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MIDI clip launching with foot pedal: Midifire to the rescue!
I've been trying to find a good solution for launching MIDI clips/scenes in my live setup with my humble foot pedal for a while...
Modstep has really nice scene launching features that come complete with tempo changes per scene. This means I can essentially compile a full setlist in one Modstep session--fantastic! The only issue is that Modstep requires the MIDI mapping for one value per scene--this works great if you have a launchpad or other grid controller, but it's not tenable if you have an instrument in your hands and want to use a foot controller. While it'd be great to have a "play next scene" and "play previous scene" so that I could map them to two buttons on my foot controller, I haven't heard back from the Modstep devs on whether they intend to introduce this sort of feature soon--or well, ever.
Infinite Looper, on the other hand, has the "sections" feature that is mappable to two buttons on my foot controller. As a guitar player, Patrick understands the use case and has thought through the design very well. The two things missing at this point are swing (working quite well in the current beta) and the ability to change tempo per section (not planned from what I can tell), both to pick up the tempo moving from a bridge to a chorus and to be able to swiftly move between songs in a setlist.
In another thread someone suggested Midifire may be able to bridge the gap with Modstep so I reached out to Nic at Audeonic. After a quick email exchange confirming that Midifire could script out a solution for my use case, I bought Midifire and quickly mapped out the solution. Nic at Audeonic helped out with some of the intricacies of scripting with Stream Byter, and... this morning I can advance forward/backward through scenes of MIDI clips in Modstep using just two buttons on my foot controller. Great success!
Can't say enough good things about Midifire and the support from the folks at Audeonic. Give the app a look if you have any MIDI challenges in your life!
Comments
Sounds great! Would you be able to share the Midifire scene? It will be interesting to see how that was coded. Cheers.
The forum won't allow me to post the file here (the file type is unsupported). Maybe I can send it by DM/email?
Wahey ! Glad you finally have something that now suits your needs
I'd be interested in seeing that script too.....
You can copy the text from the Stream Byter and paste it here..works better if you use the Code tag ( in the format drop down above)..
"MIDIFire is the new MIDIBridge"
Oh..it is...literally
`IF LOAD
# K0: trig type/chan, inc, dec
ASS K0 = 90 01 00
# L0: out value (retained)
ASS L0 = 00
SND 90 L0 01 # send out note on
SND 80 L0 01 # send out note off
SET LB1 L0 +D # set label
END
IF M0 == K0 # match trigger type/chan
IF M1 == K1 # increment trigger
MAT L0 = L0 + 1 # add 1
SND 90 L0 01 # send out note on
SND 80 L0 01 # send out note off
SET LB0 SINC # set labels
SET LB1 L0 +D
END
IF M1 == K2 # decrement trigger
MAT L0 = L0 - 1 # dec 1
SND 90 L0 01 # send out note on
SND 80 L0 01 # send out note off
SET LB0 SDEC # set labels
SET LB1 L0 +D
END
END
block everything
XX = XX +B`
@lukesleepwalker what are the midi messages your foot controller sends? Just to understand how this works.
Cheers @lukesleepwalker I've sent you my email address via PM. ta.
@AlexB I'm using the guts of an ion iCade with a self-built enclosure and some heavy duty switches. I use the Sidecar app from Secret Base Designs to "catch" the messages from the iCade and translate them into two note on/off messages: C-2 (C negative 2) is the "back one scene" message and C#-2 (C sharp negative 2) is "forward one scene" that I send to MidiFire. So, if your controller can send these two notes (or use something like Sidecar in the middle), you should be able to use this.
And in what midi channel is sent?
I checked again and the script works perfectly, great!
I find easier just use GTL.
With MIDI clips for a whole set?
No. I find midi clips more complex than simply export song parts into audio inside GTL. The way it works with song parts and midi launching is the nearest to Ableton live I found. Midi and AU has more options but also more risk (crashes and so) and IMHO live looping (or just live arranging) is enough experimental by itself to add extra complexity without not so much “worth” from crowd POV.
Time to time I see this kind of question emerge in the forum and I still not feel iOS isn’t strong enough to expect flawless live experience with midi clips and AUs. If you add realtime fx, busses and AUM it goes even more cpu-demand.
The other day I was trying a bit with LoopyHD+Launchpad and find it maybe an alternative (fast workflow for building loops from scratch and straightforward backing tracks) but more risky/experimental than Launchpad alone and just sing over it.
Live looping shows are more popular everyday gone but I still believe (strongly) that live looping is a composition tool and freestyle/experimental. Using it as main tool for live gigging without some pre-recording material is too risky and niche-thing. Regular crowd don’t gives a $#17 over performance most of the time but usually wants popular songs (covers) or autenticity in singing/instrument playing being live looping technicque a mimic most of the time (there are exception of course) so I feel that my better advice is go for simplicity and improve your songs more than your live looping setup/skills. Kt tunstail or Ed Sheeran had good songs with great performance. It’s the difference between Dubfx and Beardyman...
So for midi clip launching my advice will be “use it with external gear” (volcas or whatever) avoiding the most you can asking your “device” (suitable for desktops too) for too much things and simplify, simplify, simplify!
Between live looping madness and just karaoke file there is a place where everybody can enjoy and risk/stress worth the effort. Midi scripting with middlestep apps like midiflow or similar will worth it when there is not another stable option or your “focus” needs that by definition (you are experimental artist) but for playlist launching seems autoexigenced workflow and that usually works against musicality.
It isn’t a gospel truth or negativity, just condensed experience over 15 years dealing with it. Take it as reference, not as “law”... but if you find yourself in trouble in the future in the middle of gig with stutterings and crashes remember my words and I hope you have a Bplan... which usually are simple solutions to bypass the situation... caused most of the time by oneself and that autoexigence.
Oh, i dont know what I did but now it does not work anymore. Any particular parameter to be setup in Modstep to make it work?
make sure the note MIDI source option is selected for both Modstep (internal) and MidiFire (local)?
@Dubbylabby I'm not trying to just entertain the crowd. I'm trying to entertain myself as well.
I've got good enough songs that I do OK with the singer/songwriter thing. But I get bored with that.
I did the Loopy live looping/audio backing track thing for 5 years. It worked fine and I only had one crash in that time (was able to ad lib through it). But I got bored with that.
So working with MIDI clips is my newest way to fight off boredom. Because I can point the clips at new sound generators and even samplers like BM3 for happy accidents, etc. Keeps me fresh, which helps me stay "on" with observers.
So far, working with Modstep and AUs in AUM, I haven't had a crash. Knock on wood and all that.
@lukesleepwalker then go for it and forget what I said. If you find the right setup and you enjoy it congrats!
Do music for oneself is the first in right way of course and it traduces into good vibe aka good performance so crowd should feel and engage it. My point was for the usual mindset to add, add, add... without more reason than “improve the skills” that usually goes crash and lost in musicality but I feel happy if you find your balnce point.
If you can do all you need without flaws then go for it. Experimental music or complexity is not necessary bad but could go wrong easily than simplified setup which doesn’t need to mean simple or boring music neither.
Awareness is also great for feeling alive on stage and happy accidents a great impro composition tool. I could perform over hours back in the day just with my Sp555 or my ehx2880 (2001-2010) but I feel void without proper song structure. In the research for that I realized I need more focus on songwritting. I done it before looping but it was over my rappin days (1997-2001) so ATM more into reggae dub I found myself older and not so “inspired” and that awareness comes from just try to perform my singing the best possible. Backing track or building from zero usually took me too much time until the song was walking on so my “inner dj” point me into just drop a instru and focus on music.
I had pursuit more complex setups (includding live visuals, arduinos and maxforlive) just to understand that it was a team work not available for just one individual (less if you try to keep writting songs alongside). Too much variables and too less revenue (energy, money, love...) so that’s why applied JKD into my own “style” and get off everything superflous (to my own, not as generalization) and midi translator was one of the things (but if someone reading this needs a great solution look into bomebox or midiflow of course). Midi clips was another since I don’t need the extra control it offers in that context. For my keyboard setup I consider arranger tools but again I prefer loopcomunity Prime over something like midiband, xMure or Modstep.
As a result even if I need to perform a live looping song as example or extra value to my simplified performance I will just use GTL or Loopy as skit/interlude. Base my performance only on that has been reduced only in therapy sessions or bizarre at Art spaces (museums, expos and so) where crowd aren’t expecting musicality or rythm (lol) more than E.T. contact... things go weird and is wonderful. Usually I share stage with “solo volca” or “modular” people. Glitch and noise is part of the show
Said that it’s not easy to find that balance and that’s why adviced “just go audio” in mu first comment. It usually has less glitch and crash to get the same goal from crowd POV, not equally from oneself enjoying when you love midi of course.
...
Back in topic about midi and footpedals modstep has some limitations as you pointed and Infinte Looper seems the GTL for midi into my eyes but I still will love to see some transpose or chord arranging like midiband (or directly a ketron machine). So I feel intrigued about your whole setup (like which AU or IAA apps are you controlling with Modstep/IL) and your workflow in live situation. I asked GTL dev about implementing “next/previous song” from midi binding and he’s going to implement it in the next release making it a great solution as song arranger with looping capabilities (includding tap tempo and so) which maybe could be the perfect master for your modstep/IL sessions. I think that someone pointed too the possibility to syncronice it to midi apps in this way. I will look intothe forum and come back with some links.
Cheers!
http://forum.grouptheloop.com/index.php?p=/discussion/115/modstep-gtl-nice
http://forum.grouptheloop.com/index.php?p=/discussion/99/midi-bindings-suggestions-welcome
http://forum.grouptheloop.com/index.php?p=/discussion/81/timestretch-pitchshift-and-midi
http://forum.grouptheloop.com/index.php?p=/discussion/116/finally-some-new-features-of-gtl-snapshots
So what does your modstep session look like? You mentioned an entire set in one session. Do you have multiple scenes per song? One each for Verse, Chorus and Bridge type of thing? And then move forward and back during the song, using only two buttons on the foot controller? What about start/stop?
You're miles ahead of me, but I'm very interested in setting something like this up and have both a blueboard and a BT-4 to work with.
Very cool. Thanks for sharing.
Side note: the single back tick is really mean for
inline code. For retain formatting in blocks of code, do:three back ticks
code here
three back ticks
Yes, I create multiple scenes per song and multiple songs per set. As mentioned before, I point some clips at a sampler and then randomly throw samples in for interest and transitions. I also map the start/stop to controller buttons. I'll often tinker with tempo or key if I'm not satisfied. You could easily do this with the BB or BT4.
I think you missed to mention that in Modstep you midi mapped every scene starting with C-2, then C-2#, D-2, etc... so when you use the streambyter this jumps with just two keys up or down through all the notes. Did I get it well?
That is correct. It should go fast using the controller and stream byter. Go into midi map mode in Modstep, select the first scene and press the forward scene button. Select the second scene, press the forward scene button, etc.