Ableton Browser navigation using Bome & Traktor Kontrol F1

Hi there,

As part of an Ableton DJ workflow idea I am looking into ways of adding browser navigation from my Kontrol F1.

Here is a 4min video to better explain this idea and also the below text - https://youtu.be/SPryEwYAehU

It seems that remote scripting can not provide any kind of Browser Navigation via MIDI hardware , but can do everything I need for the performance side of DJing. Therefore, I want the script to manage DJ performance related stuff, while Bome manages just the browser navigation stuff.

At the moment I can only navigate the browser using pc keyboard and mouse. I have to first point the mouse in some grey area of the browser, then click it. Then and only then it seems I can use the pc up, down, left, & right to navigate around.

I essentially want a “browsing mode” which will flip the F1 into a swiss army knife for the browser, and when browsing is not needed, then a Swiss army knife for DJ performance. Between Bome and a cleverly done remote script, do you think the below is possible? No LED feedback will be needed for browsing.

  1. I want to use the F1’s push button encoder in a way that clockwise turns will be the “up” key, anti-clockwise turns to be the “down” key, any other two buttons to be left & right keys. I also need something on the F1 to replace that initial mouse click to making all other keys to correspond to the browser.

  2. I also need a way to load the selected ALS file ONTO a pre-existing audio channel. Not create a brand new Audio channel consisting of the ALS. Not to create a whole independent Ableton project consisting of the ALS. As clips will be populated across the F1, I do not mind in my “browsing mode” to enable me to press a performance cell to load the ALS onto.

  3. As I will have a custom remote script created using Remotify in addition to having Bome run alongside Ableton. I don’t want it them to interfere with eachother.

Within the script there will be functionality to use the push button encoder to control Abletons Autoloop effect parameters when I am not browsing around. To avoid double instructions to both the script and Bome, I want to be able to press the “Browse” button on my F1 to disengage the encoder from the autoloop (script) and be ready for the above mentioned browser control (bome). Pressing “Browse” again shall toggle it back to Autoloop effects control as per the script. The same goes for any other of the F1’s buttons that are necessary for Browser and load functionality, but also for DJ performance when I am not browsing.

Any advice on this will be greatly appreciated and I look forward to reading your responses! Many thanks.

Yes, this should be possible. See the attached video and the below project file.

In this case I did it with a FaderFox EC4 but any MIDI controller should do.

I use a note to toggle the browser mode on and off. With the Browser mode off, we use the MIDI router to pass through all MIDI messages back and fort from Ableton from the select Virtual MIDI port and your controller.

With the Browse mode preset enabled, MIDI out is disabled and instead we use mouse movement and keystrokes, however you need to know where to place your mouse on the screen and the point must not change.

Ableton-Live-Browse-Example-2021-05-18.bmtp (2.3 KB)

I use note 0 on MIDI CH 1 to toggle the browse capability.
I use Note 1 on MIDI CH 1 to click on the beginning browse location
Then I used CC1 to send either down or up keystrokes depending on the direction I’m turning the knob.

Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care


Also available for paid consulting services: bome@sniz.biz