Livid Step
From Livid Wiki
Livid Step Screenshot
Designed to work with the Livid Ohm64 and block controllers in the Max For Live environment, Livid Step provides up to eight tracks of traditional step sequencing, with expanded control over time, step assignments, instrument control, and even improvisation.
Download Location
http://www.lividserver.com/dl/ohm/LividStep_m4l.zip
Getting Started
Livid Step is a comprehensive Step Sequencer that runs in Ableton Live + Max For Live. Almost all parameters are mapped to controls on the Ohm64 and block controllers. A single Livid step device provides 8 steps, and occupies one row on the button grid. If you want to fill the grid with step sequences, you would need eight MIDI tracks, each with an instance of LividStep. The device LividLights provides LED lighting control on the Ohm64 and block, and should be added to a MIDI track (preferably the ninth track [eighth track for block!)
When you download and unzip the LividStep archive from http://www.lividserver.com/dl/ohm/LividStep_m4l.zip, you'll find the following files in the Livid Step folder:
- LividLights.amxd
- LividStep.amxd
- changeany.pat
- gateonce.pat
- joinstr.help
- joinstr.js
- li.step.analogs.js
- li.step.mutes.js
- M4L.api.SetSelectedTrackIndex.maxpat
- ohmbtn_sm.png
- ohmbtn_tog.png
- ohmbtn.png
You can place this folder anywhere on your hard drive, really, but it's probably most convenient to include it in the Ableton Library in /Library/Presets/MIDI Effects/Max MIDI/. You must keep all of these files together in the folder, however.
Quick Start Example
Set Livid Controller to Defaults
To use Livid Step, you will need your Ohm or block set to factory defaults. If your Ohm has a custom mapping already, make sure that it saved to the memory. You may want to store it as a preset, too. You can store the current settings to a preset by;
- Opening Editor.
- Hold option key on your keyboard.
- Select a Preset number from the menu.
- Click on the Preset name, and name it, if you wish.
- If the settings have been changed since the last time you connected the Ohm64 or block, press the green "Save" button to store the setting to memory.
- Click the "More" button, then press "Factory Defaults"
Configure your Live Set
Open Live, create a new Session. Delete the default Audio Track. In Preferences:
- Enable "Track" and "Remote" for Input: "Ohm64 (Control Surface)" or "block (Control Surface)"
- Enable "Track" and "Remote" for Output: "Ohm64 (Control Surface)" or "block (Control Surface)"
On track 1, make sure it is a MIDI track, then drop in LividStep.amxd from the browser. Next to that, add a drumkit (I grabbed something from this path: /Library/Presets/Instruments/Kit/) Make sure the track settings are as follows:
- MIDI From: No Input
- MIDI To: Ohm64, Ch. 1 (or block, Ch. 1)
Add another MIDI Track and add LividLights.amxd MIDI From: No Input MIDI To: Ohm64, Ch. 1 (or block, Ch. 1) (The LividLights.amxd device gathers LED information from all LividStep instances, then sends that data to the Livid controller.) Start Ableton Live playback. Make sure all steps are enabled in row one by pressing all buttons on the controller, making sure the light is on. You will see the blue "mutes" on in the Step interface, too. You can also use the "mutes" button on screen to turn all mutes on/off.
Now, let's make a sequence that will play the drums. (Please refer to "Note Mapping on the Grid Buttons" for more about notes in the grid). To add/modify a sound at a step: Ohm64:
- Press slider button 1.
- Move the crossfader to the far left. This sets the velocity at maximum.
- Press grid button 9 (row 2, col 1 on block). This puts the bass drum sound into the memory.
- Press grid button 1 (row 1, col 1 on block). This adds the bass drum sound to step 1.
- When the sequence reaches step 1, you'll hear the bass drum play.
- (Press "zoom" and you will see that note C1 is occupied by a note.)
- Repeat the above steps, but move the crossfader to the middle and add the sound to step 2.
- Repeat the above steps, but move the crossfader to about 80% to the right and add the sound to step 3.
- Now, the first three steps will play the bass drum sound, with the sound getting softer on each step (diminuendo or decrescendo).
You can also, of course, use the step sequence interface on screen to modify the notes played in a sequence. Now, press buttons in row one to turn steps on and off - the LEDs will correspond to the state of the "mute" buttons on-screen - to interactively modify the sequence as it plays.
MIDI Note Mapping on the Grid Buttons
Although the Ohm64 or block is running with "factory default" settings, the incoming notes are remapped in LividStep to make it easy to use. LividStep passes Grid buttons to the track's instrument by mapping buttons 1-64 to notes 28 (E0) - 92 (G#5). This makes it easy to find drum pads for drum racks (almost always row 2) as well as have a full range for bass and lead instruments. The mapping could be modified in the future to offer more note mappings in the future, for example, to organize the pads for drumming, or for different scales, however, it is a simple linear map at this time.
Explanation of Controls in LividStep
Row Number
In the top left, you'll see the row number that the step occupies. LividStep automatically assigns this number, based on the track number in Live.
Controller Select
By default, Livid Step expects an Ohm64 - you'll see a button at the top of the LividStep device with that label. If you are using a block, you can change the controller map just by clicking that button. For convenience, you can save that as a preset, and use that preset to add LividStep to your tracks. When you change the controller map in one LividStep instance, it will change in all instance in your Live set.
Global mode vs. Track mode
There are two main "modes" when working with LividStep: Global and Track. The mode can only be changed with the Ohm64 or block controller, not with the mouse. Furthermore, Track mode essentially has three more modes within.
Global Mode
This is the default mode. In Global mode, you can disable and enable steps in any of the sequences from playing. You also have control over each track's volume using the sliders (knobs on block). The Ohm64's knobs add additional controls over each track's rhythm - refer to the section Using the Controller in Global and Track modes
Track Mode
Press one of the slider buttons to enter Track mode for a step sequence (on the block, the bottom row of buttons is reserved to behave the same as the slider buttons on the Ohm64). The slider button will stay lit, indicating that track mode is on. To exit Track mode, and go back to Global mode or enter Track mode on a different track, you must press the active button again. Track mode itself offers a three different modes: Add, Play, and Record Loop. When you first enter Track mode, you are in "Track Add" mode.
Add
This lets you edit step notes on the fly. Enter Track mode, then press a grid button to store a note, then press a step in the active track to add that note to the track. Example: Enter track mode for LividStep sequence 1. Press button 9 on the grid (this is equivalent to note# 36 - See "Note Mapping..."), then press button 2 on the grid. This will add note 36 to step 2 on sequence 1. Once you have entered the note, Track Mode is automatically exited, putting you back in Global mode.
Play
This mode passes notes to the Live instrument, letting you play the instrument as you would with a drum pads or piano keyboard. First enter Track Mode, then press the Left Crossfader button (on the block, press grid button 63 [row 8, col 7]). Now press buttons in the grid, playing notes on the instrument. Simple! You cannot exit Track Mode while in Play mode - you must first press the Left Crossfader button to exit Play mode, then press the Slider button to exit Track Mode.
Record Loop
This lets you record a four bar loop of whatever you play. First, enter Track Mode, then enter Track Play Mode, then press the Right Crossfader button (block: press grid button 64 [col8, row8]). The button will flash slowly, then, one bar before it is ready to start recording, flash quickly. It will then turn solid, letting you know it is recording what you are playing. After four bars, it will stop, then begin playback. To stop playback, press the Right Crossfader button again. You can exit Play Mode, then exit Track Mode, perform other actions, and the loop will still play. If you want to stop playback, enter Track Mode, then Play Mode, then press the Right Crossfader button again.
Random
The "random" knob will cause random jumps in time, jumbling playback of the sequence. As the amount of randomness is increased, there is a greater probability that a step will deviate from its normal position, and a greater chance of a larger jump.
Curve
The "curve" knob will cause the time to accelerate as it reaches the end of the sequence.
Direction and Warp
The direction menu lets you change the direction of playback, as well as select from some unusual methods of bending the timing of the sequence.
Timing
The timing can take on different values than standard eighth notes. For example, "1/4" will advance the sequence every quarter note, "1/2d" will advance the sequence every dotted half note.
Arrow (Transpose and Shift) buttons
The left and right arrows will shift the sequence in time, the up and down arrows transpose the sequence +/- a half step.
Edit Options
The edit menu lets you select an edit mode for the step sequence interface. "All" will let you edit pitch and view velocity, duration, and chance values. "Velocity" provides sliders to change the velocity value for each step. "Duration" gives sliders to change the duration of the note, quantized to the 1/32nd note. "Chance" gives you control over the probability that a step will output a note. All the way up, and note will play on every cycle (unless you have a "skip" value present for the step, of course), halfway up, and the step will have a 50% chance of playing, and so on.
View Controls
These buttons in the lower left of the LividStep interface provide viewing controls for the sequencer. "Fold" will compress the view, only showing note rows that have a note entered. "Zoom" will compress the view so it shows the entire note range from the lowest note in the sequence to the highest note. "Grow" is similar to zoom, but adds some space at the top and bottom so you can extend the range of your sequence's notes.
Mutes
When on a mute buttons will prevent the associated step from playing. The mutes can be controlled by pressing the grid buttons on the Ohm64 or block while in Global mode.
Skip Rules
Beneath the mutes are controls for "skip" rules. These rules can be set with the mouse, or by using the sliders while in Track mode. The skip value represents a measure count. For example, if the value is "2," the step will, not play every other measure or . If it is "5" the step will, depending on the "behavior", either NOT play every fifth measure or ONLY play every fifth measure. "Skip rules" allow for a greater variety than 8 steps normally allows.
Skip Behavior
Beneath each rule is the behavior for the step's rule. If the rule value is 2 or greater, and the behavior is set to "skip", then the step will not play on every nth measure. If the behavior is set to "only," then the step will only play on every nth measure. In general, "skip" is good for creating only occasional variation, but "only" could be used for fill patterns, for example on every 4th or 8th measure.
Using the Controller in Global and Track modes
Global Mode Controls
Ohm64
The grid is used to control the mute on/off for steps in all sequences, giving you complete control over density and arrangement of the sequences. The sliders control the tracks' volumes, the grid buttons turn steps on/off (mute), and knobs control various time parameters. Looking at a single channel strip on the left:
- Top knob: random
- Mid knob: curve
- Bot. knob: time division
- Slider: volume
- On the right:
- Knob: time division
- Slider: volume
block
Knobs control track volume.
Track Mode Controls
Ohm64
In Track Mode, the knobs and sliders change their functions. The Sliders control the Skip Rules for each step. The top left eight knobs are automatically assigned to the instrument's macro knobs (assuming they exist!) for control over the instrument's sound.
In Track-Add mode, the grid buttons are used to first choose a note number to add to the sequence, then used to add that note to the track's sequence.
In Track-Play and Track-Record Loop modes, the grid buttons' notes are passed to the instrument so you can play it as you would with a keyboard (use the crossfader for velocity).
Finally, in Track Mode, the function buttons will provide left, right, up, down shifting of the sequence, and the F5 button will cycle the playback direction.
block
For the block controller in Track mode, the knobs change from controlling track volume to controlling the eight macro knobs for the track's instrument. The two sliders control the Send A and Send B volume for the track, allowing you to add effects on the Return channels.
In Track-Add mode, the grid buttons are used to first choose a note number to add to the sequence, then used to add that note to the track's sequence.
In Track-Play and Track-Record Loop modes, the grid buttons' notes are passed to the instrument so you can play it as you would with a keyboard (use the crossfader for velocity).
Finally, in Track Mode, the function buttons will provide left, right, up, down shifting of the sequence, and the Livid button will cycle the playback direction.
Standalone Version
The LividStep Standalone offers much of the same functionality that the max for live device does, but lets you use Livid Step with other software or hardware, simply by sending MIDI out on loopback ports (such as MIDI Yoke or OSX IAC). The Standalone has 8 step sequencers, its own clock, and the ability to configure MIDI output on ports, channels, and bank and program changes for selecting instruments. An ideal application would be use this program in tandem with a VST plugin host to control software synthesizers, or with a external hardware. All functions are as described above, with a few differences.
Transport
Turn playback on/off with the on/off button. Using the sync menu, you can select a source (for example, from another application) for MIDI clock and start/stop messages to control LividStep remotely. Time Signature and Location can be controlled as well.
Presets
Presets will save all settings for all sequences, including rules, notes, mutes, timing, MIDI outputs, banks, and programs, etc. There are 32 preset slots, each could be considered a "song." Preset data is stored in the application support directory (MAC: <hd>/Users/username/Library/Application Support/Livid/LividStep/, Windows: %APPDATA%/Livid/LividStep/).
MIDI Output
Direct the output from each sequence using the MIDI Output configuration window. You can select a port, channel, as well as bank and program data to send on the port and channel to select different instruments.
Manually Select Device
If you have more than one Livid controller attached, the auto-detect may not select the controller you want to use with LividStep. In this case, select the correct port with "Manually Select Device."
Known Problems
- When you add an instance of LividStep, lights get temporarily screwed up (restart the set to correct, or press a lot of buttons in global mode).
