Ableton Forum

I simply want to receive MIDI clock from my collaborator who is playing MIDI drums and def sending clock. That didn't work out today so I returned home and tested out sending clock to Live 5.03, with sync set to on for the proper MIDI port and the ext button switched on. I can receive the tempo fine (and probably could today) from several MIDI devices, but can't start the project even when I trigger loops from a controller (their play buttons light up but they don't play). When I shut off ext, I can play the set, turn ext back on and it plays at whatever tempo I'm sending it. In fact I can change the tempo remotely while it plays. But not stop it. Until I shut off ext again. What am I missing please?

EXT gives play, stop and BPM controls to an external computer, your drummer has to start and stop you.

clip play buttons lighting up and not playing is the expected bahvaior, they're armed to play and waiting for the external device to send a PLAY comand.

So I can't even assign a MIDI nn to the play in transport?

Maybe if you download a virtual midi router like midi yoke you could send a control message out a midi yoke port then back into Live, assign the play button to the cc# command. Go into the perferences and make sure that midi yoke port is set to sync, just like your drummer's port.

that might work.

I have midi yoke and use it for my setup. I'll experiment with what you said. I don't see a port for my drummer however, he just sends clock from his controller, and I think it's working (ext light was probably blinking). Thing is, he's also controlling Stylus RMX and when he starts grooves, it doesn't start my Live session. I think that's what I'm going to need to figure out.

In fact I was playing around with my Machinedrum synth and set it to send clock on and send ctrl on, I was able to control Live with transport buttons on the Machinedrum.

I think simply my drummer needs to send ctrl data to start and stop, along with the midi clock. This shouldn't be a problem with a drumkat.

Yes, in EXT mode, your drummer (clock source) now has the control of Live's transport controls and clock. You can "pre-trigger" your clips before he hits start and they will play as soon as he hits go. OR, he hits go, Live rolls, and you can drop your clips in when you wish, as per normal.

Do check that his Drumkat is sending midi Start/Stop commands, a fair few hardware devices have this as an option. As you say, shouldn't be a problem.