MaxforLive and Push 3 Standalone

[S4racen]

I've been working with Peter Kirn for a while on creating a series of videos focusing on the Push 3 Standalone and MaxforLive.

There's four videos so far and CDM have published 2 articles as well...

https://cdm.link/2023/09/making-max-for ... tandalone/

https://cdm.link/2023/10/custom-push-3- ... e-control/

If you see stuff that you think I could've done better please comment, as a lot of the control surfaces work is undocumented then it's a lot of trial and error and I've racked up over 100 hours on it so far....

My plan is to continue the series updating the Push 3 Control device with new features and functionality, some of which I hope comes later from Ableton....

The device itself will be free, and I'll release iterations to match the video content over time.

https://isotonikstudios.com/product/pus ... ol-master/

Open disclosure, the free device will cover the theory covered in the videos to allow you to use the patching within your own devices, if you come up with something cool then let me know the intent was to share and see what happens!

I will be building everything out into a performance template however which will at some point be a commercial device available on the website.

Cheers
D

[chapelier fou]

That's a nice project, thanks for sharing !
I am only starting to work with M4L and Push, so...
if you're open to suggestions, here's what I'd love to see explored :

- tips on changing matrix buttons colors
- how to implement a "flashing playhead" for step sequencers
- store/recall matrix button states
- how to rename controls (just kidding, I know you know it's currently impossible )
- create "shift buttons"
- use the aftertouch of single buttons

Yeah, I kind of think the matrix has a lot of potential.

EDIT : I realize my requests are not properly standalone-related... but still, might be interesting ?

[DoubleWah]

This looks awesome! I wonder if this technique could be used to create a device that allowed midi mappings on the fly in standalone (an oft-requested feature!). For example, could one make an m4l device that had pre-setup mappable controls for each of a bunch of midi-CCs and then drop that into a track that has a device you want to control? Or have I misunderstood what it can do?

[chapelier fou]

@Doublewah :
What's doable is to make a MIDI FX that you'd drop in a dedicated track, listening to MIDI from a specific controller. You would use "track midi" instead of "remote midi". Ech CC coming from you controller would go to a "Mapper" that you could bind to any parameter anywhere in the live set.

[S4racen]

That's a nice project, thanks for sharing !
I am only starting to work with M4L and Push, so...
if you're open to suggestions, here's what I'd love to see explored :

- tips on changing matrix buttons colors

Once grabbed you can either use the MIDI Note technique sent to the control surface layer or the send_value technique sent to the Button_MAtrix object, there's an example in the device if you switch the gate from right to left (remove the load mess if you want it to be permanently set to MIDI Notes. Currently it's just set to give feedback on button presses using the velocity as the colour message.

- how to implement a "flashing playhead" for step sequencers

Yep, will put that on the list....

- store/recall matrix button states

Currently working on the net video which allows you to focus on an Audio track and automatically grab a named rack / device with visual feedback on parameter states for the Button matrix, some of this maybe useful

- how to rename controls (just kidding, I know you know it's currently impossible )

Campaigning on every from that I can possibly manage! but yes, there's no point expending energy on trying things that simply won't work...

- create "shift buttons"

Next video shows how to use the "Is it an audio Track, have you pressed the Note Mode Button theory, but I can easily add the Shift button as another method, it seems some buttons can be observed without grabbing them, others can't...

- use the aftertouch of single buttons

Think that's only possible via grabbing the MIDI, that's bigger subject which needs Poly~ etc. probably won't get to that anytime soon but it's demonstrated within the Apex device.

Yeah, I kind of think the matrix has a lot of potential.

I guess it'll be a work in progress but I would love to grab it as a giant X Y pad....

EDIT : I realize my requests are not properly standalone-related... but still, might be interesting ?

Yeah I'm enjoying the discovery so far, and I'm sure I can do more content over a period of time, just got to balance it around other releases and working it into a premium performance template for release at some point, as I said the theory I'll share but maybe the actual application of the theory will just become the demos for inspiration...

Cheers
D

[S4racen]

This looks awesome! I wonder if this technique could be used to create a device that allowed midi mappings on the fly in standalone (an oft-requested feature!). For example, could one make an m4l device that had pre-setup mappable controls for each of a bunch of midi-CCs and then drop that into a track that has a device you want to control? Or have I misunderstood what it can do?

I've probably misunderstood the question but MIDI Mappings aren't possible to change on the fly, what you can do is grab the Button Matrix and then use that to control parameters within Live, the next video will do this automatically if an Audio track has a rack in it called "Isotonik" and you press the Note Mode button, gives some pretty instant gratification of playing parameters with button presses rather than twisting encoders...

Cheers
D

[chapelier fou]

Thanks for the answer, looking forward to the next episodes !

[DoubleWah]

I've probably misunderstood the question but MIDI Mappings aren't possible to change on the fly,

Thanks! What I was thinking was to have the MIDI CCs baked in but be able to on-the-fly change what they control on that track. So, I know the CCs of my attached faderbank and they don’t change but I’d like to be able to remap them to other stuff as needed. So, strictly speaking it’s not changing midi mappings as they’ll be fixed, but instead changing where those control signals are sent to using the max patch.

[S4racen]

I've probably misunderstood the question but MIDI Mappings aren't possible to change on the fly,

Thanks! What I was thinking was to have the MIDI CCs baked in but be able to on-the-fly change what they control on that track. So, I know the CCs of my attached faderbank and they don’t change but I’d like to be able to remap them to other stuff as needed. So, strictly speaking it’s not changing midi mappings as they’ll be fixed, but instead changing where those control signals are sent to using the max patch.

So if you watch the video you'll see that you can turn the button matrix into velocity, column, row values... After that what you do with it is totally up to you

Cheers
D