Ableton Forum

I stack into the problem and don't know is it a bug or something wrong with what I am doing?
(Have installed: Max Version 5.1.2 (140 MB, 21 January 2010) and Live 8.1.2b4 on Mac)

So, I want to use live.remote~ from Live API to control the instrument's parameters on Midi track in Live.
I found the great article on cycling74 site (http://cycling74.com/2009/07/14/max-for ... -features/) and downloaded the examples from it (http://cycling74.com/download/articles/ ... iveapi.zip).

Then following the instructions I create a set in Live with only one track in it with midi instrument (Electric for example), and then load the m4l device example "live_remote_control" from the article.
The m4l device works and I could choose any instrument's parameters from the list for controlling by programmable LFO, but when the device is activated (enabled) the sound of the instrument disappears (like becomes mute). And strange, but when I open MaxForLive environment for editing the device and then check the "Preview is on" - the instrument in Live begin to make sound as expected!
The question is, why it happens so, that m4l device being activated "stops" the sound in Live instrument track, and the sound appears only when the m4l device is opened in Max (preview mode) and at the same time is disabled in Live window?

Looking forward for any help.
Thanks

That's a pretty old article.

Try taking your patches and changing every occurrence of
"goto" to "path" and see if things don't improve for you.

@Gregory

could u go into some more details regarding this ? I am having issues too with a device behaving differently when active in Live vs. Opened in the editor with preview on.

Goto is relative, path is absolute.....but then what ?

Cheers, nick

Gregory Taylor wrote:That's a pretty old article.

Try taking your patches and changing every occurrence of
"goto" to "path" and see if things don't improve for you.

Thinking, that it is not the problem with "goto"..

So, as I understand correctly there are three choices of m4l devices:
1. Max audio effect
2. Max midi effect
3. Max instrument
And if I use the "clear" m4l patch (like from article) it stops audio in Live (if is activated)?

So, the solution could be using Max Audio effect preset, but it routes audio trough itself, and if I use it - sound not mute anymore (m4l device is activated in live), but why it is needed to use (plugin~ plugout~) empty loop, if just needed to control the instrument parameters remotely?

What is the preferable solution for building m4l patch, that control Live using live.remote~ object?

Thanks,
Nikolay

As you said, there are three device types in M4L, two effects (which operate on audio and MIDI respectively) and the instrument which consumes MIDI as well.

As the devices are always chained, if you break the chain by either omitting plugin~/plugout~ or midiin/midiout, nothing gets passed downstream to the next device or the master.

Even if your device doesn't deal with audio or MIDI, still, it will be part of that chain and therefore needs to provide the objects to let data pass through.

As to what device type to choose for controlling parameters, that would be Max audio effect as it can be used in MIDI and audio tracks (while instruments and MIDI effects can only be used on MIDI tracks).

It is also quite obvious why the "clear" patch stops audio when activated, because when deactivating the device, it is bypassed, so effectively taken out of the chain. Not too sure whether deactivating also means that the patch doesn't do anything such as controlling parameters.

nick

Nick,

Thanks for explanation, now it is clear.

Regards,
Nikolay