Maddening Issue with Ableton Push 2

Berus · 2023-08-14T20:01:34.475Z

Hi all,

I’ve just spent the entire weekend banging my head against this issue, and scouring the forums here and over at Ableton. Here’s the issue:

I have most of the Elektron boxes (Digitakt, Digitone, AR4, AR, Syntakt) connected successfully to Ableton Suite 11 via Overbridge. Everything is latest version - firmware, everything. I drop the Digitakt (for example, but this is true with all 5 boxes) into a Midi track on Ableton, and my Push 2 will play track 1 just fine. All 64 pads lit, playing whatever is on track 1 (the kick, in the case of the Digitakt) chromatically. Perfect. But here’s the problem:

I can’t play any of the other tracks on the Push 2. For example, I create 8 audio tracks for the Digitakt, select “Audio from” Digitakt, then choose Track 1 on the next dropdown below that, then Track 2, Track 3, etc, for all 8 tracks. If I play the pattern on the Digitakt, this will successfully record audio for each of the 8 tracks. However, if I want to use the Push 2 (say, to create a high hat pattern on one of the other tracks) It won’t work. No matter what I do, it will only play track 1 - the kick. (I can hit “TRK” on the Digitakt, and the number of the track I want, and use the buttons on the Digitakt to play, and that works, but the MIDI signals from the Push 2 will not activate any track other than 1, which it continues to remain locked to.)

After a LOT of digging yesterday, I discovered an old thread on a forum in Reddit in which someone with this issue had contacted Ableton, and Ableton had finally responded saying that, “while the Push 2 shows Midi being sent on channels 9-16, that is a known bug, as the Push 2 is always locked to Midi channel 1, and cannot be changed.”

OK, no problem. I’ll just make channel 1 the auto channel on my Elektron boxes, and everything should work, right?

Wrong. The Push 2 will still only send midi to track 1 on whatever Elektron box I’m trying to use it with (Digitone, AR, A4, Syntakt, etc.)

I tried making an external instrument track as was suggested - that didn’t work.

I turned off “global sync” on Overbridge as someone else suggested - that didn’t work.

Sitting here I have an Arturia keystep, and if I set that to the autochannel on whatever Elektron box I’m using, it works perfectly. I change the track on the Digitone from track 1 to track 3, and now the keystep is playing track 3’s sound. Same for all the boxes. Tried it using my Novation 61 SL MKIII - same thing - works perfectly. I just choose the auto channel, and everything works perfectly with Overbridge. Whatever track I manually select on the box is what the controller is playing. Just not with the Push 2.

“So, what’s the problem then? You have other controllers - just don’t use the Push 2.”

I can’t play keyboards. I know theory, but I am useless as a keyboard player. With the Push 2, I can use the grid, set it into a key, and find chords/lead lines, etc. that work. I’m able to create that way, despite not being a keyboard player. Being locked into a traditional keyboard completely breaks my process.

So, my question is: Does anyone here have an Ableton Push 2 working such that you can use it to play tracks OTHER than track one on ANY of your Elektron boxes? And if so, would you be kind enough to tell me what you did?

Thanks!

homealone · 2023-08-14T20:23:31.198Z

Perhaps stick a Max 4 Live MIDI rechanneliser on the track? Something like this:

https://maxforlive.com/library/device/6895/track-midi-out-channel

mas_akala · 2023-08-14T22:03:19.177Z

Not in front of my gear, but wouldn’t you need 8 midi tracks as well?

MIDI 1
Input Push2
Output Digitakt VST MIDI Ch1

MIDI 2
Input Push2
Output Digitakt VST MIDI Ch2

MIDI 3
Input Push2
Output Digitakt VST MIDI Ch3

Etc…

mas_akala · 2023-08-14T22:09:18.939Z

Really you could leave all those MIDI track inputs as Any or All or whatever the default is.

Berus · 2023-08-15T00:26:30.778Z

I actually saw that somewhere but, for whatever reason, didn’t follow through on trying it. Now I’ll give it a shot and report the results back here. (I can NOT be the only person who wants to use an Ableton Push with their Elektron boxes.)

Thanks!

Berus · 2023-08-15T00:27:55.783Z

I think the reported insistence of the Push using channel 1 might prevent that from working, but I’m going to give it a try and report back here. Thanks!

Berus · 2023-08-15T01:07:20.038Z

mas_akala:

Not in front of my gear, but wouldn’t you need 8 midi tracks as well?

MIDI 1
Input Push2
Output Digitakt VST MIDI Ch1

Etc…

Winner, Winner! CHICKEN DINNER!

Ok, so that DID work, albeit with one tweak: I had to place each of the 4 Digitone Midi tracks (I used the Digitone because 4 tracks is easier to experiment with than 8) on “All Channels”, after that, if you solo the midi channel of the track you want to play/hear (Trk 1, 2, 3, 4) and hit Solo, it works! Take a look at the photo below - I took this just now and it is working:

IMG_21943848×2886 2.55 MB

Note that the Digitone is set to Overbridge, and Autochannel is set to 10 (NOT 1, despite what Ableton support said regarding the Push2 being restricted to channel 1).

mas_akala · 2023-08-15T01:27:25.314Z

Nice! So you may not need MIDI track 1 if that is already being handled by the “external instrument track”. If you end up getting weird doublings of notes or something you may want to look into both of those tracks sending to the same Digitone track… if that makes sense?

Berus · 2023-08-15T02:21:51.853Z

mas_akala:

If you end up getting weird doublings of notes or something you may want to look into both of those tracks sending to the same Digitone track… if that makes sense?

:::sigh::: Yes! After I began digging into this, I was having a duplication of Digitone’s track 1, even when I was soloing the other tracks.

I bow to your Ableton wisdom. Thank you. I’m just so happy to finally have a way to use all my Elektron boxes with the Push 2. This has been an ongoing source of frustration, and having this resolved is a huge thing.

Thanks to all who gave suggestions! I hope if anyone else is having a similar issue, they find this thread before they spend all the frustrating hours I did.

mas_akala · 2023-08-15T04:41:34.192Z

Sweet, glad you got it sorted out!