Feature Requests

[BDrej]

hello

love the concept of this device :D that it can manipulate the midi notes that we select. some feature suggestions:

1: Split midi notes (just to split the midi in half, also when selected more midi that it splitted all to half. like hihats i select 1 longer note split it 2 times to have 4 small ones for some hihat roll actions) 2: Strum midi notes (oh yeah strumming notes is so extremely awesome if we could make it. from up to down or down to up, if it would also possible only changing the start time of the note without shifting the end to the right.) 3: midi / key mapable button to open close the floating window (workflow is key, if this would be possible it would so awesome, selecting notes press the bind tweak sculptor and than close with the bind) if split note would be possible, awesome would be to key midi map this button also =D.

a combination of fl studios piano roll strumizer and piano roll randomizer with split midi note and sculptor would be the ultimate device dont know what is really possible with m4l and midi direct editing in live :-/

or as an inspiration for some features: chaos cultures midi modulators, i like the features but not the execution with an extra piano roll window and so. if this "modules" would be like sculptor (floating window with direct midi note editing in ableton wheeew) that would be awesome.

i think many people have the dream to have midi editing features like fl studio if you have the power to realise that i pay for your device for real.

thank you for the device :)

i know no issues now but maybe some ideas if you want to upgrade your device BDrej

[adamjmurray]

Glad you like the device! Thanks for the feedback. I have a lot of ideas about this.

I am planning to add split notes and strum in an upcoming version. It's near the top of the list.

There's going to be a dedicated Split tool. It will be able to split in half like you describe. It will also be able to split into thirds and various other ways you can control. There's even a "euclidean rhythm" split. There's a gate length control (100% = legato, or turn it down to create gaps in between the notes) and you can optionally fade the notes' velocities in or out. A good chunk of this is already done.

Strumming could almost be handled by changing start time with the slide tool's spread operation. Currently, if notes have the same start time, it won't spread them apart. If there was an option to "break the tie" based on the note's pitch, it would do a strum. You could "break the tie" in either the positive or negative direction to create up strums and down strums. I'm concerned the Slide tool's UI is getting too busy, but I think I could squeeze this in.

Or a dedicated Strum tool could be introduced. I don't want to do that just yet, but it might happen one day to add advanced strumming functionality like accelerating and decelerating strums (looks like FL Studio has that capability).

I agree midi and key mappings can improve the workflow. Looking over the controls, there's some complications. The sliders and X-Y pads "snap back" to the starting position when you let go of the mouse. This is very intentional. It let's you keep going when working with small ranges (drag mouse up, let go, drag up again, etc), and it resets the randomization on the X-Y pad. I don't know how to reconcile this with MIDI CC controllers that go from 0-127. So those controls probably won't ever be mapable.

That's ok, there's plenty that can be mapable. Here are some ideas off the top of my head. It seems useful to be able to press a key or hit a button to:

• split notes in half
• reverse notes
• humanize velocity or timing by the selected range (also mapable), or maybe a small preset amount (which could be configurable)
• similarly, strum using the selected time range or a small preset amount
• randomly swap the notes
• randomly delete some notes (for thinning busy patterns)

There's a lot more possibilities, but you get the gist.

I'll try to remember to ping you here when a new version is available with some of these features.

[BDrej]

oh yeah that sounds really great =D that could be the gap to increase the workflow of abletons poor piano roll =D

with the note splitting that sounds really great =D i find it really sad that there wouldnt be an option to make a split at selected point :-/ like the cut/split tool in fl but maybe in future if ableton listen to its users XD but your ideas for it are really great =D

like the "roadmap" how you described it here =D

as of the mapping thing (sry) i tryed it myself with loong research i made the button to open the floating window mappable XD (select the button and automation & store thing) it dont work how i want to but i can open it with an bind but not closing what i like it open the window directly on my mouse position (WORKFLOW) :D (dont know if it could be also annoying in the future if it always opens on the mouse position but now i like it really) but i cant close it with the same bind but it works for now (i think you find the pro solutions for it XD if you want to implement it)

in my opinion the xy and sliders dont need to be mapable yet BUT open close the floating window would be awesome =D (select notes, fire the bind, make changes, apply changes, fire the bind to close, work further) the splitting features should be mapable for workflow that would be awesome. and all the things you wrote up.

oh and maybe to make the sections on top bindable to quickly go to the edit section (velo, note, set and so that is on top)

for the velocity maybe you could make 3 buttons beside the "pro" and accurate parameters for it. low strenght mid strenght high strenght fire the button and get random velocity changes everytime i push the button (but maybe it could overclutter the device :-/ just an idea)

(one suggestion question i have dont know if others would like to see it but i like to have the choice to shortcut everything what i could need, especially i use the stream deck xl for my shortcut workflow centre, would be an option for the note legato like in the piano roll left to implement it to be bindable?

all your ideas for the device are really cool :) cant wait to see the next update :D

you could make an ableton live midi sculptor PRO for all this massive ideas (or for every big tool an seperate device :-/ ? dont know what would eat lesser cpu) that could make abletons piano roll to PRO

thank you for the quick response :D looking up to the updates

BDrej

[adamjmurray]

@BDrej I have a new beta version with a strum feature that you can try. Details here: https://github.com/adamjmurray/ableton-midi-sculptor/issues/1#issuecomment-728744014

I also made the button to open the window be MIDI/keyboard-mappable, and it can close the window now too.

[BDrej]

hello ive just tryed it couldnt dig long enough in. BUT that thing is awesome. it does what i would like to have from a strum feature and it have really cool feature options =D GREAT WORK - really the next days i will dig into it and let you know more =D but how it feels its niice

had an midi clip with notes (chords) ez strum and without to change the endings of the notes (BIIIG UP that you thought of that and not just move the notes but you change the startpoints awesome =D ) awesome thank you :)

[flocked]

First of all thanks for the great devices :)

I'm wondering if it would be possible to add control for envelope / automation sculpting of midi clips.

I once tried it with m4l but the performance was super bad (and not comparable to this relative smooth moving of the midi notes in real time).

thanks.

[adamjmurray]

Hi @flocked, I wish that was possible. I would like to have features for manipulating envelopes. The Live API doesn't let us control envelopes. Actually it can do one thing: delete the envelope. There is more info about what it can do here: https://docs.cycling74.com/max8/vignettes/live_object_model#Clip

[BDrej]

@adamjmurray Oh okay thats whats possible ? Damn that i cant understand it so good what that all means inside haha xD There 2 big things in ableton that i wished it had Maybe you could answer: Midi note split like taking a 1bar long note hit that button it splits evenly in 2 notes hit it again than in 4 evenly or even take 1 note and split it in tripplets ? (in arrangement view because with clyph x it would be possible in clip view but the most commands dont work in arrangement view :-/) And the biggest thing haha: Drum rack - i have many 64-128 samples filled up drum racks for faster sound playing and so. when i use lets say only 2-5 sounds from 1 rack. I would like to extract just this 2-5 sounds/pads out of the 64 to have better flow for the next steps like better manipulating or mixing. Or purge/delete all unused pads from the rack to have just the used ones in. Do it manually is really hard when having 64s or even 128s xD. do you think that there could be a way to achieve any fast way to make this happen with m4l ? Or am i dreaming to big xD I know out of topic question but this document may me think more about this haha. if its too out of topic i will delete this post :) just tell me.

[adamjmurray]

Note split is a feature I want to add at some point. I was planning to work on it after the strum feature, but now I have to detour to deal with Live 11 support. They changed a bunch of stuff in the MIDI clip API (for MPE support) which makes it difficult to keep the device working in Live 11, so I have to focus on that for a while. Otherwise, the device won't work at all when Live 11 launches, supposedly early in 2021. I should be able to get back to the note split feature after I sort that out.

The drum rack stuff is pretty far away from the features I had in mind for this device. I want it to stay focused on editing MIDI notes in clips. For drum tack tools I'd probably make a new device, and honestly I'm not interested in doing it because this is not a problem I have in my workflow. I am curious though, so I looked at the Live API features for drum racks and drum pads. I don't think you can extract sounds out of a drum pad. It looks like drum pads can be deleted, so it seems possible to detect which drum pads are being used and delete the rest.

Speaking of the strum feature, I officially released it in version 1.1. @BDrej, note: as I tested the beta version, I found the mappable button to open/close the window messes with the undo history, and it was causing problems for my workflow. So I disabled the mappable button feature for 1.1. But I left a little "gift": if you edit the device, the feature is still there and there's a comment in the device that explains how you can enable it if you want.

[BDrej]

Oh its that different in 11 damn hope its not so extreme hard or something you need to do from 0. love your device its awesome its what need to be in ableton. cant wait for note split. maybe wait till they announced the full 11 (maybe they will reveal more stuff -hopefully-) For the drum rack stuff just wanted to know if anything would be possible in this way bc i cant understand everythin whats in the document 😅 not as an feature suggestion. Thats why i offered to delete the post. i think i have an idea for my problem Maybe trying to create a device that show me which notes i used in the selected clips than i can select the cell in drumrack (in clipview when i unfold it where i can see cell on corresponding note) and extract them faster and delete the rest. But thanks for the info that it would be possible 🙏🏽 in some sort of way haha

button map: Oh okay yeah thanks hope it messes not up my workflow but thanks that you implement it and leave it as an option thank you 😊