@switchbox's MD Max4Live controller

What diagonal of the monitor are you using?

13” MBP, but I also have a larger monitor plugged in. Can’t remember if it happened on both until I’m home tomorrow

i have a 4k 28“ screen. but what i see is that the fonts are not loaded. i will provide them separately when im back in studio later day. just in case. my setup: ableton 10.1 with the bundled max 8.0.4. also the imp.midi externals (which are normally freezed already in device).

i already adressed the parameter value thing (-63/64) and reworked the lfos with the correct parameter calling when changing the lfotrack.
an update is around the corner.

Hence, you‘ll like VST… AFAIK been a pretty stable platform for a decade or so…

maybe you have some news for me? :slight_smile:

Yes I added some files and a new version. Please report me any issues.

Thanks, it is better, but I’m still experiencing some problems:

  1. fonts are still not quite right up (I installed the font from your update)
  2. I can’t move dec/pitch/etc parameter(which on a gray background) values with my mouse from the editor, but I can press random, turn up volume from mix, change the preset - it’s ok! also when I turn the knob on my machinedrum I see it on the screen, but when I try to twist dec/pitch/etc parameter with mouse in the editor it doesn’t move…

can you tell me what ableton and max version you run? Mac or windows?..this is a typical error when running max 7.x …have you tried max 8.0.8 already?

its because in max 7.x there’s no “Big-Knob” …only panel/tiny and vertical. be sure you are on at least 8.0.4. otherwise the knobs are set to “panel” and the positions are shifted accordingly…

11

Macbook Pro 13", Ableton 10.0.4*, Mac OS, High Sierra 10.13.16

maybe I installed something wrong or?

ok can you upgrade max to 8.0.8 ? maybe Ableton also…although it works with 9.7.7 and max 8.0.8 also. Max is always in Trial mode when its not started via Ableton.

just downloaded the trial version of Max 8.0.8 and it seems to me that everything works fine even without an ableton :slight_smile:

Hello - just purchased, and having some difficulty in communication between MD and Ableton.

Clicking the track buttons on the MD lights the correct LEDs on the plugin. However, turning the knobs on MD does not move knobs on the plugin, nor do changes in the plugin affect the sound. Randomize or other feature do not affect the kit either.

I’m not entirely sure how the “Get” works with the number 1 through 64 dropdown beside it - does this retrieve the kit on the MD? That doesn’t seem to be working either.

Could be some user error in setup on either side but have not had challenges with other Max control surfaces so far. Any guidance?

I am getting MIDI activity in and out on the port in Ableton and on my MIDI interface. I am using a MOTU MIDI Express 128, Live 10.1 Suite, with bundled version of Max.

MD settings:
Ctrl In - on
Ctrl Out - on
Tempo Out - off
Tempo In - on
Base channel - 1-4
Local Ctrl - on
Prg Change In - on
Prg Change Out - on

Update - what’s interesting is that if I have a MIDI track with the input and outputs routed to the MD, I can play it through the Push, other MIDI controllers, etc. As soon as I load the Max controller, communication stops, and if I toggle the plugin device activator off, I can control it again. This is using Machinedrum Remote 1.03

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I just purchased this this morning and I’ll mess around with it after finishing up this track using Machinedrum Haters(the P parameters on the synth page were a total flow-breaker)(still I appreciate the tool)

I guess, if i’m trying to take this and make a drum rack in Ableton I would just load an instance for each track?

Thanks! Looking forward to messing around with this!

Hi there, so back from business :wink:

So it seems that your connection isn’t working properly.
Did you have the midi ports set correctly? Does your midi interface receive and transfer Sysex? First you can reset the ports by clicking on “midi in” and “midi out” , then select the ports on which
your Machinedrum is connected to. You can then choose the global slot ( this is where the output routing is stored) then you can choose a kit-number from the dropdown and click “get”. When the communication is established and the correct Sysex is received the led list up green.
Otherwise can you try another midi interface? Best results so far is with the TM-1 from Elektron which was included with the Machinedrum afaik.

You should also disable the Midi-in from the Machinedrum in the Ableton Preferences. You don’t need that for the Controller.

Tell me what you get so far.

Cheers, Nik

No you just have to load this device once. Just make a separate track for the controller.
You can always choose the instrument track via the buttons below or with the big labelled one left beside the engine-selector.

cheers, nik

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That makes sense! The established drum rack for the previous program I was using used the load in every slot- but it was surprisingly difficult to navigate when I was recording.

Thanks!

(Now I reckon I just need to make a m4l macro device that will inherit the parameter names of the associated tracks so I can have the best of both worlds)

No luck unfortunately. I switched midi interfaces (Motu 823 MK3 audio interface).

In a regular MIDI track, sysex is working on record. I entered a loop on push with knob automations on the MD and it plays back as expected.

I am somewhat new to Ableton, so maybe I’m setting it up wrong?

If I create a new MIDI track, set ins and outs to my interface, I can play the MD from the Push with no issues. If I add the Controller, the LEDs light up when I push the trigs, but no communication other than that. I don’t have a TM-1 so maybe it just doesn’t work with my interfaces.

Do you set the Ableton MIDI track I/O the same as the I/O on the controller, and play on that same track?

You should disable the input at abletons preferences. No ins and outs on the track itself needed to be set ( keep them on standard) . Just use the midi-in and midi-out on the device. That’s all.

Do you have some other interface instead of MOTU? I heard that they had some Sysex issues on their midi devices, but I’m not sure if this is still the case. Otherwise I will send you a little tool to check if there is a Sysex stream available.

Also to receive a kit at the given number i.e 17 …the kit must be existent in the machine itself at slot 17. if there isn’t a kit saved in the machine, nothing will be responded.

Are you on Mac or Pc?
Maybe put the imp.midi’s in the max packages-folder to be sure. Normally it’s not needed.

I’m on PC. Instead of opening the controller 1.03, and saving as a Max preset, I copied the entire folder with all contents into the directory, but that didn’t help. I checked on MIDI-OX to move some knobs on the MD to see what is received. the events are “control change”. Maybe my interface doesnt support sysex. Although, it works for transferring patches with other electron devices