Novation Impulse 49 + Automap 4 (Faders Buttons Keystrokes)

[IamAgar]

Hi guys,

I'm out of ideas. Just purchased a Novation Impulse 49 and installed latest drivers, latest auto map 4.4.0 and upgraded the firmware of the keyboard itself.
I'm reading the manual right now and it says you are able to configure faders and little buttons bellow to do alternative things which should be listed in the automap menu. They are showing screen shots with labeled representation of those faders and buttons in "Edit mapping..." window. However mine says: "In MIDI/Ableton mode. No software to connect to! Run software setup and such". And this only appears when I'm editing the mapping for a third party plug-in. Otherwise I cannot even click on the "Edit mapping..." button in the Mixer/Plugin Mappings section. It just says "No software to connect to...".
I would also like to be able to assign keystrokes to keyboards keys just like they describe it in the automap manual to be able to fire qwerty combinations from the controller itself but I, obviously, cannot reach the dialog window of it.
I'm on MacOSX Lion and my latest version of Ableton is configured just like the automap setup wizard suggests me to do.

Does anyone have an Impulse and had the same kind of problem? Any clues?

Thank you in advance.

[IamAgar]

Eddie Focusrite maybe?

[boderekstits]

so automap is used only for plug ins. to map/control ableton instrument or effect parameters you have to turn automap off.

not sure if this helps but it has been an issue for some people.

[IamAgar]

Thx Boderekstits,

Are you sure about it? Cause I'm able to control my Ableton plugins such as Operator for example with Automap on. And also, how am I supposed to program my keystrokes or fader functions in Automap if I turn it off? I was able to assign qwerty keystrokes to rotary knobs but the manual says it can be assigned to keyboard keys and that's what I'd like to do. Automap is a cool piece of software I'd like to make it work like it says it should in the manual that's it.

[IamAgar]

People, this stuff just drives me crazy!

[Eddie Focusrite]

I IamAgar,

Ableton and the Impulse work in a different way to other DAWs and as previously suggested, Automap doesn't play a part in this connection. Automap will only be used to control your third party plugins.

The rest of the Ableton parameters are controlled through the Impulse's own MIDI port and you cannot re-assign this.

This means that as you suggest, you can't use Automap's own features with the Impulse and Ableton as the control is designed to be native.

Kind regards,

Eddie // Novation Tech Support

[IamAgar]

Thank you Eddie,

What about qwerty keystrokes?

[yur2die4]

In Automap mode, if you browse into 'User' mode (as opposed to FX, Instrument or Mixer modes), you can create your own custom layouts. This is what the Automap manual says for qwerty:

KEYSTROKE ASSIGNMENTS
Automap 4 has a very powerful feature – QWERTY button support – which lets you program buttons on your Novation controller to send QWERTY keyboard messages. You can then send your favourite DAW keyboard shortcuts directly from the controller without using the QWERTY keyboard. For example, your DAW may have two keyboard shortcuts which command the DAW view to zoom in and out. By assigning these shortcuts to buttons on your controller, you can put the QWERTY keyboard aside and control the zoom purely from the controller.
To reassign a sequence of keystrokes to a controller button, proceed as follows:
1. Open the Automap 4 Edit Mapping Window.
2. Click on the control that you wish to assign a keystroke to (in this case, the first button of a Nocturn).
3. The Edit Mapping Window will expand to show the ‘Edit Assignment pane’.
4. Click ‘Range’. You will see a keyboard symbol.
5a. If using a PC, select the mode as QWERTY keyboard and enter the desired keyboard shortcut (in this case the Right arrow key), or....
5b. If using a Mac, left-click and hold on the keyboard symbol and then enter the desired computer keyboard shortcut (in this case the Right arrow key)



I'm not sure of any of that is helpful but whatevs haha