Programming (um) program changes in Live

Elektron Gear Analog Keys/Four
1

Someone with the needed knowledge please walk me through this, as I can’t figure it out properly by reading the manual:

I guess the scenario is pretty obvious: I’ve programmed various patterns on my A4 and would like these to be triggered from Ableton Live. I understand this is achievable.

My A4 is set up to receive midi via USB. Program change in are received on the auto channel. Auto channel is set to channel 9.

I have a midi track in Live set up to send midi to the Rytm (on channel 9), but I guess what I’m not quite getting is what exactly I’m supposed to send on this channel? In other words: what do I input in the clip, should I wish to trigger, say, pattern H1?

2

Hello,

Coincidentally I was just working on a tutorial that addressees just this. It is possible - it is just making sure that all the correct boxes are ticked.

I’ll just walk thru my setup that I found to work.

  1. Ableton Output to A4 -(I set mine to Track, Sync, Remote)

  2. Within the A4 MIDI Sync settings - Clock, Transport and Prog Ch Receive set to on.

  3. Within the MIDI Channels setting, set to ‘PROG CH in CH’ to an actual channel - I set mine to 10. (This is what blocked me for a while when it was set on AUTO.)

  4. Back in Ableton, I setup a track MIDI Output that will send MIDI to the A4. MIDI To is set to “Elektron Analog” to Channel 10.

  5. Create new clip. In the ‘Notes’ of the clip with in the Pgm Changes -change the “Pgm” the number program you want in the A4.

Program numbers:
Patterns A1 - A16 = Program 1- 16
Patterns B1 - B16 = Program 17 - 32
Patterns C1 - C16 = Program 33- 48
and so on.

So for your example H1 = Program 113

  1. Create a new clip with a different Pgm and you’ve got your sequenced Program Changes.

Just be aware that when a program change is sent from Ableton to the A4, the A4 will finish the current pattern entirely. There may be a way around it but I’ve not found it.

Hope that helps. Cheers!

3

Extremely helpful. Thanks a bunch! I’ll give this a go tomorrow. :slight_smile:

4

Worked like a charm! :joy:

5

This has been doing my head in for weeks! got everything going with program changes, guitar pedal, moog etc everything just not the A4! Was just about to post for help then noticed your post. Gonna try it also now. BIG THANKS!!

6

Right, thats worked, I was hoping to change kits not patterns with this but I guess il have to assign the kits i need in my live set to patterns without notes. unless you know a work around for this?

7

Pattern idea worked a treat, just had to stick a single CV note in each one to save it as a pattern without adding notes.