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Author Topic: Multi-tracking 2 hardware synths & a drum machine into Ableton  (Read 3364 times)

Simulacrumb

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Okay, problems right out the gate with this thing. Caveat emptor, and I was not aware. haha I'm not using BSP to play live (right now), and I am not using it as a MIDI controller to control Ableton. At. All. I just want to stress this right now before I get into my problems that need solving. I only want to sequence hardware. So, I don't want to assign any knobs right now: I'll do that on my hardware synths and drum machine.

I wanted a sequencer that could sequence 2 external hardware synthesizers, giving me 64 steps for each. I also wanted to be able to add a drum machine into this mix, also with 64 steps available to me. The goal being 3 instruments all simultaneously going into Ableton Live as multiple tracks. So, Synth 1 going into track 1, Synth 2 going into track 2, Drum machine going into track 3 on Ableton Live. I currently do this with two tracks right now (synth, drum machine) via a Focusrite Scarlett, but only with the 16 steps available to me with my drum machine and a few synths (Korg Mini and Monologue). I have 64 steps available on my Moog Sub 37, but as you can imagine, when I pair this with the Volca Beat, I can't get super complex because of the Volca Beat's 16 steps. My entire MO with the BPS was to get 64 steps for each of the 3 instruments so that I could get more complex melodic and rhythmic variations.

The main problems I'm seeing, quite immediately, is how the heck do I do multi-track record with 64 steps for each of my 3 instruments? Is it even possible to output in this way?

If it's not, then as awesome as the BPS can be as a standalone sequencer for live performance, it's useless to me as a 64-step sequencer for multi-track recording on Ableton.
« Last Edit: April 24, 2017, 11:49:09 pm by Simulacrumb »

yield27

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Re: Multi-tracking 2 hardware synths & a drum machine into Ableton
« Reply #1 on: April 25, 2017, 12:31:26 am »
The beatstep pro doesn't route the audio at all. It can sequence them with 64 steps very well though.

To multitrack record your instruments in ableton you will need a USB interface with at least 3 inputs to jack your instruments into separate tracks in ableton. I really like my akai eie (http://www.akaipro.com/product/eie) for this.

Simulacrumb

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Re: Multi-tracking 2 hardware synths & a drum machine into Ableton
« Reply #2 on: April 25, 2017, 09:23:20 am »
As I thought. What are the outputs Sequencer 1, Sequencer 2, and the Drum sequencer? Why wouldn't each be label with an output on the back?


siseturist

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Re: Multi-tracking 2 hardware synths & a drum machine into Ableton
« Reply #3 on: April 25, 2017, 03:52:10 pm »
As I thought. What are the outputs Sequencer 1, Sequencer 2, and the Drum sequencer? Why wouldn't each be label with an output on the back?

It's all CV and GATE. Simple as that!

Simulacrumb

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Re: Multi-tracking 2 hardware synths & a drum machine into Ableton
« Reply #4 on: April 25, 2017, 07:03:31 pm »
I know what CV and Gate are, but this is alien to me as far as output. I always have used 1/4" cables and MIDI. haha

I guess I need special cables that go from CV or Gate to 1/4" trs to go into my audio interface?

siseturist

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Re: Multi-tracking 2 hardware synths & a drum machine into Ableton
« Reply #5 on: April 25, 2017, 08:54:40 pm »
I know what CV and Gate are, but this is alien to me as far as output. I always have used 1/4" cables and MIDI. haha

I guess I need special cables that go from CV or Gate to 1/4" trs to go into my audio interface?

There's absolutely no reason for you to send cv gate out from bsp to your audio interface. Cv gate is like midi, meant for controlling analog synthesizers and effects. It uses TS not TRS.

Simulacrumb

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Re: Multi-tracking 2 hardware synths & a drum machine into Ableton
« Reply #6 on: April 26, 2017, 10:53:07 pm »
I know that CV and Gate are for controlling synths, effects, and modules, but I need to get the 64-track sequences into Ableton as individual tracks. How do I do this?

Again, I know that CV is a language not unlike MIDI. But, I've literally NEVER used it to control other synths or effects, much less to output into Ableton Live. When I record, I do 1/4" out from my synthesizers into my audio interface, then Ableton. This is the extent of my knowledge on outputting for recording purposes. This has worked for me: that is, until I got BeatStep Pro. 

Put another way, how do I get these 3 64-track sequences into dedicated tracks on Ableton?

Given that I don't use CV and Gate, and never have, comments like "It's all CV and Gate. Simple as that!" and "There's absolutely no reason for you to send cv gate out from bsp to your audio interface." aren't much help, you dig? It's like talking in circles. I'm asking how I do it, and you're saying, you do it. "How do I get A, B, and C into D" and you reply "You get A, B, and C into D." (Just trying to help you understand how the instructions sound from my perspective.)

Private message me if you like.
« Last Edit: April 26, 2017, 11:02:45 pm by Simulacrumb »

Simulacrumb

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Re: Multi-tracking 2 hardware synths & a drum machine into Ableton
« Reply #7 on: April 26, 2017, 11:55:44 pm »
Maybe USB out into Ableton will let me multi-track?

siseturist

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Re: Multi-tracking 2 hardware synths & a drum machine into Ableton
« Reply #8 on: April 27, 2017, 12:47:47 am »
Seems like I got you wrong. But for recording sequenceing you just need usb or midi. Usb is probably easiest. Just connect bsp with your computer and check that bsp is selected for incoming notes, but not outgoing ones - you'll probably get midi echo otherwise. And you should also sync your ableton live with bsp. Either by sending clock from ableton to bsp or other way around (not sure if it's possible, many daws can't be synced from external midi). And in ableton create different tracks with different midi channels - according to the ones on bsp.

 

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