Ableton Forum

Hello everybody,

I am looking for ideas and solutions:

I want to play back midi notes and set for each note a certain panorama. It should be also working if the last note is still playing when the next note comes. My solutions at the moment:
1) If random is OK, I find solutions using random LFOs to set the pan at the output (which works polyphonically!)
2) For short notes, I can use clip automation to set the panorama
3) using instrument racks or drum rack where I have 2 ore more instances of the same synth, where each is routed to a fixed output or panorama.

Using drum racks (all notes) is the best solution I have at the moment for multi channel output. But the handling isn't very comfortable when I change settings where I do not have mapped macros.

Any other ideas?

My dream would be to have one midi message for one note where I can set not only pitch and velocity but also pan (and other parameters). Do exist such systems?

For the long run I will see if I go for stand alone MAX to program multi channel synths. In Ableton you always have the problem with the limitation of only 2 channels. (which should already answer the question that in case of more than two channels there cannot be a really comfortable solution)

Using Instrument Racks or Drum Racks is the best and only solution. Unless the synth you use already has such a functionality.

Synths that have this function typically use one of two methods:

1. Modulate pan by MIDI note number.

2. Each new voice sounded is panned to the next location, the number of locations is fixed and wraps around.

Thanks for your answers. Seems that my solutions are at the moment the only way to do what I want to achieve - that is also good to know.

with keytracking and stacks i would try to approach this idea
but honestly only barely used it for softer, more linear pannings.

Yes, I also have cases where keytracking is sufficient and is of use. For sound generation without pitch this is fine. But I have other cases where I would like to have more exact and independent control over pitch and pan.