getting keys to work like a punch button

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Rinko
Posts: 66
Joined: Mon May 08, 2006 11:38 am

getting keys to work like a punch button

Post by Rinko » Wed Apr 18, 2007 10:08 pm

hey

i was wondering if anyone could tell me if/how you can map either keyboard keys or buttons on midi controllers to act like punch buttons i.e. say you assigned the key/button to the track activator button of a track in live, it would mean that no audio was emitted from the track for as long as you held the key/button down but as soon as you released it, you could hear the audio again rather than havin to press the key/button twice (once to mute the track and once more to un-mute it) as you do with standard key or midi mapping.

i couldn't find anything about this when i searched the forum but apologies if its come up before.

any help much appreciated!!!

ta.

Shoma
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Joined: Thu Jun 30, 2005 6:20 pm
Location: Almaty, Kazakhstan

Post by Shoma » Wed Apr 18, 2007 10:13 pm

Id also want to know that

Majnun
Posts: 129
Joined: Sat Mar 24, 2007 7:12 am

Post by Majnun » Thu Apr 19, 2007 1:51 am

if your controller can't map on/off velocities as different midi signals (do any do that?) you might be able to do that type of stuff with one of the midi translators.

look here for inspiration:
http://www.ableton.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=56470

oh i just had a crazy idea i have no idea if it would work well:
you could try having an audio clip with no sound it it, that's trigger to play while you hold it, then have it launch another clip when it's finished.

pip
Posts: 116
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2007 4:50 am
Location: Manchester, NH

Punch-out using dummy clips

Post by pip » Thu Apr 19, 2007 3:19 am

The best way I can think of doing it with just the keyboard (I spent about 20 minutes experimenting) is using dummy clips. It's a bit roundabout, and I haven't figured out how to do it without forcing quantization, but maybe you want your punching to snap to the nearest 32nd note : )

Insert a new track and make a dummy clip. Set its Monitor from "Auto" to "In". Set its launch mode to "Repeat" and its Quantization to 1/32. Un-loop it. Make an envelope that starts at zero and then jumps up to unity (or 100% or whatever) after the first 1/32 and remains flat for the rest of the clip.

[you can also invert this for a punch-in, with the first 1/32 at full and the rest of the envelope at zero]

Map this clip to whatever key you want for punching.

Take the track containing the clip you want "punched" and route its audio to the Dummy Track. There ya go!

What happens: when you hold down the punch key, it constantly re-triggers the beginning of dummy clip, which has an envelope that drops the track volume to zero. When you release your punch key, the track plays its way out to the end, where its envelope brings the track volume back to normal again.

I know this post is a bit discombobulated, let me know if you have any specific questions, or if you want me to try to get some screenshots for you.

--Pip

RePeter
Posts: 421
Joined: Sun Nov 28, 2004 12:42 pm

Post by RePeter » Thu Apr 19, 2007 7:48 pm

I use to use a korg microkontrol, the pads on this were programmable between toggle & momentary (which done exactly what your after).

I imagine the pad kontrol would have the same functions.

moved over to 4xfaderfoxes now, and this is the only function I miss from my old set up.

Ideally it should be something you could change in the midi options inside of live (as you do with changing the range of midi cc data).
MBP 2.4 & a shit load of Faderfoxes!

Rinko
Posts: 66
Joined: Mon May 08, 2006 11:38 am

Post by Rinko » Thu Apr 19, 2007 8:05 pm

cheers for the help!

i managed to set up one of the buttons on my usb joypad to do this really easily in the end using controllermate v4.1 (a nice handy app i might add)

basically you map your input (whichever joypad button you want to use) to a 'keystrokes' output command. in the 'inspector' window, where you set the properties for your 'keystrokes' output you can specify the key/s you want your joypad button to relate to. there is a section for the both the joypad button 'on' and 'off' - specify the same key in both sections and then map this same key to the on/off for an effect or whatever in live and said effect will only activate as long as you hold down that joypad button.

the dummy clips ideas are cool but i was after something a little more flexible - so i could cut the sound from an instrument rack or whatever in a free and rhythmic way, more like a traditional instrument or a crossfader on a dj mixer or summat.

i haven't figured out a way to make any buttons on my midi controllers (an oxygen 8 and an fcb1010 - they don't seem to have the toggle/momentary thing like the korg does) work like this yet though (i've been trying using midistroke) so i'll have to keep trying. if anyone cracks it then let me know.

cheers!!!

pip
Posts: 116
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2007 4:50 am
Location: Manchester, NH

Awesome.

Post by pip » Fri Apr 20, 2007 2:45 am

Yeah, my solution was a bit sketchy anyway...
But here's hoping that I can redeem myself!
You can cut out the middle-man and use Joy2MIDI:

http://krypt.dyndns.org:81/joy2midi/

It might give you some more joystick control options.

You won't be able to map the buttons on your Oxygen8, because they don't send midi events. However, you can map the keys of your Oxygen8 to trigger samples, etc. Just enable "remote" for that interface under your midi options. Set your clips to "gate" launch mode. ... I'll crack open the Oxygen8 manual and double check this right now...

Hopefully that helps someone : - )

Regards,
-Pip

pip
Posts: 116
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2007 4:50 am
Location: Manchester, NH

Hmm nope.

Post by pip » Fri Apr 20, 2007 3:14 am

Ignore my last comment about gating -- it doesn't apply to what you're trying to do. And unless you feel like using something like midi-ox to convert your note on/offs from the oxygen8 to something more useful, you're boned.

Luckily, it looks like your fcb 1010 can be programmed to send CC (continuous controller) messages from its 10 footswitches. That will definitely allow you to do things like 'punch'. Really.

I'm not wrong this time.
I promise.

...maybe

Rinko
Posts: 66
Joined: Mon May 08, 2006 11:38 am

Post by Rinko » Sat Apr 21, 2007 8:14 am

ta.

fraid i can't run joy2midi cos i've got a macbook pro but i might have another look at junxion (didn't get on too well with it last time though).

i don't think i can get my fcb1010 to do what i want with just midistroke either yet. just gettin controlaid and midipipe so i'll see if they help.

i'll let you know if i have any luck.

pip
Posts: 116
Joined: Tue Mar 13, 2007 4:50 am
Location: Manchester, NH

FCB1010

Post by pip » Sat Apr 21, 2007 6:58 pm

Have you tried http://www.wabbitwanch.com/iFCB.html to program your FCB1010?

Rinko
Posts: 66
Joined: Mon May 08, 2006 11:38 am

Post by Rinko » Sun Apr 22, 2007 1:17 pm

nah i hadn't heard of that. looks mint though, cheers!

is it something lots of people know about? might be worth sharing further...

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