Hello,
I've been trying for some time now to try to find out how to route MIDI keyboard input to an effect in Ableton Live.
MFM2, for example, accepts notes as a modulator. If loaded without any instrument before it (so if it is the first plugin in the chain) you can see that it sees the notes played in the modulation section. But if there is something before it, the plugin doesn't seem to pass on the note data.
Is this even possible in Live?
Route MIDI keyboard into effect plug-ins in Ableton Live
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- KVRAF
- 5144 posts since 3 Oct, 2013
sharing my whole chatGPT experience but you should check only the last one
- chatGTPhow to route MIDI notes to an effect device in Ableton Live
ChatGPT
Routing MIDI notes to an effect device in Ableton Live is a common task when you want to process your MIDI notes with effects like reverb, delay, or any other MIDI effect. Here's how you can do it:
Create a MIDI Track:
Open Ableton Live.
Click the "Create" button (or press Ctrl/Cmd + T) to create a new MIDI track.
Load an Instrument or MIDI Clip:
You can either load a virtual instrument (like a synthesizer) onto the MIDI track or create a MIDI clip. For this example, let's assume you have a MIDI clip with some notes.
Create an Audio Effect Track:
To route MIDI notes to an effect device, you'll need an Audio Effect Track. Click the "Create" button (or press Ctrl/Cmd + T) again to create a new audio track.
Load an Audio Effect:
On the newly created audio track, click on the "Audio Effects" section in the Device View on the left-hand side of Ableton Live.
Drag and drop the audio effect you want to use onto this track. For example, you can use an effect like Reverb, Delay, or any other audio effect.
Set the MIDI Track Output:
On the MIDI track containing your MIDI notes, locate the "MIDI To" dropdown menu in the "Output" section.
From the dropdown menu, select the Audio Effect Track you just created. This will route the MIDI notes from the MIDI track to the audio effect on the other track.
Adjust MIDI Routing (Optional):
You can further customize the MIDI routing by specifying the MIDI channel and the specific effect parameter you want to control, depending on your setup. This is more advanced and might not be necessary for basic routing.
Play the MIDI Track:
When you play the MIDI track containing your MIDI notes, the MIDI data will now be sent to the effect device on the audio track, and you'll hear the processed audio.
Adjust Effect Parameters:
You can adjust the parameters of the effect device on the audio track to shape the sound as desired.
Mix and Record (Optional):
You can mix the processed audio with other tracks or record it as audio if needed.
Remember that the specific steps may vary slightly depending on the version of Ableton Live you are using, but the general concept of routing MIDI notes to an effect device remains the same. This allows you to creatively shape and process your MIDI notes with audio effects to enhance your music production.
User
and what about two MIDI tracks if the effect device follows the insrtument
ChatGPT
If you want to route MIDI from two MIDI tracks to an effect device, and the effect device follows the instrument, you can achieve this using Ableton Live's routing options. Here's how you can set it up:
Create Two MIDI Tracks:
Create two separate MIDI tracks in Ableton Live. These tracks will contain the MIDI information that you want to send to the instrument and then to the effect.
Load an Instrument on the First MIDI Track:
On the first MIDI track, load the virtual instrument (synthesizer, sampler, etc.) you want to play with MIDI notes.
Load an Audio Effect on the Second MIDI Track:
On the second MIDI track, load the audio effect device that you want to apply to the instrument. This MIDI track is responsible for controlling the effect.
Configure the MIDI Routing:
Click on the first MIDI track (the one with the instrument).
In the "MIDI To" section of the track, select the second MIDI track (the one with the effect) as the output. This routes the MIDI data from the first track to the second track.
Configure the Audio Routing:
Click on the second MIDI track (the one with the effect).
In the "Audio To" section of the track, choose the first MIDI track (the one with the instrument) as the audio input. This routes the audio output of the instrument track through the effect on the second track.
Play the Instrument and Apply the Effect:
When you play the first MIDI track (the one with the instrument), the MIDI notes will trigger the instrument. Simultaneously, the audio output of the instrument will pass through the second track, where the effect will process it.
Adjust Parameters:
You can now adjust the parameters of the effect device on the second MIDI track to shape the sound as desired.
Mix and Record (Optional):
You can further mix the processed audio with other tracks or record it as audio if needed.
By setting up two MIDI tracks with appropriate routing, you can send MIDI notes to an instrument on one track and then route the audio through an effect on another track. This allows you to apply effects to your instrument while keeping the signal path flexible and organized.
User
why needs audio track for controlling an effect, two MIDI tracks should be enough
ChatGPT
You're absolutely correct, and I apologize for any confusion in my previous responses. You can indeed route MIDI data from one MIDI track to another MIDI track and apply MIDI effects without the need for an audio track in between. Here's how you can do it with just two MIDI tracks:
Create Two MIDI Tracks:
Create two separate MIDI tracks in Ableton Live. These tracks will be used for routing MIDI data from one to the other and applying MIDI effects.
Load an Instrument on the First MIDI Track:
On the first MIDI track, load the virtual instrument (synthesizer, sampler, etc.) you want to play with MIDI notes.
Load a MIDI Effect on the Second MIDI Track:
On the second MIDI track, load the MIDI effect device that you want to apply to the MIDI data coming from the first track. This MIDI track is responsible for controlling the effect.
Configure the MIDI Routing:
Click on the first MIDI track (the one with the instrument).
In the "MIDI To" section of the track, select the second MIDI track (the one with the MIDI effect) as the output. This routes the MIDI data from the first track to the second track.
Play the Instrument and Apply the MIDI Effect:
When you play the first MIDI track (the one with the instrument), the MIDI notes will trigger the instrument. Simultaneously, the MIDI data will be sent to the second MIDI track, where the MIDI effect will process it.
Adjust MIDI Effect Parameters:
You can now adjust the parameters of the MIDI effect device on the second MIDI track to shape the MIDI data as desired.
Route MIDI Output (Optional):
If you want to send the processed MIDI data to an external instrument or synthesizer, you can use the "MIDI To" section of the second MIDI track to route the MIDI output as needed.
Using two MIDI tracks as you described is a more straightforward approach for applying MIDI effects to your MIDI data without involving an audio track. Again, I apologize for any confusion in my previous responses, and I appreciate your patience.
User
I would like to put the effect following the instrument on the first MIDI track
ChatGPT
If you want to put the effect following the instrument on the first MIDI track, you can do so using Ableton Live's routing and device chain features. Here's how you can set it up:
Create a MIDI Track:
Create a MIDI track in Ableton Live. This track will contain the virtual instrument that you want to play with MIDI notes.
Load an Instrument on the MIDI Track:
On the MIDI track, load the virtual instrument (synthesizer, sampler, etc.) you want to use.
Load an Audio Effect on the Same MIDI Track:
Click on the MIDI track containing the instrument to select it.
In the Device View (typically found at the bottom of Ableton Live), you'll see the instrument device.
Below the instrument device, you can add an audio effect device by dragging and dropping it from the "Audio Effects" section in the browser or by right-clicking and choosing "Insert Audio Effect."
Arrange the device chain so that the audio effect comes after the instrument. You can click and drag to reorder devices in the device chain.
Configure the MIDI Routing (Optional):
If you want to control specific parameters of the audio effect using MIDI, you can use MIDI mappings. To do this, click the "MIDI" button in the top-right corner of Ableton Live (next to the "Key" and "Auto" buttons) to enable MIDI mapping mode. Then, select the parameter you want to control in the audio effect and assign it to a MIDI control, such as a knob or slider on your MIDI controller.
Play the Instrument and Apply the Effect:
When you play the MIDI track containing the instrument, the MIDI notes will trigger the instrument. Simultaneously, the audio output of the instrument will pass through the audio effect on the same track.
Adjust Parameters:
You can now adjust the parameters of the audio effect device on the same MIDI track to shape the sound as desired.
This setup allows you to have the instrument and the effect on the same MIDI track, making it convenient to apply and control the effect in real-time while playing your MIDI instrument.
User
nah the setup is good, but I would like to pass MIDI notes from the second track to the effect on the first one
ChatGPT
I understand your request now. You want to route MIDI notes from the second MIDI track to an effect on the first MIDI track. Here's how to set up this routing:
Create Two MIDI Tracks:
Create two separate MIDI tracks in Ableton Live.
Load an Instrument on the First MIDI Track:
On the first MIDI track, load the virtual instrument you want to play with MIDI notes.
Load an Effect on the First MIDI Track:
On the same first MIDI track (the one with the instrument), load the MIDI effect device that you want to apply to the incoming MIDI notes. This is the effect you want to control with MIDI data from the second track.
Load a MIDI Effect on the Second MIDI Track:
On the second MIDI track, load a MIDI effect device that generates MIDI notes or modifies MIDI data in some way. This is the MIDI track from which you want to send MIDI notes to control the effect on the first track.
Configure MIDI Routing from Second Track to First Track:
Click on the second MIDI track (the one with the MIDI effect) to select it.
In the "MIDI To" section of this track, choose the first MIDI track (the one with the instrument and effect) as the output destination. This routes the MIDI output from the second track to the first track.
Play and Control:
When you play the second MIDI track (the one with the MIDI effect), the MIDI notes or data generated by the MIDI effect on this track will be sent to and control the effect on the first MIDI track.
Adjust MIDI Effect Parameters:
You can now adjust the parameters of the MIDI effect on the second track to shape the MIDI data that controls the effect on the first track.
This setup allows you to have one MIDI track generate or modify MIDI data and send it to control an effect on another MIDI track. It's a useful technique for creative MIDI processing and sound design in Ableton Live.
"Where we're workarounding, we don't NEED features." - powermat
