Ableton Forum

In Max for Live there is no path/call for selecting a devices title bar for blue handing.
You can MIDI MAP to title bars to get them bluehanded easily, but you cannot do this with M4L

Whats useful about this is if you have FX Racks buried in a DrumDrack, OR simply drumRacks utilizing multiple cells, or want to navigate directly to a device nested in a chain on a return, etc etc. You can midi map a button to the title bar and get instant blue hand access. This is almost essential for those who have an APC40 and use LOTS of racks in one set.

Max for Live offers you the ability to send calls that blue hand any device anywhere, the problem is IT DOES NOT bring them into view, like middi mapping the title bar does.

You can call the id of the device yeah? Can you then use get path and extract the track number, set the selected track to that and then focus the view on Detail/Device?


Cheers
D

I've got a similar problem: working on a device that binds one controller midi mappings to the chosen machine.
The problem is that the racks have their own ids as a devices, and need an additional query in order to return the nested devices ids.
It sounds like no big deal, but: the instrument rack has 128 tracks inside and internal FX routing, also the racks may be nested almost endlessly. This is nightmare.

On the other hand - as the device is to be rather for studio/production use, than onstage - I thought of kinda "getselectedtrack" option but dedicated to the devices. Unfortunatelly I'm not able to get it working, as it should.

I'm sort of unclear on what you are trying to do.

vitalispopoff wrote:I've got a similar problem: working on a device that binds one controller midi mappings to the chosen machine.

midi mappings you hard mapped to something? OR what the controller is sending?
whats the chosen machine mean?

vitalispopoff wrote:The problem is that the racks have their own ids as a devices, and need an additional query in order to return the nested devices ids.

So your trying to get the id of EVERY nested rack in a chosen hosting rack?

the idea is simple:

regardless on a number of tracks in a session and devices loaded, the patch is to get info on their location, type, name and parameters: names, ids and current values.
Then it is supposed to bind the parameters of the chosen device and bind it to the midi controller.
Kinda controll surface but without limitations of 8 knobs in a bank, and all the editable parameters included.

The result: one may work on a session with just one dedicated midi controller for each and every device in a session.
More of that - the user would be able to save the parameter lists, edit them and load, so the actuall midi mapping for each type of device would be customizable.

The machine is almost done and operational, but there's still a problem with racks.

vitalispopoff wrote: regardless on a number of tracks in a session and devices loaded, the patch is to get info on their location, type, name and parameters: names, ids and current values.

I'm not sure why you would want to 'get' all of this information.
It makes me think of the "Kapture" device, which is very slow to respond.

I would recommend patching so when a device is 'selected,' then it gives you all of the above information about the device, and binds to it.

vitalispopoff wrote:The result: one may work on a session with just one dedicated midi controller for each and every device in a session.
More of that - the user would be able to save the parameter lists, edit them and load, so the actuall midi mapping for each type of device would be customizable.

The machine is almost done and operational, but there's still a problem with racks.

There is not enough specific information here to offer any help.
What kind of controller are you using?
What does "Chosen Machine" mean in your earlier post?
It kind of sounds like you want an M4L patch that does what Novation's Automap does.

If the idea is simple, start simple and add to it.
For example, if you are wanting a device that gives you more than 8 parameters per bank when 'blue handed,' then start there and eventually add to it.

If you want help with this, I recommend posting your questions to the Max for Live forum, here on the Ableton site.

ok. step by step.

the device will utilize two different midi controllers: UC33e and Doepfer Drehbank.

the way it works:
+ push the button on UC33 to choose the wanted track (let say it's 01.midi track with operator only)
+ push another button to choose the wanted live device( it is the operator)
... the infos on the selected device (i.e. operator) status show up: name, class, parameter ids (these infos will be needed when You work with racks, or/and sessions that are full of different devices, to show You what machine You're choosing now)
+ push the magic button to load and map the parameters
... if the device has more than 64 mapable parameters, they're listed in groups of 64 (according to the amount of knobs in Drehbank)
+ choose the preset bank (i.e. which list of 64 parameters You want to use)
... the list is loaded to the knob matrix.

Now - the only fixed mapping in the session is the one in the patch we're talking about.

The thing is almost working, and by "almost" I mean it would be finished if i let the rack problem go. Unfortunatelly I'm addicted to the rack thingies, so the current state of this work isn't to be called "done" at all.

* * *

I'm considering now looking for help with a little blue hand options, but still not sure on that solution. Also I must honestly say, that though working without any help is "sofa king" frustrating, it forces me to learn much more on the M4L and Max, than if I simply asked for help and got straight answers.

With the Drehbank I would actually look into user remote scripting that comes with Live, it might be easier. This way you create a simple editable remote script for the Drehbank turning it into a "control surface."

There is also Bomes Midi Translator.
You could have the UC33 select presets in Bomes, and these presets would change what the Drehbank is controlling.

Those are just things to consider.

When talking about getting names and editable text data, your getting into a level of M4L that may seem like a black hole. Personally I see a long road of getting to a result that is unsatisfactory.
HOWEVER, you could strive for something simpler without all the get names and editable stuff, and just get control of device parameters, per selected device.

Not sure what the "rack problem," is it the 8 parameter limitation of the rack?
If so, why not blue hand the device inside the rack. The parameters you "configure" from the vst will show up in Max if you make the right call.

Also, I am assuming you are hard mapping the 64 knobs to your M4L device, then trying to dynamically assign the patches "live.dials" to other vst parameters.

There's a lot of different ways to get the results your after using M4L.
It's still difficult to decipher your method and offer an elegant solution.

I'm at work and about to leave town for the weekend so I cant dive deep into helping, right away.
Like I said earlier, make a post in the Max for Live section, you'll get more responses and a lot more help. When I get back I will try to chime in and give you some pointers on how to get your patch done.