Another SL 25 MKII question...

[effe1981]

Hello to everyone.

I've recently bought an SL25 MKII from Novation and i'm quite happy but i can't figure out some things about it working with live.
Can i FREELY assign knobs and faders and see the name/value in the display? If i use ableton midi learn and i move the knob to assign it, the display shows the value of the selected device, not the mapped control...
Do i have to use automap mode or not? I just need to set knobs and faders exactly how i want and have the values on the display. It should be so simple... but it''s not
I've tried selecting a "Learn" template but nothing changes. Also it seems that the template selection goes back to "Ableton" again when another device is selected.
Looks a bit messy....

Does anyone knows something?
I've look for hours around the web but found nothing.

Thanks to everyone. I know my english is terrible and i hope i've been clear enough

[zirtec2000]

Hi

Are you french ? I think the knob you can really assign freely are the bottom ones, all other one are linked to Plug-ins controller (in general already mapped). I've just received it yesterday so not yet totally tested. For me, it seems that the plugin area is a little bit complicated and I don't use automap.

I used before (and maybe still in the future) an UC33 which is much more easy to use for real live but well, need some time to be cool on SL 25.

Can you tell me how you use it with Ableton, how do you manage plugins ?

jm

[effe1981]

Thanx for the reply!
I'm Italian

Yes, i figured out that the bottom knobs are freely assignable but... er... i want to use the top knobs with the display

Well i still haven't made a concert so i didn't exactly configured the controller and that's what i'm trying to do.
What i'd like to do is not to control a single plugin at a time but to configure every knob/slider/button as i want and control more plugins.

I have no hints or suggestions, as i'm quite new to the stuff, but i'm looking for .

[zirtec2000]

Viva Italia ! I will be there next May

I have been deeper into the SL25 MKII and here is my comments :

1. Good feeling on the Ableton template (Mixer, Pan etc...) and Arm tracks (very useful !). I'm not convinced by the left side, that is to say the way you control Ableton scenes... I have to look more this part as, generally, my live acts are a mix of scene and sequences (both playing)

2. Choosing the INST or external divice is very simple (so you can play when you want what you want) BUT I feel not confortable with all the pages to select the effect of the INST you want to use... For example, if you want to play on the FREQ of your selected INST, you still have to find inside the pages which control it is (not so easy for live act).

I have here a problem (and maybe users could help ?) : when I decide to map the illuminated knobs to a specific effect (for example FREQ), it cancel the red colour effect and don't take into account the "arm" of the track you want to play... In fact the effect remain the same whatever track you choose... Any ideas ?

3. The bottom knobs are ideal but... Name does not appear when touched (after mapping manually from MIDI Ableton mapping) don't know why !!

4. Do you know how desactivate the sensitivity of the keyboard (thus let's play all note at the same level ??)

Hope readers and users will participate, I really would like to take all advantages from this new device.

Cheers

[effe1981]

Nice to have you here

1. Good feeling on the Ableton template (Mixer, Pan etc...) and Arm tracks (very useful !). I'm not convinced by the left side, that is to say the way you control Ableton scenes... I have to look more this part as, generally, my live acts are a mix of scene and sequences (both playing)

Agreed.

2. Choosing the INST or external divice is very simple (so you can play when you want what you want) BUT I feel not confortable with all the pages to select the effect of the INST you want to use... For example, if you want to play on the FREQ of your selected INST, you still have to find inside the pages which control it is (not so easy for live act).

This looks messy to me. Can't absolutely select the instrument via mouse. I find this very messy to me. I sing, i play the guitar and i play the keys so mouse is evil

I have here a problem (and maybe users could help ?) : when I decide to map the illuminated knobs to a specific effect (for example FREQ), it cancel the red colour effect and don't take into account the "arm" of the track you want to play... In fact the effect remain the same whatever track you choose... Any ideas ?

Didnt got this... could you explain better?

3. The bottom knobs are ideal but... Name does not appear when touched (after mapping manually from MIDI Ableton mapping) don't know why !!

It's made like this.

4. Do you know how desactivate the sensitivity of the keyboard (thus let's play all note at the same level ??)

Edit template velocity curve.
http://www.novationmusic.com/support/do ... nglish.pdf - > Page 22

[zirtec2000]

Hello,

2. you should be able to select from buttons (the second ones from the bottom fader when transpose is not pressed). These buttons let you directly select the track (sound) you want to play live. And I can confirm you that it work really fine and is very useful for live music !

Well, the ableton layer is made for it in fact. But, as moving into pages to find the "FREQ" effect for example is not my prefered way, I have tried to map directly the knob (colour ones) into MIDI mapping from Ableton. Once done, it works perfectly but ... For me, red colour is desactivated and when moving from tracks (using above method), the selected effect stay while the other ones (not yet personalised) are automatically linked to the Ableton layer to the sound. It means that you are limited in term of personalised effect (8)... Well, maybe I'm wrong, there is maybe something else to do, still have to digg. Any tips there ? Hope I'm clear now

4. I have to test it, will let you know

jm

[Taylor Barclay]

I'll be following this thread if it develops, I am a prospective buyer of this very keyboard but I'm still on the fence.

[effe1981]

Hey that's great!. I didn't realize that you can arm tracks from that buttons. This looks very useful. Thank you!

Yes i got what you mean. You want the knob to change its mapping as you change the armed track but i think it's impossible. Once you map a knob it stays mapped on the control you choose. Also it does not show you the value on the display, and that's the problem i was talking about.
A workaround is to put the plugin you are using into an instrument rack and map in the instrument rack knobs, which are just eight so fits perfectly on the first "page", just the controls you need. Usually you never use more than eight controls for an instrument. I think that's very rare.

Anyway, great device...
I made a set with some instruments and i put some "global" effects, like a delay and a filter, on a return track and mapped the "global" fx on the bottom knobs / drum pads so for every instrument you can put the delay and filter it with the same controls. I put the global filter on the touchpad (freq on the x and resonance on the y) and voila .

[zirtec2000]

Happy to see that you can arm your track without mouse now Let's live now !

Well, we'll come back for Instrument Rack tips, I have to test it (velocity too) - we'll keep you in touch for that

Come back soon !

[zirtec2000]

So, come back and really happy with your tips ! Indeed "Instrument Rack" are much more usefull, giving a direct 8 Knob control (without having to navigate under full of pages). The only bad thing is that it means only use these intrusments rack and for the Novation Bass Station, still need to navigate under pages...

Good also your Velocity tips work fine !

So now I can say that the 25SL MKII is really good and better than the UC33 (keyboards added of course but also much more knobs available as we can navigate through each tracks and thus select each control for each sounds).

One question, how do you map the X/Y control ?? I'm not able to do it, can you explain please ??

For the "Pad", I don't have mapped them but strangly, it seems to be linked to the keyboard, isn't it ?

jm

[effe1981]

So, come back and really happy with your tips ! Indeed "Instrument Rack" are much more usefull, giving a direct 8 Knob control (without having to navigate under full of pages). The only bad thing is that it means only use these intrusments rack and for the Novation Bass Station, still need to navigate under pages...

False at all , you can use instrument racks with everything you want.
Simply drag an empty instrument rack and put a plugin inside it.

Good also your Velocity tips work fine !

)

So now I can say that the 25SL MKII is really good and better than the UC33 (keyboards added of course but also much more knobs available as we can navigate through each tracks and thus select each control for each sounds).

Don't know UC33...

One question, how do you map the X/Y control ?? I'm not able to do it, can you explain please ??

Enable midi mapping in ableton (midi button) select the control you want to map in the x and touch the lower left side of the touchpad, the select the control you want to map in the y and touch the lower right side.

For the "Pad", I don't have mapped them but strangly, it seems to be linked to the keyboard, isn't it ?

What's "Pad"?