Ableton Forum

Here is a solution for OSX people using Live 4 who need to delete the most recently recorded clip without taking their hands off their instruments. As many of you are probably aware, Charlie Roberts incorporated this idea into his ControlAid app (www.charlie-roberts.com/controlAid) and it worked brilliantly in Live 3 (Charlie's going to try an update ControlAid when he gets some free time). Unfortunately, in Live 4 there is a bug whereby when you record a clip remotely (MIDI or Keyboard Remote) the relevant clip is not actually selected, and hence the "delete last clip" function will often delete the wrong clip, or do nothing at all. Charlie's feature is based on an Applescript that he very kindly gave me so that i could modify it, with a little help from someone called Jamisonjonus at macmusic.org who wanted to control iTunes via MIDI

First, go to system preferences > Universal Access, and make sure "Enable access for assistive devices" is checked. Next, if you haven't already, download the latest version of MidiPipe (http://homepage.mac.com/nicowald/SubtleSoft/). then create a new pipe, with an input from your MIDI in device at the top, followed by an "Applescript Trigger". Paste the following script into the Trigger:
---------------------------------


on runme(message)
if (item 1 of message = 144) and (item 2 of message = 24) and (item 3 of message > 0) then

tell application "Live"
activate
end tell
tell application "System Events"
tell process "Live"
tell menu bar 1
click menu item "Undo Slot Recording" of menu "Edit"
end tell
end tell

end tell
end if
end runme

------------------

Line 2 in the script is your filter , selecting which MIDI note will be your remote command to delete last clip. Item 1 should stay at 144, as this tells the script to look for a note on/off message. item 2 is set to 24, which is the note number for C0. you can adjust this to any note you like. Item 3 >0 just means make sure the note has any positive velocity value, though i always set note velocities to 127 when using for Remote purposes in Live. Check "pass through" in the options. Save the script. Obviously, to make this work, you'll need to have MidiPipe booted as well as Live whenever you play. Go into Live, go to preferences > midi/sync, and under Remote Control, add ""MidiPipe Output 1" as an additional input. Now make sure you have a control on your foot controller (or whatever) programmed to the same MIDI note as you typed into "item 2 of message" in line 2 of the script. Go back into MidiPipe and press this controller once, and if everything's been entered correctly, the "not compiled" message should change to "compiled. That's it.

Now, when you go into record on a clip, and you decide that you've fucked up and need to record over, press your record pedal again to go into "play wait" (triangle flashing) mode. unfortunately, you will have to wait until the next quantize cycle (as is clear from the script, what it's actually doing is telling Live to "Undo Slot Recording" and that menu item is not available till the recording is finished) and the little triangle in the clip is solid, so it's a little slower than it needs to be, but i think it will get me through until the Abletons program something better into the actual program (which I'm sure they will If anyone feels they can modify it to speed things up, that would be great.
Thanks again to Charlie Roberts, for giving me his script...

enjoy

malcolm

...In case anyone is listening.

This new script also works for MIDI tracks which have been automatically quantized immediately after recording, as well as audio tracks.

--------------------

on runme(message)
if (item 1 of message = 144) and (item 2 of message = 24) and (item 3 of message > 0) then

tell application "Live"
activate
end tell
tell application "System Events"
try
tell process "Live"
tell menu bar 1
click menu item "Undo Record Quantization" of menu "Edit"
end tell
end tell
end try
tell process "Live"
tell menu bar 1
click menu item "Undo Slot Recording" of menu "Edit"
end tell
end tell


end tell
end if
end runme
--------------------------

regards

malcolm

I haven't used Live since version 2, and the ONLY reason I haven't, is because the delete key isn't MIDI assignable. I've just checked in again to see if this has been remedied, but alas, no.
There are certainly no lack of queries on this subject though.
Come on Ableton, I will upgrade THE INSTANT that this feature is implemented, and I'm not the only one. It's the only thing keeping Live from being the ultimate looping tool.

as far as i know, bome's midi translator is still absolutely free, so if you ever have 30 minutes at your disposal, this could be set up with no problems... !

Thanks Machinate, but I use Macs, so unfortunately this option isn't open to me. With so many users having to resort to third party solutions, you'd think Ableton would be onto this like white on rice.

ah, yeah. Something like this is bound to get done for ableton live in the future...

Machinate wrote:as far as i know, bome's midi translator is still absolutely free, so if you ever have 30 minutes at your disposal, this could be set up with no problems... !

do you have this working? as live doesn't update the "current" clip to the one most recently started i haven't been able to get bome to delete the proper clip.

kim

good grief. this is ridiculous.
i'm trying to make music here, not learn applescripting! i'm very impressed at the workarounds you've come up with just to be able to DELETE. anyway, i'll go try it. thank you!

kimyo wrote:

Machinate wrote:as far as i know, bome's midi translator is still absolutely free, so if you ever have 30 minutes at your disposal, this could be set up with no problems... !

do you have this working? as live doesn't update the "current" clip to the one most recently started i haven't been able to get bome to delete the proper clip.

kim

No, sorry. I'm pretty quick with my mouse hehe.

I finally updated controlAid so that the deleteClip function works again, 1.972 now carries out the "Undo Slot Record" command which works with Live 4. Thanks to malcolm for the tip.

- Charlie

try the keystroke example in midipipe on mac

oh sorry, I diddn`t see it was midi pipe, does it work at Live 6, too? Where can I find that system preferences universal access? Under osx?

well, i got it right now, great, I just hadt to change it to german. Great!!!

on runme(message)
tell application "System Events"
tell process "Live"
set frontmost to true
end tell
if (item 1 of message = 144) and (item 2 of message =24) and (item 3 of message > 0) then tell process "Live"
keystroke space

end tell
end tell

end runme

This way you can use Fullscreenmode!!!

keystroke (ascii character

thats the right one....to delete the clip