Recording Midi Help

[Darkstar2010]

How can I record midi from my keyboard and not have to set the loop length in session view? I just want it to record whatever amount of midi I play from my keyboard while the record button is on. And when I press stop then it sets the loop for that amount.

Can someone let me know how to do that? thanks!!

[JuanSOLO]

setting the global quantize will allow for starting and stopping loops. Try setting it to 1 bar.

[Darkstar2010]

setting the global quantize will allow for starting and stopping loops. Try setting it to 1 bar.

I'm not sure what that did. I didn't notice any difference at all but it also seemed like before I even tried it that it wasn't the right solution to my problem...Either my question was unclear or you misunderstood what I was asking.


When I start recording midi notes into the midi clip page in session view I don't want there to be a loop set until the recording is stopped. The way it works now I have to set the loop first before I start recording, but sometimes I have no idea how many bars I want to record for. So I want to just record midi in there without having to set a loop length first.

[JuanSOLO]

Setting the global quantize effects clip launching/stopping.

SO, if you set it to one bar
arm your track (record)
press the little record circle button in the desired clip slot, Live will 'wait' until the next bar marker is reached to start recording.
AND
Live will 'stop' at the next bar marker when you press stop.

an example:
You have some drum beat playing and you want to record your keyboard line to it.
Arm the track
before the downbeat of the first bar of the drum beat hits, push the record button circle for the clip slot.
when the down beat (the one) hits, Live starts recording there, YOU start playing. Play as long as you like, before you get to the end, press the clip stop button for that track, Live will wait till the next bar marker to stop, and it will set the loop to that length you recorded.

currently this is all Live will offer you without workarounds and hacks.
using a foot pedal to trigger your clips recording makes things much easier.

that said, there are other workarounds, but not really what you are specifically after.
I believe the script "ClyphX" extends Live's ability to record a specified bar length based on the global quantize setting. I could be wrong about this, it may be Hanz Pertov's APC40 script.
It may not even work like that, it might be that it only makes a midi clip a certain length when you double click in an empty slot.

With Max for Live I had built a device that records a specified length based on wether the 1 Bar, 2 Bar, 4 Bar etc button was activated on the device from my midi controller.
Useful, but kind of redundant considering the way Live works already.

Your best bet is a footpedal approach using the global quantize, and practicing with that until it becomes effortless.

What you are asking for is for Live to read your mind, and your mind is changing "do I want 1 2 4 8 or 16 bars recorded"
GREAT IDEA for sure!!!
It could almost be done using M4L, but I see an issue with telling Live "when" to stop. For example, how long after you stop playing triggers the stopping, and how does the device differentiate between spaces in between notes and when you have stopped?

make since?

[Darkstar2010]

What you are asking for is for Live to read your mind, and your mind is changing "do I want 1 2 4 8 or 16 bars recorded"
GREAT IDEA for sure!!!
It could almost be done using M4L, but I see an issue with telling Live "when" to stop. For example, how long after you stop playing triggers the stopping, and how does the device differentiate between spaces in between notes and when you have stopped?

make since?

You could just press the stop button obviously and that would be the indicator of what stops the recording. Also if you record into the arrangement view the amount of recording space is virtually unlimited. It doesn't just let you record for predetermined amounts of time. That's the part that I find strange with session view how you have to set the amount of recording space first before you even know how much recording youre going to do in there. It's pretty bizarre that it operates that way. It should be unlimited before you start recording and then when you press stop or whatever, then it creates your loop. Not create the loop first, that seems so unbelievably backwards.

[JuanSOLO]

That's the part that I find strange with session view how you have to set the amount of recording space first before you even know how much recording youre going to do in there. It's pretty bizarre that it operates that way. It should be unlimited before you start recording and then when you press stop or whatever, then it creates your loop. Not create the loop first, that seems so unbelievably backwards.

This is confusing to me, because you are saying these these things, as if session view is not capable.

I have no problem doing any of this with my APC40 or the Mouse, in Session View.
Press Record, record as long as I want, press stop and Live creates the quantized loop.
There was never any need to set the loop before hand.

The reason for the M4L device is simply to take the "Pressing Stop" out of the equation.
It's one thing to hit rec and wait for it to start (quantized) allowing time to get ready to play, it's a whole different thing to press stop if you playing guitar or keys or FX with both hands.

[BlackMath]

Yeah this is wierd .. I dont have any limitations of loop length in session view.
When i record a clip it records til i press stop
I dont have to set a pre determined length
What in the hell are you guys doing?

[yur2die4]

As everyone else is saying,

Highlight the slot that you want to record into,
Hit enter once,
Play keyboard,
Keep playing keyboard,
Play a little more,
Hit enter again,
Clip starts over.

[Darkstar2010]

As everyone else is saying,

Highlight the slot that you want to record into,
Hit enter once,
Play keyboard,
Keep playing keyboard,
Play a little more,
Hit enter again,
Clip starts over.

Somehow I managed to fluke off what you described and it worked. I was about to close Ableton and give up because this was becoming frustrating not being able to do this for months now. You didn't mention that I was supposed to Arm Session Recording first. That's the first step and then followed by the rest of your advice it works. Thank you for helping me out I appreciate it!!!

I'll describe what caused me to struggle with this for so long... The way I created midi tracks before. This is how I was taught to do it. Right click in the slot you want and choose Insert Midi Clip. Or double click instead of right click... When you do it that way and try and record midi notes from your keyboard, the Midi Note Editor is restricted to 1 bar or 2 bars. I dont know what that is I cant count. But all I know is that it loops at that length when you try and record midi notes into it instead of recording continuously like what you described to me.


Thanks for setting me on the right path.

[JuanSOLO]

You didn't mention that I was supposed to Arm Session Recording first.

I did.

reading will take you far my friend.

[Darkstar2010]

You didn't mention that I was supposed to Arm Session Recording first.

I did.

reading will take you far my friend.

If you read back in this thread you can see that you aren't even answering the same question as I was asking in the first place. It doesn't make a difference if I arm the track to record after I made a Midi Clip the way I did. Once you insert a midi clip in that fashion, it will record in a 1 or 2 bar loop no matter if you arm the session recording first or not. So yes I followed that advice originally.