Shifting the pitch of a midi track from another midi track?

[TheAnimal]

Hi everyone!

I have a bass riff and simply want to play it in different keys without having to duplicate the riff and shift the notes manually.

I think the topic of shifting the pitch of one midi track from another midi track has been discussed before somewhere here. But I simply can't find it. Could somebody perhaps point me in the right direction?

Cheers,

TheAnimal

[TrierMusic]

Is it MIDI? Can you use the "pitch" plugin? Maybe in conjuction with the "scale" plug

[andrewbrewer]

you can transpose a midi clip from a midi-keyboard.
switch ableton to midi map mode, and click on your midi clip.
now, hold down a low note on your keyboard and also hold down a high note. this will map the clip across that range. ableton will transpose your midi clip based on whatever key you play.
if you want to transpose the clip "mid-stream" without re-triggering, you will have to set the clip-launch setting to legato.
also, if you want to transpose in fine time intervals, you will want to change the clip-quantization or global quantization to 1/16 or none.
this is a good trick for making a fake pattern-arpeggiator.
follow your midi-output with a scale-device, maybe using the c-major preset, and you will get a band-in-a-box type sound.

to actually control this transpose feature from another clip, you will have to use a midi loopback driver. i've never gone this route ... just seems like too many steps.
when i want the effect that (I think) you are after, I will transpose the clip "live" on the fly, and record the jam into another midi-track.

[TheAnimal]

Thanks a lot! Both of your answers pointed me in a right direction. What I want is indeed pattern arpeggios.

Now, one way to get them is using the pitch plugin and UNLINKING the envelope from the midi clip, so that the pitch envelope can have a longer length than the midi clip itself. I didn't remember that at first.

andrewbrewer, your method is what I was originally looking for. As far as I remember, one of the big problems is, that you can't do the required mapping without a keyboard attached, right?

[andrewbrewer]

Thanks a lot! Both of your answers pointed me in a right direction. What I want is indeed pattern arpeggios.

Now, one way to get them is using the pitch plugin and UNLINKING the envelope from the midi clip, so that the pitch envelope can have a longer length than the midi clip itself. I didn't remember that at first.

andrewbrewer, your method is what I was originally looking for. As far as I remember, one of the big problems is, that you can't do the required mapping without a keyboard attached, right?

hmmm ... well, it sounds like you are not using a keyboard? if that is the case, the pitch plug-in technique will work best ... it's controllable and you can embed your transpose sequence into the same clip that you are transposing. the keyboard trick is good for a more improvised/jam feel.

[Hoitabuam]

Another technic, works with and without keyboard (i use it with sampler):

• 1. To the track containing the midi that should be transposed i add a MIDI Effect Rack.

• 2. To this rack i add multiple pitch plugins each with another setting (e.g. +5, -2...). I name them according to their supposed usage (e.g. D, transposes from C to D).

• 3. Each of the plugins gets one (!) key in the chain selector of the Rack (D gets place 2 because its 2 semitones up from C.

• 4. I add midi automation for this chain selector (e.g. Channel 14, Notes C1:B1, Min 0 Max 11).

Whenever i press the D1 key on my external midi keyboard chain D is selected, the midi gets transposed 2 semitones up (great, no retriggering). The midi input (in Live) of the external keyboard is "Remote enabled".

If used without a keyboard i just make one midi control track that contains single notes with the desired pitch of the midi. This control track is lead out to channel 14 of a virtual midi out port (I use LoopBe cause of X64 OS, 32 bit works with Maple also).

If i enable "Remote" for the virtual midi IN the midi effect rack's chains are selected by the "control track".

Looks difficult but is reuseable. Im quite happy with it. I think this may also work for pure midi tracks (no sampler)

Martin