Ableton/Live/UG/17 Routing and IO/03 External MIDI In-Out
- A MIDI track's Input Type chooser picks one MIDI port or All Ins, the merge of every port. Input Channel picks one channel or All Channels, with activity meters on each entry. Changes apply to all selected MIDI tracks.
- Settings → Link, Tempo & MIDI lists every MIDI input and output port. Each can be used by any number of tracks.
17.3.1.1 Track
- Sends or receives notes and CC messages.
- Turn it on for an input to play or record notes, or to record CC from a hardware synth into clips.
- Turn it on for an output to play external hardware, send notes to another app through a virtual MIDI bus, or send CC automation out.
- A controller's output port needs Track only if the controller makes its own sound.
17.3.1.2 Sync
- Sends or receives MIDI Clock, or receives MIDI Timecode. A controller needs it only if it has a sequencer or arpeggiator.
- Input: to follow an external sequencer, drum machine, groovebox or another DAW. Output: to drive those from Live, or to sync an external synth's LFO and arpeggiator.
- Expanding an output port with Sync on shows more options:
- MIDI Clock Sync Delay — delays outgoing sync in milliseconds to fix timing offsets.
- MIDI Clock Type — Song sends Song Position Pointer and Continue whenever the play position changes; Pattern sends only Start, at the next bar, for devices that ignore SPP.
- Hardware Resync — what the Control Bar's Resync External Hardware button sends to bring synced gear that has fallen out of time back in line: Stop and Start (default), Start Only, or Don't Resync.
17.3.1.3 Remote
- Lets a controller map to Live's parameters, and sends feedback back to it.
- Input: for custom MIDI mappings, or to launch clips from a keyboard. Launchpad/Custom/Mode/1 Arrangement needs Remote on for the Launchpad's input.
- Output: for controllers whose LEDs or motorised faders show the state of mapped parameters.
- Turn on the computer MIDI keyboard with the Control Bar button, Options → Computer MIDI Keyboard, or
M. - The middle letter row plays the white keys starting at C3; the row above plays the black keys.
Z and X shift the octave; C and V change velocity in steps of 20.- Between C3 and C4 the middle row lines up with Impulse's sample slots, for playing drum patterns.
- While on, it takes over keys used for other shortcuts. Add
Shift to reach single-letter shortcuts, such as Shift+S for solo.
- To play an external synth, set the track's Output Type to the synth's MIDI port and Output Channel to its channel.
- The External Instrument device does the same from inside the device chain, and also brings the synth's audio back into the same track. See Ableton/How To/Record MIDI and Audio from external device.
- When one keyboard synth is both your controller and a sound source, turn on its Local Off so Live becomes the hub that passes keyboard and clip MIDI to it.
- The Control Bar has three pairs of MIDI lights. In each pair the top flashes on incoming MIDI and the bottom on outgoing.
- From left to right: MIDI Clock and Timecode (shown only when a port has sync enabled); remote control of Live's interface; MIDI to and from MIDI tracks.
- MIDI used by a remote mapping doesn't reach the tracks. The lights show when that is why a track hears nothing.
