one constant midi note without interruption

[phonographist]

So, I'm using sampler to randomly play back different bits of an audio file to get like an organic everchanging loop, trough using a random-LFO to modulate loop start. One thing that i would like to do though, is be able to get Live to play a C3 note without starting over. For now, I've made a 4-bar midi-loop, but it would be cooler if I could get the note to never stop (until i stop it of course... ) Would that be possible? Maybe there's something super obvious, I'm not a super expert on Live...

[dburns]

You raise an issue for which I have long searched for an answer. What you describe is called "latching." It means turning a note on and leaving it on until you "unlatch" it. Modular synths do it easily, most softsynths don't do it at all.

You can get an idea how it works if you set the Ableton Arp to "latch" (or "hold," I'm not at Live right now). In the arp, you can press a key (or keys) and they will continue to sound until you change them. However, you cannot press ONE key and have it held...it will continue to retrigger, according to the arp settings.

There are two not-so-great solutions that I have found for this. One is to use a synth that allows latching. The other is to create a very long MIDI note in your instrument track, and launch it. It will eventually loop, but you can make it long enough so it will never reach the end during your song. I use a 10-minute long note when I want a drone synth to continue playing, without retriggering, through an entire piece.

You can use Live's Note MIDI utility to make a note last for up to a minute, but if you want it to hold longer, you're out of luck.

If anybody knows a better way, please let us know.

[Angstrom]

This is easy to do, and it doesn't require extra-long notes or strange rack configurations ... Just a few bars of one note and the loop set so it cuts off the note-end.

I'm away from a computer, so from memory:

Make a note that starts at 1.0.0, set the note end at 4.0.0
Set the clip start marker at 1.0.0
Set the loop braces to - start: 2.0.0 , - end 3.0.0

Now the note will start immediately, but because the note end is never reached (because the loop restarts before the note ends) you have an eternal note.

Stopping the clip will "unlatch", or end the note

[dburns]

Angstrom! Thank you!!

I have pulled my hair out over this for a couple years. I've posted on a bunch of forums, including here, and never got a solution. But, as you point out, it's pretty simple. I had tried changing the loop start point, but when it reached the end of one iteration it would stop (note-off was sent, I suppose).

Thanks for replying!

[phonographist]

Yeah! Thank you Angstrom, works like a charm...! Should have thought of it...

[flowdesigner]

This is easy to do, and it doesn't require extra-long notes or strange rack configurations ... Just a few bars of one note and the loop set so it cuts off the note-end.

I'm away from a computer, so from memory:

Make a note that starts at 1.0.0, set the note end at 4.0.0
Set the clip start marker at 1.0.0
Set the loop braces to - start: 2.0.0 , - end 3.0.0

Now the note will start immediately, but because the note end is never reached (because the loop restarts before the note ends) you have an eternal note.

Stopping the clip will "unlatch", or end the note

Thanks, will try this when I get home!
This is something I always like with control voltage insread of midi in Reason

[pepezabala]

I am using usually the clip with the eternal note as described by armstrong, but also a piece of duct tape on your keyboard works like charm. And fixing a note by sticking a piece of folded paper into the gap between two keys is another classic.

[dburns]

I saw Robert Rich in concert this summer. He had folded cardboard jammed between keys on his keyboard to achieve these long notes. You can see them also in one of his YouTube videos. I remarked that I had been looking for a way to do it, and he said it was a pretty low-tech solution, but it worked.

I think he uses Live, among other software. I'll have to comment on his site.

If even he, a master, resorted to cardboard, I believed there was NO way to do it.

Again, thank you Angstrom!

[Stevee00]

Reviving an old thread that deserves to never end.

I was looking for a way to do a drone, found this thread, and Angstrom's solution is exactly what I needed. Put a single midi note in a clip that extends beyond the end of the loop brace. Trigger the clip and the note sounds indefinitely, until you stop the clip.

I took it a couple steps further. I made 25 clips each with a single note; 25 clips is two octaves plus the top note. Then I mapped each note to the key of a Korg NanoKey, which is a tiny keyboard with only two octaves (25 notes).

For interest, I added unlinked effects envelopes to each clip to give the drone note a very slight variation in volume and pitch and filter cutoff--just enough to give the drone some texture and movement.

Specifically, I mapped the drone notes to the very lowest two octaves of the NanoKey, which is accessed with several presses of the Octave Down button. The lowest two octaves start at C-2, and extend past the end of an 88-key keyboard (which is what I use). This does two things. It means that the trigger notes will never interfere with other notes I want to play normally--they're way too low (I used the pitch utility in the track to make sure they don't sound). It also means that when I key down to the lowest octaves on the NanoKey, I'm getting a flashing LED that tells me the NanoKey is triggering the drone clips. If it's not flashing, the NanoKey plays normally.

As a bonus, I programed the "Mod" key on the NanoKey to trigger a Stop clip in the track with the drone clips. So When I've had enough of a drone, a press of that button shuts it off--surprisingly, it sends a "note off" and leaves no stuck notes.

This works amazingly well. I use it in live performance, and have had no glitches or unintended consequences.

Steve

[crumhorn]

I came across another use of this effect recently - to have a note that starts before the end of the loop and ends just after the start of the loop


Something like this

Code: Select all

                       |__________________ Loop __________________|
..........................................++++++++++++++++++++++++....................................
....................................++++++++++++++++++++++++....................................
..............................++++++++++++++++++++++++..........................................
........................++++++++++++++++++++++++................................................
..................++++++++++++++++++++++++..................++++++++++++++++++++++++............
............++++++++++++++++++++++++..................++++++++++++++++++++++++..................
......++++++++++++++++++++++++..................++++++++++++++++++++++++........................
++++++++++++++++++++++++..................++++++++++++++++++++++++..............................
                       |__________________ Loop __________________|

[pskept]

Reviving an old thread that deserves to never end.

thanks for the bump! this will make things easier for me.

[Stevee00]

I came across another use of this effect recently - to have a note that starts before the end of the loop and ends just after the start of the loop


Something like this

Code: Select all

                       |__________________ Loop __________________|
..........................................++++++++++++++++++++++++....................................
....................................++++++++++++++++++++++++....................................
..............................++++++++++++++++++++++++..........................................
........................++++++++++++++++++++++++................................................
..................++++++++++++++++++++++++..................++++++++++++++++++++++++............
............++++++++++++++++++++++++..................++++++++++++++++++++++++..................
......++++++++++++++++++++++++..................++++++++++++++++++++++++........................
++++++++++++++++++++++++..................++++++++++++++++++++++++..............................
                       |__________________ Loop __________________|

Crumhorn, It's not obvious what this does, what it sounds like? Are these notes going up a scale?

[UncleAge]

Another possible solution is to use a vst that outputs midi and has this feature. Like Tonespace from MuCoder. It will allow you to click a cell and it will hold (output) that note until you stop the transport or click another cell. It can do single notes or chords in this fashion. And it's free.

[pskept]

ThinAir Music

your music is brilliant. i love it.

[Hermanus]

Even if this topic has just been bumping

You should take a look at Dennis Desantis website, lots of tips for ableton

http://www.dennisdesantis.com/2011/04/2 ... leton-live