M4L Control - A collection of M4L apps and abstractions *Now with Clip Launcher and Device Control*

M4L control is a collection of M4L apps and abstractions designed to help anyone create their ideal set-up in Ableton Live, using whatever hardware devices they have available.

The idea is that you drop in one M4L device, named M4L Control Hub, which queries the Max 4 Live API for the IDs of all objects within the set, and stores them within appropriately named Coll and Value objects accessible to any other M4L device. The device then uses these IDs to set up appropriately named Send, Receive and Value objects for every major function and value within the Live API.

There is also a collection of satellite apps which communicate with the M4L Control Hub and set-up individual controls and configurations on your hardware device. For instance M4L Device Control, an app which allows you to set the Appointed Device, this is the highlighted device or device with the blue hand, and then control it using 8 macros.

In the pipeline there is also a Clip Launcher, Mixer, new version of Live Clip Chopper and a Midi Input Device for Drum Racks and the like.

Although so far apps can only be controlled by Midi Mapping or the monome, the plan is to develop a mapping device which allows the user to plug in any Midi, OSC or HID device and be able to map any of the controls to any of the functions within the Live API.

This will also allow users to create custom apps for the monome using a few buttons for functions from the Live Mixer, some to control a Live Device, some to Launch Clips and some to Chop Clips. These configurations can then be saved with the live set, but also stored as presets and dropped into any new set.

Although this is still some way off I have abstracted out as much of the code as possible along the way, providing small functionally concise and well commented chunks of code which can easily be edited to create any set-up you'd like, providing you've got a little bit of max experience or are willing to learn.

So as I've finally got a stable base to start building the Clip Launcher and other apps on top of I thought I'd release the main M4L Control Hub device with all of its abstractions. Hopefully it'll prove useful for creating any other device you'd like using the Live API or for learning about it and exploring it.

I've also included the first device I've built with it: M4L Device Control, and a version for the monome.

This app maps the first 8 macros of the Selected Device to faders on the first 8 columns of the monome. For the moment the other functions are midi mappable, however I'm planning a function row with lots of extra goodies, pattern recorders, storing a few device ids to recall quickly without moving around the tracks etc.

To get this to work drop the M4L Control Hub onto any track, then drop either the M4L Device Control or M4L Device Control Monome Patch onto any track.
Click Go on the M4L Control Hub patch to start everything.
If using the monome patch then click the Connect Button.

See bottom of thread for latest download revision.

very cool! wil giv ehtis a try today

You.
Are.
The.
Man.

I will check this out as soon as I get the chance.

ExPairOfMentalists

I just had a litter of kittens! Can't wait to dive into this after the weekend.

...

Sooo beautyful work... I'm shocked!

Explain this a bit more please...

"To get this to work drop the M4L Control Hub onto any track, then drop either the M4L Device Control or M4L Device Control Monome Patch onto any track.
Click Go on the M4L Control Hub patch to start everything.
If using the monome patch then click the Connect Button."

One hub at master (ie?) and how many control devices?

I'm excited (but I'm new to max integration... I'm learning the remote scripting side...)


THANKS A LOT!

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Wow it's great! superb work.

I'm utilizing it on my 256 I'm wondering if the second half could be split to serve different functions perhaps? That would be pretty powerful. To have full macro controls of a device on one side and then say, a multi octave keyboard on the other half.

Glad you're enjoying it guys.

More to come, soon as I build it.

Had a bit of a revelation yesterday about ways to get all the IDs. I've gone back through the M4L Control Hub.amxd and it's subpatchers redoing the way it gets large sections of the IDs. I've switched from using poly objects to just iterating through everything one at a time. It's actually much quicker and takes up less headroom.

There is now no limit to the amount of Tracks, Scenes or Devices it gathers the IDs of. There is a limit of 32 for Device Parameters, if anyone does actually need to go over this it's very easy to change.

It's also set up now so that the two things there aren't live observers available for, Devices and Clips, can now be updated much quicker. You can update the Devices and Parameters on a Track by individual Track. With Clips you can now update by Track and also individual Clip within a Track.

It's possible there's a way to check whether Clips or Devices have been dragged in or all deleted, once I've found it, it'll be possibly to have it all update automatically.

Everything else updates all the IDs appropriately, i.e deleting or adding a track or scene.

The names of a few different things have changed slightly, so make sure you DELETE ALL OF THE OLD REVISION otherwise when using them together some things might not match up.

@ XPM

Cheers man, cool to know it's you on the forums now. Let me know how it goes.

@ Dovemouse

I'll let you know if I'm having a brain block on any code, but have a look through it and let me know if you can think of anything to improve it, or anything to add.

@ emergencyofstate

I'm planning to build a collection of apps including a Clip Launcher, Device Control, Midi Input, Clip Chopper, Mixer and Sequencer. I'm trying to make them all scaleable to any size, but for my personal set-up the aim is to have the monome split into 4 different 8x8 apps. Which I can switch and route around on the monome by triggering a clip, or scene with that clip on.

@ watson
Still seems a few people are having trouble with aspects of timing in M4L. As far as I can tell there's nothing that can really be done to improve it at the minute. After getting most of this finished I'm going to be building a version of Loop Shifter to work with the monome, loading samples into buffers in max rather than moving the clip play head. It just doesn't seem to be stable enough at the minute.

Revision 3
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Few updates to the M4L Control Hub.amxd, now on revison 8.
It now collects all Device IDs into one value object, and all Device Parameters into one coll object. Using those it collects the names of all Devices and all Parameters in the format for sending to a umenu.

More to come.

Revision 4
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Few more updates to M4L Control Hub.amxd, now on revision 9.
Now collects all Track, Scene, Device and Parameter names.

@Mudo

Ah cheers man, good to see it up on CDM :).

Looks like a fantastic tool, but is there a way to make it work with Launchpad?

Alright it's not quite finished, and if anyone can solve the issue it'd be much appreciated... i probably just need to get some sleep and rethink over it though.

But yes, a load of updates on the M4L Hub Patch, came to quite a few realisations about the M4L API, mainly that any IDs you request or get only work in the patch they are first requested in.

And then there's the Clip Launcher. Just drop it in after M4L Control Hub, Set the Size of the Clip Grid, set-up the monome connection and Click Go. Note you need to click the Get button on M4L Control Hub if you haven't already initialised it.

The column to the right of the Clip Grid Launches Scenes, the row below Stops Tracks, the bottom right button Stops All Clips.

I'm going to be adding some Function Rows with all the goodies possible, and hopefully making it customisable.

Let me know what you think.

Revision 5
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Got the Clip Launcher sorted now. Just going to be adding some function rows, although I'm considering making an app for all the main live controls, tempo transport etc, and for control over these apps, and which is displayed.

Device Control should now be working again. It's due an update now I've incorporated 4 devices into the Control Hub patch. So I'm looking to include the ability to store 4 different Devices from the live set, which you can switch between easily and use one knob to control knobs on all four at once.

Control Hub has a few more updates. Clicking the View code button now also opens up two helper/display patches which just show you all of the receive, send, value and coll objects used to store all the IDs and values.

Just starting work on a Mixer now :).

this looks very promising.

can't really figure out how to set up monome device control. i can only make it control the first device in selected track (selected in live, not in the device control), and if i select the track holding the device control, it changes the size parameter to the default 64 (i use a 128). overall, the setup is not very intuitive.

when setting the smooth parameter to anything other than 0, i can get my cpu usage to go as high as 80%. i'm testing on a fairly old macbook, but it still seems a lot.

@Myr - nice. i've got it controlling an audio effect rack now. excellent.

pretty rad! I actually have clip launcher and device control working together. i have a 256 and as long as I make sure Live has 8 tracks before my tracks holding clips start, I can have macro device control on one side of the monome --- then 8 tracks of clip launchers on the other :)

@ jdm - I've been stopping clips by triggering an empty clip slot in that column. You can record to new clips this way if you're track is record enabled. The bottom row works as a stop for me. Right column doesn't tho.

i've done exactly as you instructed, but no matter what i try, i can only select the device i want to control by clicking on it (blue hand). the +1 and -1 buttons do nothing.

oh well. since i seem to be the only one having problems, it must be on my end. sucks though, because it would be a nice tool to have.

I have really like this project so far I think its coming along really well. I am excited about seeing a little more documentation for the abstractions too. Im not the most seasoned max user. But I need little more then a push in the right direction and a and a basic understand ing of how to make the abstractions work for me to start creating patches with them.
Needless to say I have been watching this project closely and and really excited with what I have seen so far.

a couple of notes I have from tinkering with it.

I have also had a bit of trouble with the +/- buttons not cycling through objects but I can key map them and that works to switch between them.

and i can get it to work just right with my 64 kit. but my 256 only the left most side seems to work and im thinking im just missing a simple thing somewhere it would be sweet if I could split in in half or quarters to control 2 racks side by side or rack and sequencer and so on.

really nice work so far, I am endlessly impressed with the amount of work you have put into this. : )

Scott