Mapping controller keyboard knobs to vsti in Ableton

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I've done a search but can't find an answer anywhere.
Can anyone tell me how to map the controls on a keyboard to 3rd party Vsti parameters directly without making a macro in Live?

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Silly me. Just found the solution is simple. For anyone else who is as ignorant as I am, just right click on the parameter you want to control on the vsti gui and choose "learn". Then move the controller knob on your keyboard.

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Actually that's not the ideal way as not all plugins have a midi learn feature like that, or have one but do it differently. If you want to use a consistent method in Live then click on the 'Unfold device parameters' arrow in the device (not the plugin gui) and click on the button 'Configure'. Then you click on whichever controls you want to automate or control in the plugin gui and they get added to the params list. Once you have done this you can either right click on one of these and select 'edit midi map' or click on the global 'MIDI' button in the top right of the Live gui. Move your controller knob/s you want to assign and then turn off midi mapping mode.

Incidentally Live does not let you save mappings which is a pain, however I found a way to do it and that is to save the Live set as a template.

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aMUSEd wrote:Actually that's not the ideal way as not all plugins have a midi learn feature like that, or have one but do it differently. If you want to use a consistent method in Live then click on the 'Unfold device parameters' arrow in the device (not the plugin gui) and click on the button 'Configure'. Then you click on whichever controls you want to automate or control in the plugin gui and they get added to the params list. Once you have done this you can either right click on one of these and select 'edit midi map' or click on the global 'MIDI' button in the top right of the Live gui. Move your controller knob/s you want to assign and then turn off midi mapping mode.

Incidentally Live does not let you save mappings which is a pain, however I found a way to do it and that is to save the Live set as a template.
Cool, good to know, thanks for that.

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aMUSEd wrote:Actually that's not the ideal way as not all plugins have a midi learn feature like that, or have one but do it differently. If you want to use a consistent method in Live then click on the 'Unfold device parameters' arrow in the device (not the plugin gui) and click on the button 'Configure'. Then you click on whichever controls you want to automate or control in the plugin gui and they get added to the params list. Once you have done this you can either right click on one of these and select 'edit midi map' or click on the global 'MIDI' button in the top right of the Live gui. Move your controller knob/s you want to assign and then turn off midi mapping mode.

Incidentally Live does not let you save mappings which is a pain, however I found a way to do it and that is to save the Live set as a template.
The other way to keep these mappings is to save as a Rack (Instrument/Effect).

Pro: You can then organize them in the Browser how you want (in specific folders, e.g.: Delays) and they're individually accessible in Push (albeit lower in the Browser hierarchy)

Con: You have to navigate through the rack itself (and past the Macros in the Push)

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taoyoyo wrote:
aMUSEd wrote:Actually that's not the ideal way as not all plugins have a midi learn feature like that, or have one but do it differently. If you want to use a consistent method in Live then click on the 'Unfold device parameters' arrow in the device (not the plugin gui) and click on the button 'Configure'. Then you click on whichever controls you want to automate or control in the plugin gui and they get added to the params list. Once you have done this you can either right click on one of these and select 'edit midi map' or click on the global 'MIDI' button in the top right of the Live gui. Move your controller knob/s you want to assign and then turn off midi mapping mode.

Incidentally Live does not let you save mappings which is a pain, however I found a way to do it and that is to save the Live set as a template.
The other way to keep these mappings is to save as a Rack (Instrument/Effect).
That's never worked for me. It still loses the mappings.

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aMUSEd wrote:
taoyoyo wrote:
aMUSEd wrote:Actually that's not the ideal way as not all plugins have a midi learn feature like that, or have one but do it differently. If you want to use a consistent method in Live then click on the 'Unfold device parameters' arrow in the device (not the plugin gui) and click on the button 'Configure'. Then you click on whichever controls you want to automate or control in the plugin gui and they get added to the params list. Once you have done this you can either right click on one of these and select 'edit midi map' or click on the global 'MIDI' button in the top right of the Live gui. Move your controller knob/s you want to assign and then turn off midi mapping mode.

Incidentally Live does not let you save mappings which is a pain, however I found a way to do it and that is to save the Live set as a template.
The other way to keep these mappings is to save as a Rack (Instrument/Effect).
That's never worked for me. It still loses the mappings.
Hmmm, that should work fine (Configure the parameters you want, in the order you want... Group to make a rack and then drag the rack where you want it in the browser, right?)

Have you reported the issue to Ableton?

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No, that all works, what doesn't stick is the midi learnt mappings to hardware controller. I brought it up on the Abe forum and was told that was 'by design'.

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aMUSEd wrote:No, that all works, what doesn't stick is the midi learnt mappings to hardware controller. I brought it up on the Abe forum and was told that was 'by design'.
Ahh sorry, crossed wires. :)

Yes, (as you said) the midi mappings to controller software have to be saved to a project to keep 'em.

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