Ableton Forum

Can Max4Live output sysex to a specified MIDI interface directly? I ask because I have an old synth (Korg DW-8000) that is editable/tweakable using syx, but doesn't respond to MIDI CCs. I was wondering if I could use M4L to create an editor for it that could be used in Live. Live seems actively to filter out sysex though, so it would have to somehow send the sysex strings to the synth directly, merged with note data. Anyone any thoughts on if this is likely to be possible in M4L?


a|x

SYSEX is not currently possible through direct means. If you have Max and M4L, you can send commands to an external Max patch to trigger SYSEX values. Or, you could use some midi translator software.

Mike

That's really annoying. I wasn't planning to buy the full version of Max. Does this mean that all data coming out of a M4L plugin has to go through Live (and is therefore limited to the types of data Live can deal with), and the M4L runtime has no independent access to the hardware? That seems a bit limiting, given Max's potential for connecting to sensors and other external devices.

a|x

toneburst wrote:Does this mean that all data coming out of a M4L plugin has to go through Live (and is therefore limited to the types of data Live can deal with), and the M4L runtime has no independent access to the hardware

Yes, except for OSC data.

It's starting to lose some of it's appeal now...

I'm sure there's someone with a full version of Max who's happy to send you a small stand-alone patch that can process sysex data. All it needs is a udpreceive object and a midiout.

Yes, it's an ugly workaround, but it does the job.

Best,
Nico

You could make your own and run it in the Max runtime as well.

Just create the patch while you're editing. When you open it up in the runtime the other MIDI ports will become available.

-A

pukunui wrote:You could make your own and run it in the Max runtime as well.

Just create the patch while you're editing. When you open it up in the runtime the other MIDI ports will become available.

-A

Wait so if I were not already a Max 5 license holder I could still create .maxpat files and run them in Runtime? If that is so then now I really think M4L is worth the price for newcomers.

toneburst wrote:Can Max4Live output sysex to a specified MIDI interface directly? I ask because I have an old synth (Korg DW-8000) that is editable/tweakable using syx, but doesn't respond to MIDI CCs. I was wondering if I could use M4L to create an editor for it that could be used in Live. Live seems actively to filter out sysex though, so it would have to somehow send the sysex strings to the synth directly, merged with note data. Anyone any thoughts on if this is likely to be possible in M4L?


a|x

max for live is max hosted inside Live.
Live doesn't handle sysex, so max for live doesn't too.
You can create your editor in max as suggested in this thread. and make a communication between max and max for live
... indeed, it is a bit tricky, but it should work!

Would you need a license for the full version of Max to do this?

a|x

toneburst wrote:Would you need a license for the full version of Max to do this?

a|x

if you have to build patch inside max (stand alone), you'd need a full version.
(or maybe the 30-day trial + the runtime for the other day but you won't be able to fix your patch if it requires that ...)

no! you do NOT need a full max version to do this. just create a new maxpat whilst in edit mode in max for live. as the thread suggests.

Guys, we solved this a way back....direct means to send Sysex to a given MIDI port with only M4L and a python script:

http://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php? ... tion+sysex

The OSC method works for sending and receiving.

The direct method (the last one we were working on) works for sending only, but much faster since it doesn't use UDP to send the data.

amounra93 wrote:Guys, we solved this a way back....direct means to send Sysex to a given MIDI port with only M4L and a python script:

http://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php? ... tion+sysex

The OSC method works for sending and receiving.

The direct method (the last one we were working on) works for sending only, but much faster since it doesn't use UDP to send the data.

it is the best workaround for this need.

From skim-reading the post you mention amounra93, it does look like this method does have drawbacks though, so it's really a substitute for having sysex support actually built into Live itself. In fact, I think that's what 3dot... is saying in the final post in that thread.

I'm also wondering if this approach will allow me to send MIDI notes to an external device from a MIDI clip, while at the same time sending sysex from my controller to tweak parameters. To do that, I imagine you'd need to somehow merge the two streams of MIDI data.

Another thing that occurred to me is the possibility of creating an M4L patch to convert MIDI CCs into the required sysex strings on-the-fly, before outputting them to the external synth. That way, you could record parameter changes in a standard Live MIDI clip, and have them automatically translated into a language the external hardware could understand before being sent out.

Anyone know if this would be possible?

I actually have a hardware kit I was planning to permanently install in my EX-8000 to do this, but if it can be done in software, and I can avoid having to solder up this kit, write a program for it in MIOS-C, and poke around in the guts of my synth, then that's probably a good thing (especially given my recent record on breaking stuff with a soldering iron).

a|x