Walko Shows You How to Make Momentary Switches In Ableton Live (In Less than a Minute)

***DETAILED DESCRIPTION BELOW***

Mac users use command-comma and command-shift-T instead of control-comma and control-shift-T.

Any MIDI device with a keyboard, drumpads, and most devices with buttons on them (Launchpad, APC40, etc) send note signals and can be used with this technique.

Detailed Description:

1. Set In From MIDI Yoke: 1 to Remote (only)
2. Set In from whatever your midi controller is to Track (only)
3. Set Out to MIDI Yoke: 1 to Track (only)

4. Make two MIDI channels
5. Set both to take input from your MIDI controller
6. Set both to output to MIDI Yoke 1
7. Set both to monitor "In" mode
8. Put a "note length" MIDI effect on one of your MIDI channels, and set it to "note off" trigger mode.

9. Open up MIDI mapping tab, select your parameter, press your key/button/drum pad/whatever. Done!

What we're doing here is causing MIDI Yoke to send Ableton a note on when our note is pressed, and a SECOND note on when our note is released. Ableton's toggle switches only change states when they receive a note on from a mapped note-sending object (drum pad, key, button, etc). The signal is going into both new MIDI channels. The one with no MIDI effect simply passes the note on to MIDI yoke. The one with the note length effect, however, passes a note on ONLY WHEN THE NOTE IS RELEASED.

MIDI yoke acts like a box plugged into your computer which takes input and immediately spits it back out again. When we pass the note on signals to it, they come back in and control a parameter on our device (on/off switch on beat repeat, in this case).

Telling Ableton to interpret our MIDI controller's input as "track" only will stop our MIDI controller from mapping our input directly to the on/off switch. When a device is set to track mode, Ableton interprets the incoming notes as notes and notes only. When a device is set to be interpreted as a remote control signal, note signals can be used to turn devices on and off, change parameters, etc etc.

What we're doing here is taking the note on and note off from our midi controller, turning them both into note ons, and sending them out to MIDI yoke so they can come back in and be interpreted as remote control signal to power on or off our effect. The result is an effect which is on while the key is pressed, and off while the key is released, so you can't accidentally leave a sound-destroying effect like Beat Repeat running for 30 seconds in the middle of your set while you find the right key to turn it back off.

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[waelghoula]

i'm in love with quick tutorial :D thanx a lot!
people usually talk a lot on youtube ;)

[swattmusic]

You're an absolute legend, cher!

[KilljoyNTT]

This is the most awesome thing I've ever seen on Youtube!
<3 Lifesaver!

[thecampervandancers]

Hhahahaha! Such a great fast paced video. It's not often that I have to pause a video, cause it's moving too fast, normally the complete opposite... And I loved your "yeah" at the end \m/

[ryan]

Fuckin sick dude. i love the under a minute concept. I fuckin HATE tutorials that are 80% breathing into the microphone and "ummmm" yeah

[ahalpt]

Mac osx: the method works the same with iac driver instead of midi yoke.

Thanks a lot, excellent tip.

[JamesAbbottDonnelly]

This is almost exactly what i need, is there a way to use this technique to make a keyboard key (such Q, W, E, R. T etc) act as a momentary switch when pressed. Would be really useful. I would be most great full if you can help.

[IepsyI]

Great job. Might be worth mentioning (as it took me a minute to figure out) Make sure the effect is off to start with. Otherwise hitting the button will work inverted and turn the effect OFF when the button is held instead of ON. Unless that is your preference.

[ilikebassmusic]

Lol, "yeah!" Nice one, dude!

[ericlemoyne]

Haha! brilliant. Gonna have to watch it 12 times to get it but that's my kinda tute.

[djwalko]

Yup! Press ctrl- or cmnd-k (instead of ctrl- or cmnd-m) or click on the "KEY" button in the top right to open the keyboard mapping window; from here you can assign keypresses to buttons and things in exactly the same way you assign midi notes! Just make sure the little keyboard button to the left of the rectangular "KEY" button in the top right is disabled if you want to use the letter keys (it enables/disables the keyboard controller imitator which takes up a bunch of the letter keys).

[gdubzmusicofficial]

is there a download DMG for mac? I used crossover and input & output set to apc in MidiOX but nothing appears in live 8... is it something easy or am I just a nooob. :P

[chekulater]

This looks great, but MIDI Yoke is for PC only. Are there directions for setting this up on a Mac?

[djwalko]

Get MIDI Patchbay -> create one patch in MIDI Patchbay that contains one virtual in and one virtual out connected from in1-out1 -> works the same way once you get into ableton :)

[Shane-zomg]

awesome thank you. now how do you make it toggle between other buttons?

[skabbit]

Use IAC Driver in Audio MIDI Setup. It's the same as MIDI Yoke, but pluged in Mac OS

[JamesAbbottDonnelly]

Ah cheers for this man, i've done that but its just working as a on/off switch not momentary. Am i missing something along the way. What should my inputs be? (currently both midi chanels are on computer keyboard) any other setting i need to tweek to make it work from a computer keyboard not a midi controller? any help most appreciated

[djwalko]

Gotcha! You can pop a "pitch" MIDI effect before the "note length" MIDI effect which is set to "note off", and then use its "lowest" and "range" settings to specify which notes can pass through to that "note off" effect - all other notes will ONLY go through the other MIDI channel and won't trigger a second time when released. Does that make sense?

[JamesAbbottDonnelly]

ah i tried that but it wouldnt work, just triggers it as a toggle still. i must be missing somewhere along the lines. if im not using a midi controller what should the midi port settings be, and what should the midi from on the Chanel be i currently have 'computer keyboard' thanks so much for a quick response and the help, most appreciated and will be amazing if i can get it too do that

[pietrow]

This is great! I'm using this on my MPD26 and the momentary effect on the pads works perfect (on a side note, you have to select full velocity for your pads). However, now my faders also do weird on and off switches: does anyone know how to avoid this?