Global Scale Setting (so piano roll isn't all sharps)

[SpecialGuest]

I want a way to set global or scene level scale as you can set BPM.
I've wanted this from day one (since live 4). As I end up teaching some music theory in teaching production with Live, its very confusing to students to have to transpose, no pun intended, from any scale with flats to Ableton showing sharps in the piano role. We have to spell everything with sharps and it's just wrong, counter intuitive, and works against teaching music in the environment they will be composing in (which as it turns out people find much more engaging and immediate).

I can possibly see an option as well for a per clip basis.

Thanks
Shane

[jonljacobi]

Use a blank Drum Rack and rename all the notes to their flat equivalents? Not global, but it will work on a track basis.

[SpecialGuest]

Hi Jon,
No this would not work well at all. You aren't going to make a drum rack preset for every scale to then instantiate a plugin on every pad and do this for every new instrument. That's like making a micro player in every scene you want a different tempo in to change BPM there. The software should allow this to improve workflow and clarity like it allows with BPM Changes.

[jonljacobi]

You didn't say anything about scales. Simply sharps and flats. Just a suggestion for a workaround while you're waiting for something that will likely never occur.

[SpecialGuest]

Jon: "You didn't say anything about scales."
Me: "I want a way to set global or scene level scale"

Jon: "Just a suggestion for a workaround while you're waiting for something that will likely never occur."

There wasn't light scripting in scenes to set BPM changes but the addition was trivial. Making Ableton just for DJs or producer's without music theory knowledge is one of the many things which keep Ableton in this "non-professional" DAW toy space for a lot of people. This change I propose is not nearly as involved as vocal comping or other mainstays but accomplishes several things with one move.