Question: mapping blue hand

[ghz.tomash]

Hello there everyone,

I am developing some of my own controllers and trying to put together a couple MIDI scripts for those. I'm fairly new to Ableton Live but I saw in videos and screenshot's a blue hand icon over some devices, but couldn't find much useful information on it. Can somebody please explain me how does that exactly work? Is it a User MIDI script for specific controller that maps automatically the selected track to the controller?

Basically what i want to do is, use my LED rotary encoder device (youtu.be/PiRoBO5y4XY) to control an effect rack of the currently selected track (pretty much like the device control encoders on the APC-40). Is there a specific way to map that? or should I write a MIDI script for that?

[8O]

Hi,

Some useful info here: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=178819 and in the linked thread: viewtopic.php?f=1&t=116078

[UltimateOutsider]

The blue hand only shows up for "Control Surface" devices, as configured in Options > Preferences > MIDI Sync.

Live comes with a number of pre-defined devices (such as the MPK49 and padKONTROL in the screenshot) but you can add your own. This is done by adding scripts into the MIDI Remote Scripts folder buried in your current Live installation's application folder. The only documentation I have ever seen on this stuff is two text files located in the "_Tools" subfolder of MIDI Remote Scripts. The remote scripts themselves, I believe are Python... the various PYC files you'll find in the folders for existing devices are streamed Python data.

Here's my own setup; Maschine is not one of the default Live control surfaces, but you can add it to the list by copying the scripts that come with the Native Instruments Controller Editor into MIDI Remote Scripts.

[8O]

Live comes with a number of pre-defined devices (such as the MPK49 and padKONTROL in the screenshot) but you can add your own. This is done by adding scripts into the MIDI Remote Scripts folder buried in your current Live installation's application folder. The only documentation I have ever seen on this stuff is two text files located in the "_Tools" subfolder of MIDI Remote Scripts. The remote scripts themselves, I believe are Python... the various PYC files you'll find in the folders for existing devices are streamed Python data.

Just to clarify, there are two independent locations and two different levels for this:

1. User/Library/Preferences/Ableton/Live x.x/User Remote Scripts/

2. Applications/Ableton Live x.x/Contents/App-Resources/MIDI Remote Scripts

(Mac OS paths, but Windows are similar iirc)

The former is the simpler one where you can define your remote mapping in a text file (instructions are also in text files in that folder). This works fine for getting your own controller on Live's device list and getting the blue hand functionality.

The latter is the more involved python route, which I'd only look into if the former isn't enough for you.

[ghz.tomash]

Just to clarify, there are two independent locations and two different levels for this:

1. User/Library/Preferences/Ableton/Live x.x/User Remote Scripts/

2. Applications/Ableton Live x.x/Contents/App-Resources/MIDI Remote Scripts

The first one did it EXACTLY how I wanted it! Thank you very much! I found it under C:\Users\xxxx\AppData\Roaming\Ableton\Live x.x\Preferences\User Remote Scripts\ in Windows 7. And its very easy to edit! I have already done couple of Python MIDI scripts for my grid controller but it not that clear since I couldn't find any proper documentation on those... But thankfully this one was matter of 5 minutes to get it working I'm trying to develop some sort of APC-style workflow with DIY Midi devices, if anybody is interested you can take a look here: http://tomashg.com/

[ghz.tomash]

I don't know if there is anyone with enough technical knowledge here to answer this one. Everything woks fine in general, though the refresh rate of the LED arc's is not so good, if I drag the knobs in the software with the mouse it updates the LED's in real time, but if I turn the encoders it only shows the new LED position after I stop turning the encoder. I don't think its a programming issue since in Traktor it updates the LED's in real time even while I'm turning the encoders.
Any one got ideas what the issue might be?

[aeon_flux]

I have already done couple of Python MIDI scripts for my grid controller but it not that clear since I couldn't find any proper documentation on those... /

have you seen http://remotescripts.blogspot.com/ ?

[ghz.tomash]

I have already done couple of Python MIDI scripts for my grid controller but it not that clear since I couldn't find any proper documentation on those... /

have you seen http://remotescripts.blogspot.com/ ?

Yeah thanks! There are a lot of useful information on that site! I meant official documentation. I will take a better look later on how the Ringed Encoder Element is implemented because I still can't figure out why they do not update in real time. You can see exactly what I mean here:
http://youtu.be/CluFTtNGmHc?t=41s

[aeon_flux]

i would rather say it is "unofficial" as you can implement features restricted to apc40/launchpad on any controller.

i think hanz has once a problem with updating led rings in realtime on his scripts, which he finally solved - maybe you can ping him and ask?

[ghz.tomash]

i would rather say it is "unofficial" as you can implement features restricted to apc40/launchpad on any controller.

i think hanz has once a problem with updating led rings in realtime on his scripts, which he finally solved - maybe you can ping him and ask?

Still it's very cool that they didn't lock down those "features" and people can experiment and mod the behavior of their controllers

Thanks! I will try to get in touch with him, and meanwhile experiment some more

[ghz.tomash]

I tried the RingedEncoderElement class that Hanz made for his APC40-22 script but with no success.

[aeon_flux]

I tried the RingedEncoderElement class that Hanz made for his APC40-22 script but with no success.

i'm planning to use also some parts of his scripts but my python skills are weak...

have you looked on errors log? which version of live you are using? latest hanz tweaks was for 8.2.5 but in general i suppose it was built on decompiled 8.2.2 scripts.

you also have to be careful on whitespaces in python syntax.

[ghz.tomash]

I managed to get in touch with Will Marshall. He has done a lot of work with MIDI scripts and templates and easily pointed out that Ableton will not send back MIDI values while they are being updated, thus the controller must handle that itself. So I will have to rewrite my firmware and everything should be fine

I tried it on 8.3 and Hanz script worked perfectly fine, even the RingEncoderElement class in my own MIDI script, just it wouldn't update the LED ring in real time for the reasons stated above.

[aeon_flux]

ah, so your knob was sending midi to live and you expected leds to be updated from live midi info? it was not synced (knob/led) within your controller?

[ghz.tomash]

ah, so your knob was sending midi to live and you expected leds to be updated from live midi info? it was not synced (knob/led) within your controller?

Yup! exactly!