I wanted to give some feedback on the experience so far. I’m creating a new patch with many single dimmer fixtures that i want in multiple tag groups. As a general note, i would love it if my keystrokes worked even if I didn’t hit enter and clicked to the next box or tabbed, etc.
First off, it would great if when you add fixtures that the default address is the next available address instead of always going back to 1.
Second, it would be great with tagging if there was another way to auto-increment the notes. let me explain. Right now I am making a group of stage cans in our auditorium. I would want that for all of the electrics. but i also want groups for each electric. I have no problem creating a tag with for each, but it’s the note numbering that is hard. When you create a number of patches it auto increments the notes starting with C3 for that tag. but if you use the same tag in the next group, it still starts at C3. I would like it to have a unique value even if the tag is in my next set of fixtures (ie. stage cans, 2nd electric). If i add a new tag by shift clicking on fixtures in the patch, every fixture gets C3.
Is there a way to play all lights in a group with one note without having to patch them separately? like a “master note” for the group?
Is there a way that I could fire a note based on pitch regardless of octave? like anytime i press any C that one plays, and any D that one plays? I think this is probably possible with ableton’s effects but I’m not sure how right now.
I also think it would be cool to have a vel to hue option in addition to the vel to intensity.
Is there a way to make the resolution high between 0 and 1? I’m just thinking, there are 256 values for a dmx channel but the options only go from 0 to 1 with two decimal places. That’s just 100 options, right? It would make for smoother transitions.
Last this isn’t a feature request so much as me learning. If I want to control a parameter with audio, such as my bass guitar linked to the intensity of a group, what’s the best way to do that?
As a general note, i would love it if my keystrokes worked even if I didn’t hit enter and clicked to the next box or tabbed, etc.
We agree - you can count on this being adjusted in one of the future updates.
First off, it would great if when you add fixtures that the default address is the next available address instead of always going back to 1.
Good point!
Second, it would be great with tagging if there was another way to auto-increment the notes. let me explain. Right now I am making a group of stage cans in our auditorium. I would want that for all of the electrics. but i also want groups for each electric. I have no problem creating a tag with for each, but it’s the note numbering that is hard. When you create a number of patches it auto increments the notes starting with C3 for that tag. but if you use the same tag in the next group, it still starts at C3. I would like it to have a unique value even if the tag is in my next set of fixtures (ie. stage cans, 2nd electric). If i add a new tag by shift clicking on fixtures in the patch, every fixture gets C3.
Improvement needed indeed. On our to-do list!
Is there a way to play all lights in a group with one note without having to patch them separately? like a “master note” for the group?
You can do this by assigning another tag (e.g a “Master note” tag) to all the desired fixtures and set the same pitch for all the fixtures.
Alternatively, you could trigger chords with a single note using Ableton’s Chord device or a MIDI Effect Rack with multiple chains of a Pitch device on each chain (with each transposed pitch corresponding to MIDI note pitches assigned to each fixture in a tag):
Is there a way that I could fire a note based on pitch regardless of octave? like anytime i press any C that one plays, and any D that one plays? I think this is probably possible with ableton’s effects but I’m not sure how right now.
Maybe there is a native Ableton way to do this that I am forgetting about, but I think the simplest way to do this would be using a custom Max for Live device. This one seems to do just what you are looking for.
I also think it would be cool to have a vel to hue option in addition to the vel to intensity.
You can accomplish this using Ableton’s Expression Control MIDI Effect device:
Is there a way to make the resolution high between 0 and 1? I’m just thinking, there are 256 values for a dmx channel but the options only go from 0 to 1 with two decimal places. That’s just 100 options, right? It would make for smoother transitions.
While the dials and number boxes indeed only display two decimal places, the resolution of values the devices send out is much finer:
You can test this yourself using this device that shows the actual values sent out of the Intensity [live.dial]: Par - see parameter resolution.amxd (408.3 KB). Try to automate the Intensity parameter and observe the values when interpolating between two points.
If you have a creative situation where you specifically need to see values with more than 2 decimal places, you could make a custom version of a device and set its parameter UI objects’ Unit Style to Custom and specify the number of decimal places using Custom Units (e.g. %.3f for 3 decimal places):
In situations where you want to set a DMX channel to a specific DMX value, see the Max for Live devices in the second post of this thread.
Last this isn’t a feature request so much as me learning. If I want to control a parameter with audio, such as my bass guitar linked to the intensity of a group, what’s the best way to do that?
Try the Envelope Follower (Audio Effects → Modulators). Place it on your bass guitar track and map the desired parameter of the Beam device:
