KVR Audio

lionscub68 · Post by **lionscub68** » Sun Jun 03, 2012 4:10 am

So I was searching the internets for this via Google (of course):
ableton filter "midi program change"

And got to the link:
https://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=180420

which is:
Filter MIDI program change / CC only to active chain

wherein a helpful individual said:
"rightclick the chainselector, you will find the filter-midi option."

okay... I'm clueless about this answer.

Can you help a brotha out here, KVRians?

Background:
- I own Albeton 8.x Live... for some reason I cannot log into the forum for the last few days to ass to this post. I have an email into Ableton about this. But until then... HELP ME HERE PLEASE!
- I'm a relative noobiwe in Live, and a Logic convert
- I'm running 6+ virtual synth plugins and 3 hardware synths on audio tracks (plus one midi track) via an 88-key controller, which is also sending hardware push-button MIDI Program changes.

When I press the button, the various software synths also change their respective programs/patches. Which I do not want to happen.

All I wanna do is remotely change my Korg MS2000R patch(es) during a live performance from my master keyboard, and not have the softsynths change AT ALL. In Logic, it was easy: I just ticked the "filter program change" box.

So, How do you filter a midi program change message in Live, per channel?
And what and/or where in the hell is a chain selector?

lionscub68 · Post by **lionscub68** » Mon Jun 04, 2012 3:19 pm

bump.

lionscub68 · Post by **lionscub68** » Mon Jun 04, 2012 9:31 pm

bump?

VariKusBrainZ · Post by **VariKusBrainZ** » Mon Jun 04, 2012 9:56 pm

The chain selector is in a rack.
So if you load a synth, put it in a rack and expand the rack view.

Im not at my computer so cant check that midi filter on the chain selector.
You could load multiple synths in parallel in the rack.
you would then map a macro knob to each of the synths active/inactive buttons.
You then need to do some scaling so each button is activated and deactivated in turn as the macro knob is turned.
At least thats how I imagine it could be done, theres probably a few other workarounds.

Ive only ever used the chain selector with effects racks so I could be talking tripe

Heres a link with a good outline
http://www.thecovertoperators.org/Artic ... ctor-rules

VariKusBrainZ · Post by **VariKusBrainZ** » Mon Jun 04, 2012 9:58 pm

Just found this thread explaining alot better than I did the same method

https://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php?f=2&t=144124

Loki Fuego · Post by **Loki Fuego** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:40 am

I found that option "Chain Selector Filters MIDI Ctrl". I assume it filters midi CC to the selected chain (useful when you have several synth in a rack, and change among them via chain selector).

For the original question, if you use your keyboard to control only one synth, then just disable MIDI In for all soft synths. Click I-O button in bottom right, than for the respective tracks change "All ins" to "No input".

lionscub68 · Post by **lionscub68** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 10:57 am

I am running 7 softsynths and one external hardware rackmount synth.
I want to send program changes to the hardware synth from my midi controller keyboard, since the rack is physically more than an arm's reach from me. This is for a performance.

I do not want the softsynths to change their respective programs.
I want to block the Midi program change CC from going to the softsynths.

Sort of the opposite of what Loki Fuego wrote.

Also - excuse the really stupid obvious question here:
How do I get to this mysterious, elusive Chain Selector?
Click what button?
Go to what menu / interface / screen / key command?

Loki Fuego · Post by **Loki Fuego** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 11:08 am

lionscub68 wrote:I am running 7 softsynths and one external hardware rackmount synth.
I want to send program changes to the hardware synth from my midi controller keyboard, since the rack is physically more than an arm's reach from me. This is for a performance.

I do not want the softsynths to change their respective programs.
I want to block the Midi program change CC from going to the softsynths.

Sort of the opposite of what Loki Fuego wrote.

Also - excuse the really stupid obvious question here:
How do I get to this mysterious, elusive Chain Selector?
Click what button?
Go to what menu / interface / screen / key command?

It's a bit complicated to post screenshot here. I suggest you to take a look at page 239 of Live manual. Hopefully it would help you.
In order to get to that chain select you should group your synth by selecting it and clicking ctrl/cmd-G. Then click on "show/hide chain" button. There click on "chain select editor".

After that take a look at this thread: http://www.cosm.co.nz/index.php?option= ... Itemid=175

lionscub68 · Post by **lionscub68** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 11:53 am

thanks for the links everybody- i will check them out in detail after a big project at work is completed.

yes, of course... RTFM

It's hard learning all of these different names for objects in the Live DAW GUI vs all those years of working in Logic. In a manner of speaking, I wish they used the same names for similar objects. Like a Logic "Channel Strip" (which I'm beginning to believe a Live Chain Selector is)... or that Live had some some of equivalent to Logic's Environment.

Loki Fuego · Post by **Loki Fuego** » Tue Jun 05, 2012 12:12 pm

As far as I know (I didn't use Logic) Chain Selector is not the same thing as Logic's Channel Strip.

In Live you can group synths and fx into racks. In each rack you can create several chains. These chains can work either in parallel or selectively. In case if you don't want channels to work in parallel you use Chain Selector, which allows you to select which channel is active at the moment. There's a bit more to it, as you could scale volume, so that when you move from one channel to another the volume of the first channel decreases and the volume of the second channel increases. And it's not like that you can have only one channel active at the moment, you could have active three of the five, and of those three the first one at 35% volume, the second at 75% and the third at 100%. And when moving channel selector the relative volume of each channel changes.

Something like this. Unfortunately, I can't help you with MIDI Filtering, as I never had any need to do that.

However, I just remembered that you could use Ableton Live clips to send program change messages. For each MIDI clip in Notes section you can select Bank, Sub-Bank and Program number. As a result, the respective message will be sent to the synth, when the clip will start playing. Maybe this info will be of some use to you.

lionscub68 · Post by **lionscub68** » Sun Jun 17, 2012 3:47 am

This still isn't making a lick of sense to me.
I have a project open with the manual open as well.
I can create a chain, no problem.
But when I try to follow to instructions in my version of the manual that reads (on page "240" or 243 depending on your point of view):

"By default, the chain select zones of Instrument and MIDI Effect Racks filter only notes, ignoring all other incoming MIDI events (such as MIDI CCs). To filter all MIDI events, enable the Chain Selector Filters MIDI Ctrl option,available in the context menu (PC)/ Ctrl (Mac) of a Rack's Chain Select Ruler."

Uh ... I have the contextual menu open (meaning, right-click) and I see no "Chain Selector Filters MIDI Ctrl option" anywhere.

I also tried: creating a dummy (empty) midi clip and making it so MSB, LSB, and program changes are all set to "none" in the Notes box, if you know what I mean. But I take it that only means ignore the midi data that's in the clip, not real live control data.

I'll repeat my desire:
I want to set any channel with a softsynth to ignore any *intended* midi CC program change; where I am actively clicking a +/- button to change patches on a midi'd hardware rack synth and *intend* to change the patch on that hardware. But please, don't change my Albino patch, or Massive, or... you get the idea.

Is there a freakin' midi filter by channel option that works in Live?

Loki Fuego · Post by **Loki Fuego** » Sun Jun 17, 2012 5:52 pm

Yep, this option is a little bit difficult to find. You have to open Chain Select Editor (click on "Chain" button in instrument rack). There right click on Chain Select Ruler (the line with numbers at the top). The first option in the context menu will be "Chain Selector Filters MIDI Ctrl option". You have to right click exactly on Chain Select Ruler, otherwise you will not see that menu item.

If it won't work for then I suggest you trying some of these plugins:
http://asseca.com/nicfit/index.html
http://www.niallmoody.com/ndcplugs/ndcmidi.htm
Look for MIDI Filter or MIDI Munger.

Or try MIDI Matrix from here:
http://www.s-production.de/index_vst.html

Filter MIDI Program Change in Ableton... and what's a chain selector?