Scenario: jamming on Machinedrum. Sounding so fine but you want to record-loop it and then compose something else.
Goal: capture and record the audio in a synced fashion without connecting any midi leads nor stopping playback.
Solution: connect headphone-out from Machinedrum to audio-in of laptop. Open ableton. Set bpm to exactly the same bpm as the Machinedrum. Do not press Play.
record-enable an audio track with the external input as the source. click directly on a record button on the track’s grid. Stop recording by clicking the red play button when the recording length gets to about 3 bars and 1 beat … it will complete recording at 4 bars and then play, completely in sync with the Machinedrum.
You may now select a different Pattern or compose a new one in relation to the captured/synced loop recording playing on the laptop.
Sync will continue as long as Stop is not pressed on either Machinedrum nor Ableton.
For extra fun, while synced and playing, use a couple of Midi machines on the Machinedrum to sequence a couple of software synths in ableton … the loops as played from the Machinedrum’s sequencer will be in time and also have the same Swing setting as the rest of the Machinedrum’s pattern so will sound very in sync. The audio of this may be captured as a looping file similar to capturing the audio input.
So, that is how to capture audio and work with the Machinedrum when an enjoyable loop is sequenced, and the composer wants to go further but does not want to sync ableton to any time clock signal, nor stop playback.
Note: I have found the Machinedrum and Ableton tempo to remain in sync for a long time if it is a whole number like 125 without any decimal points to the bpm.