. But again, the delete key gets applied to what is selected in Live – and this AFAIK cannot be controlled via MIDI Remote Scripts. There is only one attribute called "selected_scene", but it does not tell whether that scene is actually only highlighted or really selected.

I am sorry, but AFAIK in the current state of Live, delete is not usable without using a mouse.

[wiffbi]

Wow, I accidentally found a workaround: when you switch from Session View to Arrangement View back to Session View the clip is selected again (and not the scene).

Sooooo: before you press delete, press TAB twice. That should do the trick.