selecting things from a remote midi controller

[RichardT]

Hi, I'm trying to remove the need to use the computer when working with live and a midi remote keyboard (novation SL).

On the Novation, when I select an instrument or effect in a track, then it's parameters appear n the LCDs on the Novation and can be controlled by it. This is great, but I can't find a way of selecting an instrument or effect without clicking it with the mouse (or at least clicking an instrument somewhere in the same track - I know I can use arrow keys to move between instruments in the same track. Sometimes I am able to select an instrument in one track, select another track and then use the arrow keys to select an instrument in the second track, but that doesn't work consistently).

Anybody know how to do this? If there are keyboard shortcuts for navigating between elements in the gui and selecting them I can't see it in the Ableton manual

As a last resort I tried using the Windows Mousekeys feature, which is supposed to make arrow keys move the mouse pointer, but it doesn't work on my machine (Sony laptop).

If I can find a way to do this then I'm planning to use Bome's midi translator to convert some midi message from the Novation into keystrokes

thanks all - I'm hoping this will be useful to quite a few people who want to avoid touching the computer atall.

Rich

[fatrabbit]

This is something i'm very interested in too.

Firstly, check this video by The Phat Conductor on his mouseless DJ template (for the Trigger Finger, but can be edited for many midi control surfaces):
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JH1Ko630Ytc

I would recommend emailing the The Phat Conductor if you have specific questions, he seems like a nice chap and he probably wouldn't mind.

I'm pretty sure that you can use something like controlAID and/or MIDIStroke (google them) - and I believe The Phat Conductor is using one or both of these in his template. Basically with MIDIStroke you can set it up so a single toggle button can trigger a whole series of keystrokes in Live. ControlAID really helps to maximise what you can do with midi controllers in Live - http://www.charlie-roberts.com/controlAid/ - the homepage has some great ideas listed, and may be of interest for your problem.

[RichardT]

Thanks for that.

I think I've found something that enables me to select the instrument when I select the track.

If you try this sequence in live, it seems to do what's needed

select the track
click alt and the up arrow
click alt and the down arrow.

This may not work on all keyboards - mine's a laptop where the arrow keys don't behave in the normal way

next problem - how to get midi translator to work with the Novation, which only allows one piece of software to control it at once....

Rich

[mattianlaseppia]

you can use the button under the faders of novation. for example you have an instruments in track four, press de button under the same fader and you enable it. but i have the same problem if you want, for example, keep enable the vox track becouse you want to use a reverb plug-in live, and you want to keep another instrument to you keyboard player, if you use the same configuration for all the song it's ok, but if you want to change your instrument maybe with the one in track 5, you press the button under the same fader and you disable all the rest.

[longjohns]

select the track
click alt and the up arrow
click alt and the down arrow.

Note that you may actually need more than one arrow stroke, to get high or low enough to start using the side arrows...

[kennerb]

select the track
click alt and the up arrow
click alt and the down arrow.

Note that you may actually need more than one arrow stroke, to get high or low enough to start using the side arrows...

and needless to say you still need to touch the laptop. I still need to wrap my head around midi mapping key strokes to my controller.

[fatrabbit]

select the track
click alt and the up arrow
click alt and the down arrow.

Note that you may actually need more than one arrow stroke, to get high or low enough to start using the side arrows...

and needless to say you still need to touch the laptop. I still need to wrap my head around midi mapping key strokes to my controller.

I would recommend ControlAid by Charlie Roberts.

Whilst i'm still working out how to get the best out of my MIDI controllers for my situation I did manage to get a knob to select which track was highlighted. This is within the example Live set you get with the ControlAid download - once a track is selected various parameters can be controlled. Check it out.

[kennerb]

Note that you may actually need more than one arrow stroke, to get high or low enough to start using the side arrows...

and needless to say you still need to touch the laptop. I still need to wrap my head around midi mapping key strokes to my controller.

I would recommend ControlAid by Charlie Roberts.

Whilst i'm still working out how to get the best out of my MIDI controllers for my situation I did manage to get a knob to select which track was highlighted. This is within the example Live set you get with the ControlAid download - once a track is selected various parameters can be controlled. Check it out.

Sweet. Thanks. I just got it and am going to start messing wit it.

I want one knob to select a track (or maybe each track assigned to a midi channel) and then another knob to select instruments/macros/effects/racks from left to right and back.

[RichardT]

I've managed to get it to work with Midi Translator. What I've done is configure one rotary control to select the track and another one to select the instrument.

I used midi translator to map the control movements to key strokes. As you said, more than one 'up' and 'down' command is necessary - in the end I used 3, that always seems to work.

The track selector moves the focus up to the session area and then moves left or right. The instrument selector moves the focus down to the trackand then moves left or right.

To get this to be usable, I had to use the pro version of midi translator where I could program it to move to the right only when the midi value sent be the controller increased by 5, and left when the controller decreased by 5. This means that the rotary control moves which track is selected at a reasonable rate. Without that, it move the selection too quickly.

I could have use a button for left and another for right but this feels more intuitive to use. I had great help from Florian, who runs Bome.com.

I need to do some work to get this quite right, but I think it's doable. If anybody would like the details, let me know and I'll pass them on. I'll get it fully working first. The issue is how to handle rapid movements of the rotary control when not all midi messages get sent - I've got a workaround for that but I'm not really happy with it.

But what I do have is good - it means I can get the parameters of any intrument or effect displayed and changeable on the Novation keyboard without having to touch the computer and without having to select the track for midi input from the keyboard. So I can change one the parameters on one track while playing into another. That's really helpful for me.

Rich

[djazz]

its not a good solution ...

i would like to find a way to solve that.

lets hope for an improvement on the next releash, there so many things you can do for ableton, weve only reached the tip of the ice berg

[ben_blue]

I want one knob to select a track (or maybe each track assigned to a midi channel) and then another knob to select instruments/macros/effects/racks from left to right and back.

what u CAN do already without third-party app:

midi assign selecting ANY track. (midi learn mode, click track's name bar, assign.)
midi assign remote selection of playing / selected clip for each track. (midi learn mode, click small pie graph/ remaining time bar for a track, and assign. this part's new in 6.)

and dont forget F12 to toggle between viewing racks and the clip for a track, or shift TAB.

shift TAB / F12 = exactly the same.


so u can midi assign selecting a track - which will bring the devices for that track to view, and/ or midi assign selecting the selected (playing) clip for a track, which will bring the waveform view forward.

but this will be PER track. cant do one knob to scroll through them all, well, not without a midi translator.


in Live 5, midi selecting a track wouldnt bring the rack to view if you were previously looking at a waveform. you had to use a translator for F12 or just hit F12. so this is an improvement.


if no clip is playing or clicked on for a track, than the "clip select" or "track status" as its called in mapping manager wont do anything.

cheers
b

[fatrabbit]

It might have been mentioned (I didn't really read some posts) - but search on here for MackieControl emulation. This enables you to assign some knobs/buttons/sliders to do some things that a Mackie desk can do (cycle through tracks, undo, delete clips, move between scenes, play scene or play currently selected individual clip etc.). Pretty sweet, check it out.