HELP! Automatically/Continuously playing scenes

[davidmolina]

I play in an electro/alternative band (http://www.facebook.com/kingslynnmusic). We're getting ready to start playing shows and I've been searching for a more efficient way to do this and fix the gaps in my setup but can't find anything. Hopefully you guys can help me.

What I need: I need to play all the pre-recorded effects but have control over volume of all clips and have the ability to re-arrange the song easily (not while performing but before a show, during practice, etc). Also, be able to play a whole set and have smooth, automatic transitions between songs including tempo change.

My solution: I split all the effects/loops into clips and arrange them in different tracks (thus having volume control) in scenes. (I will add some screenshots tonight) Typically a scene will be a section of the song like the intro, verse, chorus, etc. Sometimes I'll split a song section (verse, chorus, etc) into 2-4 scenes. I set all the clips to play the next clip using "Follow Action". Since the clips automatically go to the next clip when "Follow Action" is set to play next then I'll fill in each of the empty cells with a silent clip with the appropriate time length so that all the clips will play in scene order and trigger the later clips at the right time. Once the last clips of a song are playing the first clips of the next song will immediately be next, thus starting the next song.

The problem: I can't make each scene play automatically without having set all the clips to follow action (it gets pretty tedious for a 6 or more song setlist.) I do all the programming in my band but I am also the drummer so I can't be hitting the enter button to start each scene. I need to be able to hit play and have each scene play automatically in the order I have it. I'm trying to avoid having to put all the clips into the arrangement view because I want the ease of simply moving clips to re-arrange a song or even extend it if needed and the session is visually easier to follow.

My other problem is every song has a different tempo. This is easily adjusted by entering the tempo in the Master track for each scene. No problem there. The problem comes when the next song is up. Since the clips are all playing from one clip to the next, it won't pick up the tempo that I've set in the Master track UNLESS I actually hit the scene's play button. If I leave the whole thing playing from the beginning it will keep the tempo of the very first clip. Obviously since I'm playing drums I can't be hitting the play button for each scene.

Hope you guys can help. I've been going crazy trying to find a way to solve this and make it more efficient. Thanks!

David

[invol]

Follow Actions for Scenes are a heavily requested feature. I think you have covered all of the options and run into the same issues as everyone else. Have you thought about something like a Softstep Foot Controller?

[chrk]

Have you thought about something like a Softstep Foot Controller?

Hard to integrate into a drum setup.

Any pad with midi out could be assigned to the "Start scene" button in Midi Map Mode though.

Or a Launchpad within easy reach. That would give you the freedom of starting just any scene from your set not just the next without being too fiddly.

[smilosthokles]

Simply assign the first scene of each song to a different button on your keyboard (let's say "A" for Song A, "B" for song B, and so on). So you can even alternate your setlist without changing your Ableton Live-set.
You just have to press one Button right before the start of each song.

If you want to get from song A to song B without pressing anything, you can do that with the help of Bome's midi-translator.
Create a Miditrack, without any instrument or effekt in it and set it's Midi out to Bome's Midi In. Make a Midi-clip, that sends a single Note to Bome. Make sure it sends the note in the very last bar of Song A. In Bome let that specific note trigger a Keyboard emulation that just sends out "B".

Hope this is helpful