Tip: Let Live controll Live!

[janklug]

hi,

before i start: for this tip, you need to be able to create a kind of midi-feedback, in the way that you route the midi that you send with live back into live.
Like with a virtual midi channel.
I did it with Max, where a midiin receiving max's own virtual midi channel "to Max/MSP 1" is sent directly to a midiout with "from Max/MSP 1".
But probably there are lots of other possibilities, for example with bidule.

well, to the tip.

-in live preferences, choose the feedback channel for remote control.
-in a live set that you want to be controlled by Live, create a midi track.

this opens endless possibilities.
for example:

1) after a certain scene is played, you want the next one to play automatically. this is possible for single clips, with the follow action settings. but for the whole scene, you would have to repeat it for every clip.

the midi-feedback-solution is to
-create a midi clip of the length that you want the scene to be played
-close to the end of that clip (depending on your quantization settings) create a midi note, for example c3
-play that clip
-choose (not play) the scene that you want to have started automatically
-enter the midi mapping mode
-wait until that note that you assigned is played; if the feedback loop works, this note will appear as the controlling note of this scene slot
-exit midi mapping; you're done.
-if you play the scene containing this controlling midi clip, live should switch to the chosen scene automatically

2) automatically control effects in the send- and master tracks
like you can control effects in your other tracks by editing the clip envelopes, you can do this for those previously "unreachable" effects - from within Live.
This is how:

-create a midi clip in the control-midi-track
-choose a controller in that track's envelope view - for example, controller 14
-draw a nice envelope of your choice & needs (to begin with, a ramp from 0 to 127)
-play that clip
-to try this out: go to your master track & put a "filter 3" effect inside
-choose the 'gain low' controller
-enter midi mapping mode
-if the midi feedback still works, the automated controller will be assigned to that 'gain low'
-exit midi mapping mode & enjoy that controller automation. done!

3)this way, even the song tempo can be automated live.
really weird effect!
use pitch bend in this case, because it gives you fine control for tempo values.
Although that can be tricky as that can create lots of midi traffic & attempted automation- which is capable of letting Live hang..

(as a protection for having pitchbend data overwhelm live, don't use continuous controller data (draw envelope with breakpoints), but use draw mode.

also, if you're doing this feedback loop with max, it would be advisible to use separated pairs of notein/noteout, ctlin/ctlout and midiin-->xbendin/xbendout-->midiout, and then put a speedlim in between the xbend-pair.

also include a "panic gate" to emergency-cut the automation feedback..)

if you have questions or find more ways to apply this method, make sure you post them!!

greetings,

jan klug

[melocoton]

Hi, great tip! I've been playing with this and having a lot of fun. However after playing with something for a while I start to get weird phantom midi data and Live starts to choke up. I'm guessing this has to do with MIDI feedback but I don't know much about it. I'm creating the feedback loop with Bidule. Can you explain the last part a little more where you talk about putting a speed limiter and a panic gate. I'm trying to figure out what I need to put together in Bidule to make the Midi loop run more smoothly but I don't have much experience in this area. Thanks!

[SkeptikTank]

I've been trying out the same trick by setting up a midiloop with midipipe in osx.

[dsx]

great TipS!!

u r wise, i never thougth like this despite i try to tweak my midi controller.

is it copyrigth?

i'll translate it to thai for thai people.