Delete Functionality in Ableton Live with APC40MKII

Bome Products
1

The Ableton Push has innate functionality with Live where if I hold down its "delete" button while selecting a clip, it will delete the clip. 

Is there a way to create this same action with the APC40MKII using MT? I've tried mapping a midi note to the "Delete" keystroke, but it doesn't necessarily work how I would want it. 

Thanks in advance!

2

Hi,

If you can capture the log of what the Ableton Push sends, then it would likely be possible.

Do you have one to test this with?

 

3

Yes, I have a Push I. I have attached what happens when I press the dedicated "Delete" button. The top portion is MidiMonitor and the bottom is MT.


Attachments:
![](upload://zKEXyxSdv5Wi3Fmw9sg1e7SeOue.png)
4

OK, I assume you tried to send the same from your APC-40 MKII and it didn't work?  If so, it is possible that this is done with a MIDI remote script and if so, we would either need trick Live to use that script or modify the APC-40 MIDI remote script to use it. There are often advanced featues that use MIDI Remote Scripts for certain controllers in Ableton Live.

I'm not sure how much work it would be to trick Ableton Live to use Push Remote script for this feature or to modify the APC40-Script to add this feature.  This would be really the only choice if in fact you cannot already do this with your APC40-MKII.  I also assume you are using MIDI Remote Script for APC-40 MKII?

Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care

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

 

 

 

5

If you will always also have your Push connected, I suppose you could also:

 

1) Use MT Pro to re-route your push to a virtual port and tell Ableton Live to look at that port for your Push instead of the actual hardware port.

2) Using MT Pro, re-route a button of your APC40 to the virtual port of your Push to send the same MIDI message that the push sends.

Essentially you would have

1) APC40MKII routed by default to BMT 1 - Define this port in Ableton Live your top section

2) Push routed by default to BMT 2 - Define this port in Ableton Live in your top section

In MT Pro route everything from and to  APC40 to BMT1 using the MIDI router

In MT Pro route everything from and to Push to BMT1 using the MIDI router

Create a translator to take a button on your APC40 and convert it to the Push MIDI message, send this to BMT2 instead of BMT1 with swallow set.

Now again this will only work if your Push is also present. If you want to do this without Push present, there will need to be another translator in MT Pro to respond with the correct device inquiry Sys Ex response that the push sends (to fake a push present) and then ignore all other MIDI messages to and from Ableton Live to BMT2.

 

So this is the way to do it without having to modify any MIDI remote scripts. I looked at the Push MIDI Remote Script and my eyes glazed over. It would take me hours, maybe days, to figure out how to integrate this functionality into the APC40MKII MIDI remote script.

 

Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care

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

 

 

6

Also, if you don't know what the device inquiry response handshake is, you can always capture it in the log window with your Push connected. Then later you can use that to determine how you want MT Pro to "fake" that a Push is present.

 

7

Hi @SteveC ; I think I try to do something that seems related from what you were writing about :

I play live with and APC40 mkII triggering scenes on ableton live 11.
Problem is : I’ve got stability issues and want to have second computer, playing the same live session at the same time, which would be controlled by the same APC40 mkII.

So i can either split the CPU load by muting some tracks, or just having redundancy with the two computers in case of a crash.

What I already tried is :
On computer A : route the output of APC40 mkII to the midi out of an audio interface (UR22)

  • connected it to another midi interface (computer B) with a DIN cable

On computer B : selected the interface B as input port in the MIDI menu in ableton, with ‘Akai APC40 mkII’ selected as a Control surface (so it applies the APC’s script and original mapping).

Problem is : it does not work …
do you have any clue ?

Thanks in advance :slight_smile:

Théo

8

Well I haven’t tested this configuration but I know any time a controller is requested in Ableton Live with a script there is an initial handshake that happens between the controller and Live (controlled by the script). My guess is you are plugging into the second instance of Live on computer B after the initial handshake occurred on Computer A.

I would recommend that you get the APC40-MKII ports attached properly to both computers with your controller turned on prior to starting Ableton Live on each computer. I believe once the handshake is done, both it probably will work although you will get duplicate MIDI messages from both instances of Ableton Live unless you then disable one of the return paths that provides LED feedback. If the two instances of Ableton Live are note 100% in sync, however (which could be possible because they are not aware of each other), then the LED feedback might be somewhat confusing to look at on your controller.

Steve Caldwell
Bome Customer Care

Also available for paid consulting services: bome@sniz.biz
9

Yes, it was clear for me that i could not get the midi data return from computer B but that’s ok for my use !
I’ll test to first start APC40 and only then ableton live.
I’ll let you know if it works or not !

10

Sounds good!

11

GOD IT WORKED ! Thank you so much @SteveC for your help, it saved our show !
Here’s what I did to get the APC40 mkII controlling two Identical Ableton Live sessions at the same time :

  • Computer A’s MIDI interface connected to Computer B’s MIDI interface
    (in both directions A->B and B->A)
  • APC40 mkII plugged via USB on computer A
  • On Computer A, Bome Midi Translator Pro’s MIDI router setup like :
    APC40 mkII goes to the MIDI interface ‘A’, and MIDI interface ‘A’ goes to APC40 mkII (draws like a cross on the router)
  • On both computers, running the same session (except I removed some CPU heavy plugins in the B session, so it can handle the video with Videosync)

And that’s working smoothly, as long as APC40 MkII is setup as controller interface on both computers :smiley:

Thanks again !!!

1 Like
12

Great!