Record and playback in Ableton

[NickG]

HELP!!!!

Got my Keystep Pro a few days ago and have been generally playing with the sequencers, making step recordings and real time recordings at a basic level but all seems well. I'm using three synths and a drum machine all connected thru midi. It's a lot different to my Beatstep Pro so I know I have a lot to learn yet but haven't found any disturbing bugs/issues.

Then I hooked it up to my PC. Loaded Midi Control Centre and performed an automatic update including Control Centre and Midi drivers (latest version). Checked Control Panel / Device Manager on the PC after rebooting the keystep Pro and all Keystep Pro devices had installed correctly including Midi IN and Midi Out.

I opened Ableton Live (9 Standard) and setup preferences using Beatstep as the controller and  the correctly identified Keystep pro In and Out devices under input and output. I then selected all options for the Midi Ports section. Then I created 4 Midi tracks assigned to the Channels as set on the Keystep Pro , 10 for drums and 3,5 and 7 for the synths and then tried to record to Ableton a simple 4 part 64 step sequence I had created.

This is where it starts going wrong. I can hear the playback during recording but the Drums on Channel 10 are not detected at all in Ableton. The synths on Channels 3,5 and 7 will only record correctly if I select 'In' on monitoring (I think I read that this should be selected somewhere in the manual but have to say 'Auto' has always worked when using the Beatstep Pro or various Focusrite USB soundcards). When trying to play back the tracks that have recorded I can hear nothing playing back through the synths but I can see the lights for the notes that should be playing on the led strip above the keyboard. this is true for all tracks when that track is selected (other than track 1 which is being used in drum mode). I have tested the Seq option on track I and this functions the same as tracks 2-4 so its just the drum option which isn't sending any midi data to Abelton. I have set the Midi Channels for Input and Output (Matching tracks 3,5,7,and 10 as stated earlier) the same in the utility menu.

I've tried Reloading drivers on the PC, Rloading the firmware on the keystep Pro, installing the earlier 1.1.3 firmware version, adjusting all options in the utility menu and resetting defaults. I've been doing this over and over for almost two days now hoping that something will give but to no avail.

Does anybody else have this problem or know what I'm not doing or do I have a duff unit that I should send back for a replacement.

Any help would really be appreciated guys.

Nick

[Edouard_Arturia]

Hello Nick.

Can you please provide a screenshot of Live MIDI ports + a screenshot of Live view when recording

My guess is that you did not arm your Live tracks when recording. (Monitor In lets you hear the notes sent but doesn't let you record)
https://www.ableton.com/en/manual/recording-new-clips/

But let's check your screenshots...

[NickG]

Hi Edouard_Arturia,

Thanks for your reply.

Unfortunately my music PC is poorly at the moment. I have just ordered a new HDD for it and can't oblige you with screen shots until I get up and running again (which could be a week or so from now).

As I think I explained, I have set up the controller in preferences using 'beatstep' and enabled all options in the setup as per the manual's instructions. I have a BSP and KL49 which both work perfectly. I have been using Ableton with both of these controllers for around 4 years so I'm not quite a newbie to using it and I'm pretty sure I have armed the tracks for recording.

Why do I get no input in Ableton on channel 10 for the drums, when I record I can hear the drums but I can not see any input level on the midi track and it will not record midi events (notes) on this track (yes, the track is armed and channel 10 is selected for input).

Even with working around these issues which are not satisfactory, I get no midi playback from the recording that it has made of the sequencer tracks, just lights above the keys of the relative tracks but nothing sent from the KSP to the midi gear. If I reconnect the KL49 (and reset the preferences for this controller) then playback the recording made from KSP, using all the same cable connections and midi gear, it all plays correctly so it is definitely the KSP that is not working properly.

I'm hoping this will be addressed in the next firmware release as I know it's not my other gear.

NickG

[slight79]

Hi NickG,

You're not alone. Received my KSP today, spent 6 hours to solve the exact same problem. No luck.

Basically what I want from this device is to playback my modular system, using the 4 voices with CV/GATE, and why not the drums triggers outputs....one day... 
I'm not concerned about the internal sequencer, I probably will never use 70% of the KSP possibilities. All I want is a nice MIDI to CV option with a keyboard, using 4 voices. On the paper, that's what I need....

...but for now, I can only record MIDI clips, and just like you, there is no playback. I can flawlessly record MIDI notes, using the 4 tracks, and playback plugins (Ableton's stock or Arturia's plugins). So on this, for me no issue. But nothing from my modular using the cg/gate outs.

And just like you, I can see the leds playing above the keys, but no sound. I don't know where is the problem. Have to mentionned that connecting the KSP to my modular using the CV/GATE works, I can play and hear sounds. But, no sound when i press play in Ableton to play whatever i have recorded.

I have tried every possible ON/OFF/Track/Sync/Remote, Input Output, Midi port options that you could possibly imagine. Creating External Instruments etc.... Extremely frustrting.

[NickG]

Hi slight79,

Sorry to hear you have the same issue as me. I read on here somewhere that there will be a firmware release around mid to end of May (past experience leads me to expect that release date with some caution as they are often promised long before they actually materialise).

I'm a little relieved that I'm not the only one experiencing this problem as it probably indicates an error which is firmware related and not hardware.

Like you, it's a game maker for me to be able to use it as a controller with Ableton. My primary usage is musical composition, recording and playback with DAW. Nearly all editing will be handled in Ableton so, likewise, the advanced editing functions in the sequencer will not play a big part in my workflow but the polyphony control combined with built in keyboard will. Without these functions I may as well use one of the controllers I already own so it will be almost a complete waste of money (not to mention time).

I see you are using the CV/Gate connections to control your gear. I was going to give that a try next (as soon as I get my music PC running again) as my modular gear, Roland 1M and Artutia MiniBrute can all be controlled this way but I probably won't bother now, besides, the TR-8 doesn't have this connection option.

Talking of the TR-8, have you tried hooking up any drum gear on channel 10, would be interested to know if you experience the same issue with the recording there too?

I tried using the CV/Gate connections on my BSP with the modular gear a year or so ago but had to give that idea up as it caused regular system hangs during playback in Ableton and everything needed to be rebooted after between 10-30 minutes of use. I ended up having to spend a few hundred and get a modular midi interface (Mutable Instruments Yarns) which works really well. Again, lots of features that I don't need but brilliant as a four voice midi conversion.

So it looks like a waiting game for now. If you have a breakthrough success in the meantime please keep us informed.

Best of luck and all the best.

NickG

[winddealer]

Perhaps Sébastien is recompiling some new code over the weekend for us

[slight79]

Here the answer from Arturia:

Unfortunately this is not possible at the moment as the midi/cv thru hasn't been implemented.

All note data must stored onto the sequencer before being able to be played through either midi out or cv out,

I have linked your ticket to the parent complaint in our database and will update you as soon as it has been made available.


  This is such a let down, this is the only reason why I bought this thing. I wonder if this will ever be possible with future firmware upgrade?

I do own a FH2 with expanders, while it does exactly that flawlessly, it is in another modular case and patch and won't touch it. The user interface of the FH2 is very deep and very complex, too much. I was expecting to use the KSP in a studio environment and NOT as a live tool, I really thought that once patched, with the 4 tracks easely accessible it will make my Ableton to Modular world way faster and user friendly.

I guess I was wrong. I once bought the BeatStep Pro and quickly gave up as it was SO BUGGY, sold it quickly and never looked back, made myself a promise that I will never buy an Arturia hardware again (their software are great) and here we are again with another useless device that doesn't do what is should do.

Please tell me Arturia that it will be in a near future possible to playback simple Midi clip/event from Ableton to modular??

[slight79]

Hi Arturia,

I have a simple question, when you say "this is not possible at the moment as the midi/cv thru hasn't been implemented."

Do you mean it has not been implemented "yet" and will be in the future, or you meant, by design, it has not been implemented and therefor, it will never be possible to playback MIDI from Ableton. (which is mental for a Midi Keyboard)

Thanks for your answer.

[johndoe]

Hi Arturia,

I have a simple question, when you say "this is not possible at the moment as the midi/cv thru hasn't been implemented."

Do you mean it has not been implemented "yet" and will be in the future, or you meant, by design, it has not been implemented and therefor, it will never be possible to playback MIDI from Ableton. (which is mental for a Midi Keyboard)

Thanks for your answer.

Thanks for pointing this out. This "has not been implemented YET" is a corporate jargon that I see posted everywhere, needs clarification.

[NickG]

Hi slight79

Wow! That's almost unbelievable. I thought this unit was being marketed as a controller (that's the category in which it appears on the web-site).

How can it be a controller for a DAW if it doesn't have the capability to control external midi/CV gear from within the DAW.

A serious marketing error and for the likes of you and I (and I imagine many others) a huge let down. I feel scammed by the fact that this functional omission has not been made clear to the purchaser.

I know a lot has been made of it's live performance aspect but as it is meant to be a Pro replacement for the Keystep and an enhanced replacement for the BSP sequencer I would have expected it to be able to do at least the basic midi functions that both of it's parent models can (I'm assuming this was possible on a Keystep as I've never owned one but it certainly is a characteristic of the BSP).

No wonder Edouard_Arturia only referenced the recording issue in his reply to me and not the playback problems I explained I was having. He didn't mention the fact that playback can't be achieved yet!

Disappointed doesn't start to explain how I feel.

NickG

[Terrym]

Hi All
Midi in should be on the next fw release which is in beta very soon The Dev team are working on it.

[winddealer]

Sounds like Midi Routing is not currently implemented?  MODEs like below (not limited to) should be supported.

None - No routing
USB In to MIDI OUT - UM
MIDI In to MIDI OUT - MM
MIDI IN to USB OUT  - MU
MIDI IN TO USB OUT + USB In to MIDI OUT - MUUM
MIDI IN to MIDI OUT + MIDI IN to USB OUT - MMMU

Is it "Assumed" that CV will also be supported?
CV IN to MIDI OUT - CM
CV IN to USB OUT - CU
MIDI IN to CV OUT - MC
USB IN to CV OUT - UV
MIDI IN to CV OUT + CV IN to MIDI OUT - MCCM
USB in TO CV OUT + CV IN to USB OUT - UCCU

Or would that be a "future, future" capability?

[slight79]

Any news on this Arturia?

[Edouard_Arturia]

Hello.
The update is currently in Beta.
We had a bit of delay in the delivery but it should come up in the forthcoming days.
Best regards
Edouard

[Andrew Henderson]

Sounds like Midi Routing is not currently implemented?  MODEs like below (not limited to) should be supported.

None - No routing
USB In to MIDI OUT - UM
MIDI In to MIDI OUT - MM
MIDI IN to USB OUT  - MU
MIDI IN TO USB OUT + USB In to MIDI OUT - MUUM
MIDI IN to MIDI OUT + MIDI IN to USB OUT - MMMU

Is it "Assumed" that CV will also be supported?
CV IN to MIDI OUT - CM
CV IN to USB OUT - CU
MIDI IN to CV OUT - MC
USB IN to CV OUT - UV
MIDI IN to CV OUT + CV IN to MIDI OUT - MCCM
USB in TO CV OUT + CV IN to USB OUT - UCCU

Or would that be a "future, future" capability?

Although not nearly as advanced, my Novation SL49MKII does the above, where in the settings, I can choose which outputs are enabled/disabled and where information is sent to and from.  I can choose USB input to Midi output 1, Midiout 2, or both, etc.  I see nothing of the sort in the Keystep Pro and for something so advanced in its connections, it really needs some sort of routing capabilities that the user can set up, to tailor to their exact setup.