Ableton/Live/UG/36 Push 2/17 Push 2 Control Reference
- What every control does:
Transport and tempo
- Tap Tempo — tap on each beat to set the tempo; with Start Playback with Tap Tempo on, four taps in 4/4 also start playback. The encoder above changes tempo by 1 BPM, or 0.1 with
Shift. - Metronome — toggles the click; the encoder above sets swing for Quantize, Record Quantize and Repeat.
- Play/Stop — toggles Live's Play; when stopped,
Shift+Play/Stop returns to 1.1.1. - Record — in Session focus: record, then play, then overdub. Hold Record and a track's lower button to arm it. In Arrangement focus it toggles Arrangement recording;
Shift swaps the two. - New — stops the selected clip and prepares for a new recording.
- Fixed Length — new clips get a set length, chosen by holding it; turning it on mid-recording loops the last bars.
- Automate — toggles Session automation recording;
Shift re-enables overridden automation; with Delete, clears the clip's automation.
Editing
- Delete — deletes the selected clip (or Arrangement clip in Arrangement focus); with a pad, its notes or the pad; with a clip, device or track, that item; with an encoder, its automation or resets the parameter; in Slicing mode, a slice.
- Undo — Live's Undo, even for actions made elsewhere;
Shift to Redo. - Duplicate — per Workflow mode; also copies drum pads, tracks (with a track button) and Session clips.
- Convert — Simpler in Classic or One-Shot becomes a Drum Rack on a new track with the Simpler on the first pad; Simpler in Slicing mode becomes a Drum Rack of slices on the same track; a Drum Rack pad's devices move to a new track. An audio clip can become a Simpler or Drum Rack track (warp settings kept), or be converted with Harmony, Melody or Drums to MIDI.
- Double Loop — doubles the loop and its contents.
- Quantize — quantizes selected notes, all notes, one drum's notes, or audio transients; hold for settings.
Mixing and tracks
- Mute, Solo, Stop Clip — act on the selected track, other tracks, pads, steps or devices as described above; hold to lock.
- Master — selects the Main track; again to go back.
- Add Device, Add Track — as described in their sections.
- Far-right encoder — Main volume, or Pre-Cue volume with
Shift. Shift on any encoder gives fine control.
Modes
- Device, Browse, Mix, Clip, Note, Session — enter each mode; holding Device, Mix, Clip, Note or Session switches temporarily.
- Setup — settings menu.
- User — turns off Push 2's built-in functions so it can be mapped to other things in Live or other software. Its encoders work best as "Relative (2's Comp.)"; turn slowly left while mapping to get it. See Ableton/Live/UG/34 MIDI and Key Remote.
Playing
- Touch Strip — pitch bend (default) or mod wheel when playing an instrument (Select+tap switches), note range when step sequencing, drum bank on Drum Rack tracks.
- Scale — key and scale for instrument tracks in Note mode: Fixed, In Key/Chromatic, key and scale type.
- Layout — Session Overview in Session mode; in Note mode, playing vs step sequencing for instruments, or the drum layouts for Drum Racks and sliced Simplers.
- Repeat, Accent — retrigger held pads at the Scene/Grid rate; full velocity for every note. Hold for momentary use.
- Scene/Grid — launch scenes in Session mode (Select+press selects without launching); set step and repeat resolution in Note mode.
- Octave Up/Down — octave for instruments, 16 pads for Drum Racks, eight scenes in Session mode; unlit when there's nowhere further to go.
- Page Left/Right — previous or next page of steps; eight tracks in Session mode.
- Arrow keys — move through the Set, tracks and scenes, or browser columns.
- Shift, Select — extra functions and fine adjustment; select clips or pads without triggering them.
36.17.0.1 Using Footswitches with Push 2
- Two jacks on the back take momentary footswitches. Footswitch 1 is sustain. Footswitch 2 toggles Record (recording or overdub vs playback) with one tap, and acts as New with a quick double tap.
- If a pedal works backwards, plugging it in while pressed usually fixes it; pedals with a polarity switch are more reliable.