[Update 1.2]TouchControl - TouchOSC & M4L to control Ableton Clips/Mixer/Devices

Hi everyone,

I've been working on a Control Script for Ableton in conjunction with TouchOSC for a few weeks now and it has come to the point that i'd like to share it with all of you.
I've been reading pretty much every single thread about clip launchers and control scripts / plugins of all sorts and tried to understand more about the LiveAPI and control scripts in general. After trying out LiveControl with a Monome emulator on the phone i was amazed by the cliplauncher and of course i wanted something like that to work native on my iphone.

Long story short: Thanks to the great community i've been able to make this app - i don't know if this is the right place, since it has actually nothing to do with monomes. But i thought i'd share it with you people first. Hope you guys like it and maybe some of you have ideas for improvements :-)

Features:

1. Page Clips:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4129457/clips.PNG (the colors are actually a little different on the phone)
7x4 Cliplauncher Matrix, Scrollable with dedicated buttons, Name & Playing Status Feedback.

Extra Functions: Scroll View, Solo/Cue, Fire Scene, playing quantization + -, Metro on off. Shift, while being pressed, changes the solo/cue buttons to Stop buttons, also Shift-key has to be pressed for the stop all button.

2. Page 1-7
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4129457/mixer.PNG
Mixer Page for Tracks 1-7 + Mastertrack. Including Volume Faders and Buttons for Arm / Mute for each track. output-level feedback through little faders in the back. Feedback of Track and Active Clip-names

3. Page 8-14
Same as 2nd page for Tracks 8-14 + Mastertrack

4. Page Pans
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4129457/pan.PNG
Pans for Tracks 1-14

5. Page Drums
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4129457/drums.PNG
16 Drumpad Buttons that automap to the viewable drumpads on any drumrack.
Needs extra maxpatch + enabled Control Surface in Ableton prefs to work.

6. Page Device
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4129457/device.PNG
8 Faders automap to the first 8 controls on any selected device or device rack. Buttons provide support to change tracks, devices, turn selected device on / off or jump to return tracks A / B

7. page Sends 1-7
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4129457/sends.PNG
Provides Faders for Sends A/B for Tracks 1-7

8. Page Sends 8-14

That's it! :-)
There's still a few bugs - on first load not all names might be placed in the right position for example. scroll the view around once and it should be ok. Please let me know if there are wishes for other pages or different functionality - i'd sure like to keep this app updated - also having the ipad in mind. On a side note: I learned Max while i designed this app, so i really suck at it - if you find ways to do things in a better way or more elegant - please let me know :)
One thing i'm really interested in is the colored grid around the observed area inside live - however i still have no clue how i could do that.

Enjoy :-)



Installnotes:

For Cliplauncher / Mixer / Pans / Device / Sends:

1. Put TouchControl.amxd and cg.API.script.js into the same folder.
2. Sync TouchControl.touchosc to your iPhone and load the Interface. If you don't like the template - change it all you want! If you make sure the OSC adresses stay the same it should still work :-)

3.Put TouchControl.amxd anywhere into your set. Insert your iPhone IP and Ports and press the shiny button! This Button will also reset the scan and output all information about tracknames etc again - incase you restart TouchOSC for example.


(only) For Drums:

1. http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4129457/tcdrum.png
Start TCDrums.maxpat with either Max MSP or Max MSP Runtime. Select internal Midi Bus that you're gonna use.
On OSX you can use "from MaxMSP 1" or "from MaxMSP Runtime 1". On Windows something like Midi yoke should work.
2. Go to Folder "TouchControl" open UserConfiguration.txt
3. Change
InputName: from MaxMSP 1 <-- change to the Bus you selected in TCDrums.maxpat (exact name, including numbers)
OutputName: to MaxMSP 1 <-- shouldn't be needed. Change to corresponding input Bus just in case ;-)
4. Move Folder "TouchControl" with the UserConfiguration.txt inside to one of the following:
[Windows boot drive] > Users > [username[ > AppData > Roaming > Ableton > Live [version] > Preferences > User Remote Scripts
or (Mac OS)
[boot drive] > [Library folder] > Preferences > Ableton > Live [version] > User Remote Scripts
5. Select TouchControl as Control Surface (should be at the bottom) and use the same Midi busses for in and output that we used earlier in the .txt and TCDrums.maxpat.

Done! now the Drumpads should work aswell. If you want to use them in the future you'll have to run the TCDrums.maxpat next to the M4L Device

Current Versions:
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4129457/TouchControl.zip
http://dl.dropbox.com/u/4129457/TouchControl1.1.zip

wow voku!!! this is great! the best app for iphone till now.
Almost everything working here, the biggest bug is with the clip launcher I think, I can see the clip names, can launch them but get som errors on refresh and launchin empty clips for stop the track.
faders working, sends working, 8 first parameters working, amazing.
I-m going to try the drums part now.

Thanks a lot

shit I can't get touch osc finding my network. it 's really annoying, got this problem few times during the past (sometimes just before gig) but i don't how it worked after few tweaks.

But today, no way! after 1 hour trying!

Any Help?

pffffff.....weird, weird, weird.. touchosc is now finding my network just if osculator is running, but no way to add the layout with touch editor...I really want to figure out.

Did someone have this issue?

@ le k: I never needed TouchOSC to find my network, it was enough to press the Sync button in the TouchOSC Editor and then click on "Add" on TouchOSC. If it doesn't find the hosting Computer immediately it's usually enough to stop Syncing for a second and then press Sync again. Firewall maybe? Hope you can figure it out!

Pauk: Can you elaborate on the Cliplauncher Problems? I'm pretty sure i left an error in the javascript somewhere, might help me find it :D

Cheers for all the feedback guys - i'm really glad it can help one or the other :-)

Edit: @Clarity: the javascript + the amxd are in the same folder? maybe it helps if you press the start button again, it should kind of reboot all observers and output all the data once to your phone. What kind of Feedback do you get from live to the phone? anything at all?
About the stop all button: should be working if you press "Shift" at the same time. If not this might have something to do with your missing feedback. Are you running the m4l device closed or in edit mode? i often notice missing feedback after having it in edit mode - to make sure it works correctly i always load the TouchControl.amxd freshly into a set.

Chris

Hi Voku, I'm at work now, but this afternoon I will check it again and let you informed.

i ve been spend the last 1 days trying to get your m4l touchosc patch working...
At this point , as i posted it on the forum, i 'm stuck with the layout and touchosc...never had this trouble before , but after 2 days trying and tryin here what i have:

so, no way to add a new layout in touchosc:
Whatever network i create on my mac and connect on my iphone wifi, touchosc is able to detect just this one Macbook-pro-de-sylvain-garcia-2.local. which is the name of my computer.
If for example i creat a network with the name : "test" , and i reach it, there is no way touchosc can find this" test " host . Actually it able to find nothing.
As soon as i run osculator (i know i don't need osculator with your patch), it able to find a host, but it would be Macbook-pro-de-sylvain-garcia-2.local.
If i run a new windows in osculator with osc input port 8001, touchosc will find 2 host, another windows with 8002, it will find 3 hosts, etc, etc...but the host name will be everytime Macbook-pro-de-sylvain-garcia-2.local. , just the port(outgoing) in touchosc will change too 8000, 8001, 8002 etc....

SO if i use it like that and make a test in ableton with a layout already uploaded in my touchosc iphone , it works perfectly with ableton.

BUT NO WAY TO ADD A LAYOUT FROM touchosc editor to my iphone!!!
first time i meet this kind of really weird issue.

I used touchosc for all my gigs without problem, and was able to add as many layout as i wanted before.....

If you have any idea about where the shit might come from, please let me know, i really want to test your patch, and also be able to add my own layout again!!!

after 5 days without able to add layout within toucosc, it works again! I don't know why but it works just with my wifi internet provider ip adress and not with an ad hoc network!
I'm going to check why...

Whatever,
touchcontrol is just brilliant, clip launcher a bit buggy for the moment but the rest is just awesome!!
Most of all the device page! That is going to increase my workflow a lot!!

I was not really super enjoyed by the new ipad but i can recognize a touchcontrol ipad version might be a super powerful controller....an ultimate quiet cheap controller which would work perfectly with a monome (in my case launchpad + fantastic monomemu).
Whatever, iphone version is already a super great tool even if it's a bit tiny for all the knobs, faders and buttons i want. Easy in studio condition but not that easy on show ( i use to move a lot and be a bit agressive with my tools on stage, :) ).

It's a shame.
Since I use TouchOSC and Osculator I can't add layout. My iphone doesn't sync with TouchOSC editor.
Everything works fine (I can add beatmachine etc..) appart syncing for alternatives layout.
I already contact hexler, but they don't know why.
Definitly another way to add layout will be a good solution. But I'm almost the only one with this problem.

And I would like sooo much to test your Max4Live application!

@le k
Thanks to try to help me, i'll test!
But what do you mean by 'don't create an ad hoc network'?
I thought I have to create one. I'm totally newbe with network, airport etc..
Even I activate airport I have to create a network, no?

Hey everyone!
About the sync issue: Try to connect both your iphone and your laptop to a hosted wifi (for example setup with a router) - should make it work!

I finished the update - could also call it rewrite. Lots of bugs fixed - especially with the cliplauncher. Should work pretty much without any bigger issues now.

Changes including:

- Complete rebuild of the Cliplauncher. Handling Clips & feedback from toggles like arm / mute / solo etc through LiveOSC. This requires you to install LiveOSC as a midi remote script (see readme.txt). However this drasticly changes performance and reliability for the better.

- Colored grid around the currently viewable clipmatrix (change color by selecting a different position for LiveOSC in the Control Surface options)

- Tapping in an empty clipslot now stops the corresponding track.

- Tapping in an empty clipslot in an armed track now creates a midi/audio clip and starts recording (depending on quantization)

- Changed layout a bit

- Added Hotkeys for Returntracks C & D on Device Page

- Added Labels that indicate currently selected track & device on Device Page

- Ninjaedit: Changed that the colored grid can not exceed your liveset

Hope some of you give it a try :)

Big thanks to ST8 for his wonderful LiveOSC :o)

Oh: quick poll: On pans, rather have tracknames shown or currently active clipsname in that particular track?

Hi,

first of all, thanks to all you specialists for all your effforts to make life happier for users like me.

I got the Touch Control 1.1 running, everything works, I get the names of the tracks and feedback is working, the only thing that I don't get is that I still have all this weird menu names on my iphone screen exactly as they appear in the touchcontrol layout when I load it into TouchOSCEditor...???

Any Help?

@ voku

36 faders encoders!!!
Or an x y pad with several encoders sync to automatically on a device like ping pong delay, but not sure is possible...is it?

Hi voku, I'm not in front of my computer, but thinking about it...
¿Can I change the name of the LiveOSC folder? because this name is already in use in my Live midi remote scripts by the control of pages.

Thanks

Thanks ST8

@ voku

the 36 encoders page will be the best tool ever with ipad!!!!

@voku:

Here's the screenshot. I did not mean your standard naming... Your standard naming is what I am missing... see the attachment...

hi voku!
what the hf means?
i can understand barcelona :) working here right now!

:D thanks
after some rainy days we can see the sun!!!
le k are you in barcelona?

@voku:

thanks for your support. It was my fault, because my TouchOSC Editor was Version 1.02 not the actual one... works fine now...