LFOs in Live

[siliconarc]

i made an LFO rack/track preset template which uses pizMIDI's Simple LFO and MidiOut plugs. works pretty well, considering the workarounds necessary.
the cc data from the LFOs is picked up by the MidiOut plug and sent to the IAC bus, then back into Live.

try it out: install the pizMIDI Simple LFO and MidiOut plugins, and download my template >>> here <<<
open the .als and drag the 'PIZ LFOs' track header to your Templates folder in the Library so its there to drag into any project.

there are 2 lfos in the rack: 1 one sends out CC1, 2 sends out CC2, so you can always find them easily enough in the Midi Mappings window. hit space in midi map mode to start the lfos (theyre syncd to Live but that can be changed in the plugin windows) and click on the parameter you want to modulate and it'll map straight away, either to lfo 1 or 2. then you can 'undo' to choose which cc to map, 1 or 2.

the great thing about the piz lfo is its phase, amplitude and offset controls, which means you don't have to set the min/max range in the mapping window; it can all be done via the plug itself.

[Tweaking Knobs]

first off..
an unlinked... looped...'clip envelope'... IS AN LFO
.. only 1 per parameter though.. but could be a complex plot..

m4l got loads of freaky modulators as stated before!

Second off... those type of pseudo lfo´s cant be modulated, like say their rate or shape...

wich, kinda sucks, and max for live lfos...

i have having to open the whole max enviroment just to use a basic tool like an lfo.

[miosis]

so wich one to use then?

[dhpetrescu]

I recommend The max for live LFO tool. It's very simple and easy to use. The big downside is it crashes the file often if multiple instances are used. I have it set up in my template and often used multiple instances on just one track. The 2.0 version with a lot more controls was just released, haven't tried it yet.

[Angstrom]

I recommend The max for live LFO tool. It's very simple and easy to use. The big downside is it crashes the file often if multiple instances are used. I have it set up in my template and often used multiple instances on just one track. The 2.0 version with a lot more controls was just released, haven't tried it yet.

The v2 LFO was released?
What? Where?

AFAIK the LFO came in the core/ essentials pack, and as with all Ableton pack versioning we must consult a mystic to detect if we have the current version installed, or if a new one is available. IE they have no versioning because "we don't need it"

Is a new version of the core/ essentials pack available? How would you even know?

The massive limitation of the M4L LFO has already been mentioned. It is a 1-to-1 device which is absolute, not relative, and once assigned the control is locked from the user. EG : you assign the LFO to filter cutoff, you can no longer adjust the filter cutoff, nor can you assign an additional modulator. It is not very good at all.

[Stromkraft]

I'm using live 8 (and barely learning)....I want to be able to control effects parameters with LFOs. As far as I can tell, Live doesn't itself offer this. If that's right, then is there a simple, cheap plug-in solution? What do you recommend?

If MFL is an alternative there's also XLFO. It has features sorely lacking in the native version.

Cableguys MIDI shaper, already mentioned, looks interesting at 20€/$30 and should be compatible with Live 8. The demo is without time limit, max one instance in one project and no presets saved.

[dhpetrescu]

LFO v2.0 is available for free as long as you have max and ableton 9. It can be downloaded from Robert henke's site

http://www.roberthenke.com/technology/lfo.html

I recommend The max for live LFO tool. It's very simple and easy to use. The big downside is it crashes the file often if multiple instances are used. I have it set up in my template and often used multiple instances on just one track. The 2.0 version with a lot more controls was just released, haven't tried it yet.

The v2 LFO was released?
What? Where?

AFAIK the LFO came in the core/ essentials pack, and as with all Ableton pack versioning we must consult a mystic to detect if we have the current version installed, or if a new one is available. IE they have no versioning because "we don't need it"

Is a new version of the core/ essentials pack available? How would you even know?

The massive limitation of the M4L LFO has already been mentioned. It is a 1-to-1 device which is absolute, not relative, and once assigned the control is locked from the user. EG : you assign the LFO to filter cutoff, you can no longer adjust the filter cutoff, nor can you assign an additional modulator. It is not very good at all.