I'm new to abelton.... help, somebody, anybody?!?

[imnewtothis83]

Hello:
I want to be able to use my laptop keyboard to momentarily unmute tracks 1-8 in an abelton set.... momentarily being the objective.


I want all tracks to be playing all the time, but I only want to hear them momentarily....sometimes rythmic pattern....like having a gate on the tracks.

I know how assign 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 on the keyboard to the MUTE buttons for tracks 1-8.

but then I need to hit button again to mute....
Is it possible to make this a momentary function???


My knowledge of MIDI is basic.
I plug my keyboard into the Midi interface and set to channel 1.

I'm thinking. I can use MIDI messages to do this.

note on = pressing the MUTE buttons
note off = pressing the MUTE buttons

but i need basic instructions for an idiot.
I need the MIDI for dummies version

if anyone can explain a way to accomplish this
And say it to me in a way I can understand I would apriciated it. Thaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaanks .

I have MacBook. I have abelton lite. I have push2.
I have an iConnectAUDIO4 audio/midi interface.

[Dubbsy]

hi!

I'm new as well but I think what you're looking for is (and I can't believe nobody has replied for that) is to click on the yellow number of each track. I think they will then go red, off!

Is that what you meant?

Dubbsy

[chrk]

hi!

I'm new as well but I think what you're looking for is (and I can't believe nobody has replied for that) is to click on the yellow number of each track. I think they will then go red, off!

Is that what you meant?

Dubbsy

He's already got that far (they go grey when deactivated, btw).

His problem is that those track activators are designed as toggle swichtes, while he needs them momentarily, i.e. activated only WHILE pressed.

I know how assign 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 on the keyboard to the MUTE buttons for tracks 1-8.

but then I need to hit button again to mute....

F1 to F8 are already hardcoded to do exactly this for track 1 to 8.

I'm thinking. I can use MIDI messages to do this.

note on = pressing the MUTE buttons
note off = pressing the MUTE buttons

but i need basic instructions for an idiot.
I need the MIDI for dummies version

You're thinking in the right direction, but unfortunately there is no MIDI for dummies version. You'd need external programming to catch the note off message. Bome's MIDI Translator (the paid pro version) MAY be able to do this, and I'm sure someone could provide a Max for Live solution, but that's not for dummies either.

[pottering]

AFAIK momentary switch is set on the MIDI hardware, they usually have a software that allows changing that.

[Razz CE]

I'm sure there's a max device that would let you do this with note on/note off, but with live lite that's not an option. So thinking outside the box a little... many creative gate plugins, dedicated sidechainer, or volume enveloper like volumeshaper could probably get the job done if you have one.

Group the tracks, put a gater/volumeshaper on the group channel, and set it up so you can send midi data to your plugin (you may have to look up how to do this. use the input and output drop down menus above the fader. make an empty midi channel and set the output to your gater plugin then set monitoring to IN on the channel receiving midi) and use midi to trigger the plugin to allow audio through. I know Volumeshaper can change patterns via midi, so you could have pattern set to total silence, then one pattern set to let the signal through unaffected which is enabled via midi

EDIT - easier solition - Just group the tracks and put the native Ableton Gate on the group channel. Activate the sidechain on it and use any old synth as the sidechain input to open the gate. Voila

[chrk]

I plug my keyboard into the Midi interface and set to channel 1.

What's your keyboard?

Does it have sliders or knobs that send MIDI CC messages?

THAT might be a 'MIDI for dummies' solution.

You MIDI assign one of those to a track activator, the example I tried reads like this in the MIDI assignment list: CC nn; [Tracknumber/Trackname] | Mixer; Speaker On; Min: 64; Max: 127.

This results in the track being activated as soon as I turn the knob above half way around. I may now adjust the min and max range to taste, even to read 'on' only when it's around the middle, and 'off' when either full left or right.

[doghouse]

I plug my keyboard into the Midi interface and set to channel 1.

What's your keyboard?

He is using the keyboard on his laptop.

[chrk]

He is using the keyboard on his laptop.

Per his original request, yes, but then there's "MIDI messages", "keyboard", and "MIDI interface" in the alternative scenario.