Ableton Forum

I have a hardware-synth which I'd like to control using a midi controller. I have an External Instrument on a midi track, and I can of course arm the track and play the hw-synth using the midi controller.

However, I'd like to be able to eg. control a parameter of a Live effect together with the filter of the hw-synth with only one knob. Is this possible in any way in Live 7?

you got to check out the assignment of your HW synth firsthand.
If the cutoff is on CC105 f.i. and receiving on channel 1, than you have to
configure the knob of your midi controller alike.
Let the external instrument configuration like it is (so that the HW synth receives midi)
and adress the same knob of your controller to an ableton function by pressing ctrl+m so further.

If the ableton miditrack is still sending midi out to the external instrument,
you can controll both. Its just about the adresses or CC values of your HW synth.
Some midi controller can send for each knob a lot of different midi messages,
like three different CC,PC .. even on different Channels . In this case you could configure
one knob which sends the right on to the HWsynth (according to the midi table) and one
for live.. which midi controller do you have?

Hi, thanks for your reply,

turrican wrote:you got to check out the assignment of your HW synth firsthand.
If the cutoff is on CC105 f.i. and receiving on channel 1, than you have to
configure the knob of your midi controller alike.
Let the external instrument configuration like it is (so that the HW synth receives midi)
and adress the same knob of your controller to an ableton function by pressing ctrl+m so further.

If the ableton miditrack is still sending midi out to the external instrument,
you can controll both. Its just about the adresses or CC values of your HW synth.
Some midi controller can send for each knob a lot of different midi messages,
like three different CC,PC .. even on different Channels . In this case you could configure
one knob which sends the right on to the HWsynth (according to the midi table) and one
for live.. which midi controller do you have?

Problem is, when I assign (using MIDI mapping) a knop with eg CC#105 to a parameter of a Live effect, the CC#105 isn't sent to the MIDI track controlling my hw-synth anymore. So it's either or, not both.

My controller is a CME UF5 keyboard. It isn't able to send several to several CC# using one knop, AFAIK.

What I was thinking, was using some kind of plugin-effect that would allow me to map a know to it and then send out a MIDI message. Like a bridge between Live's MIDI-mapping and MIDI output.

when I assign (using MIDI mapping) a knop with eg CC#105 to a parameter of a Live effect, the CC#105 isn't sent to the MIDI track controlling my hw-synth anymore

not sure but I think if you turn on the track and remote button simultaneously (in the Live Pref/midi page) the data should be sent to the midi track-ext Instr. and the Live App together - so you should get amplitude on the midichannel as well

turrican wrote:

when I assign (using MIDI mapping) a knop with eg CC#105 to a parameter of a Live effect, the CC#105 isn't sent to the MIDI track controlling my hw-synth anymore

not sure but I think if you turn on the track and remote button simultaneously (in the Live Pref/midi page) the data should be sent to the midi track-ext Instr. and the Live App together - so you should get amplitude on the midichannel as well

Well, no, not according to my tests. Both remote and track is turned on in the prefs, but if I map eg. C4 to something using MIDI mapping, the C4 key and only that key is no longer sent to the midi out.

Did you ever figure out a way to use a midi mapping and to use the midi for other things as well? I can't find any documentation on this anywhere.