Major Update of the Midi remote Script, Ableton + Spark = <3

[MartinW]

how is the spark linked to your computer? midi or usb??? i have never used it.

It's connected via usb, should it be midi?

if you use your spark on live without any script then record a the pressing of keys, does it blink when you play the track again ?

Well.. It doesn't even light up when I press it manually (it is recorded in ableton though, but playing back doesn't do anything either).. Is it different with SparkLE? Do the buttons respond in spark mode?

[raztua]

when you use the sparkle without any script, if input and output of a track are set to sparkle, it will not blink when you press the key, but it will blink when you play the pattern again.

Is it the same for you ??

[MartinW]

when you use the sparkle without any script, if input and output of a track are set to sparkle, it will not blink when you press the key

yes

but it will blink when you play the pattern again.

no

[raztua]

their is a huge difference between spark and sparkle information sent :

spark :

TIMESTAMP IN PORT STATUS DATA1 DATA2 CHAN NOTE EVENT
 00000988   3   4     90    11    00    1  F  0 Note Off   
 00000AB4   3   4     80    11    00    1  F  0 Note Off   
 00000C44   3   4     90    11    01    1  F  0 Note On   
 

sparkle :

  TIMESTAMP IN PORT STATUS DATA1 DATA2 CHAN NOTE EVENT               
   1133065  9  --    144     0    64    1  C -1 Note On               
   1133153  9  --    128     0    64    1  C -1 Note Off             
   1134015  9  --    144     1    64    1  C#-1 Note On               
   1134135  9  --    128     1    64    1  C#-1 Note Off               

as we can see status is 144 ( note on on the first channel ) or 128 for the sparkle, and 80,90 for the spark

try to send this midi message (90,00,64)

[raztua]

forget what i said.... 80 and 90 are the hexa-decimal values of 128 and 144

[MartinW]

Doesn't work.. Thanks you for the great help you've provided so far, it's been really interesting to learn about all those things, but I think I'm running out of possibilities.

I tried all possible values in that send_midi command and what I also did is creating a midi clip in live which plays every midi note and sends it to spark, no response on the hardware at all..

I would like someone else who has a spark to do some test. Maybe I'm missing something or my controller is broken (connects to the spark plugin perfectly and works as a midi controller so I'm not sure whether that's a possibility), but I might have the suspicion that the spark works somewhat different than sparkLE.

[raztua]

maybe we could try two last thing :

Can you tell me what it does when you assign midi to a pattern button directly from live ?
 

Can you connect the spark to your computer using midi wire ??

[pluto_ro]

Hello,

Very nice idea and thanks for your work.

I installed the version from 27 January as careful as possible and is working but there are some errors:

1. I can't see on the controller the lights from the sequencer when pressed
2. When I change the midi channel with the jog wheel the commands are working also on the first channel.
3. In some point some sample pads where stacked without any reason.

Can you check if something is wrong with it? Or I make an error on installation.

Looking forward to your kindly reply when you have the necessary time.

Thanks

George

 

[raztua]

it looks like you have the former version of the script.

I will take a look at the link i have posted

wich version of live are you using?

1. I can't see on the controller the lights from the sequencer when pressed

If i remember well, the drumpad for the Live 9.05 doesnt work the same than the one for the 9.1 version
Does it work when you select a midi clip without instrument?  Important thing : the script doesnt work if you have selected an audi clip
Moreover to be able to use the sequencer you have to create a pattern first ( press pattern and then  a number) and then press the seq. button. You shoul the the light following beats and
If you select the pattern 16 but you have only 8 scenes created sometimes it is responsible of problem.
I will fix it as soon a possible.

2. When I change the midi channel with the jog wheel the commands are working also on the first channel.

I m sorry idon't get what you mean : when you use the jogweel, you change the Track on wich the sparkle is supposed to write information. However the touchpad and the rotatives controlers are defined globally : the track selected doesn't modify the way they react -> selecting a drumpad is the wayyou choose the channel on wich the midi messages are sent, but it doesnt take into account wich track is selected.

3. In some point some sample pads where stacked without any reason.

Sadly  i don't get what you mean 


I m sorry if my english is not good enough to get understood, don't hesitate to ask for clarifiaction

[MartinW]

maybe we could try two last thing :

Can you tell me what it does when you assign midi to a pattern button directly from live ?
 

Can you connect the spark to your computer using midi wire ??

Sorry for the silence, did some testing, managed to light up one of the LEDs on the spark, still not sure why my script didn't work, since I was of the opinion that I already sent all possible midi note combinations.. but whatever.. I think I can make the script work shortly.

[MartinW]

Judging from your description it seems to me that sparkLE uses the same notes for input (recording midi in live) and output (turning led on / off), e.g. you play pad 1 on the controller, which live sees as Note C-0 with a velocity of 64 (just exemplary values), the same note in turn being send to the controller would result in pad 1 lighting up.

Now with the spark it seems a little different. I record the midi event of playing pad 1, live registers the note C#-2 with the given velocity, but sending that same note back to the controller does nothing. Turning on the LED is actually note E-1 with a velocity of 54..

Found out about that with the help of some kind of USB monitoring utility. Started up an instance of the spark VST, press the button in the plugin window, LED on the controller lights up and the monitoring application records the data being sent:




Which are just the hexadecimal values of the send midi command.

[raztua]

Judging from your description it seems to me that sparkLE uses the same notes for input (recording midi in live) and output (turning led on / off), e.g. you play pad 1 on the controller, which live sees as Note C-0 with a velocity of 64 (just exemplary values), the same note in turn being send to the controller would result in pad 1 lighting up.

You got it

Sorry for the silence, did some testing, managed to light up one of the LEDs on the spark, still not sure why my script didn't work, since I was of the opinion that I already sent all possible midi note combinations.. but whatever.. I think I can make the script work shortly.

This is a good news

By the way i have one things to ask :
   -If you make changes on the code, keep a track of all your changes, to allow me to implement your changes on my next updates ( if you know any website or software that allow collaborative coding it would be perfect )

I have seen that your knowledge of python programming is better thant mine, so if you find mistakes, errors, or watever feel free to correct it 

Now with the spark it seems a little different. I record the midi event of playing pad 1, live registers the note C#-2 with the given velocity, but sending that same note back to the controller does nothing. Turning on the LED is actually note E-1 with a velocity of 54..

If i understand well, the script might work if you modify the const file, but led wont blink ?
And to get the led blinking we have to get all the velocities of the leds associated to buttons?
We could add a dictionnary on the Const file that link the pad to the led value and then modify the turn_led_on/off function.
what is the message sent to turn a led off. ( the idea is to make a global script for the spark and sparkle, and to uncomment the part of the const file related to the surface used)

[raztua]

Hello,

Very nice idea and thanks for your work.

I installed the version from 27 January as careful as possible and is working but there are some errors:

1. I can't see on the controller the lights from the sequencer when pressed
2. When I change the midi channel with the jog wheel the commands are working also on the first channel.
3. In some point some sample pads where stacked without any reason.

Can you check if something is wrong with it? Or I make an error on installation.

Looking forward to your kindly reply when you have the necessary time.

Thanks

George

 

Did you changed te midi assignement with midi control center?

[raztua]

Hi everybody

Today i have decided to post a new version of the script.

A few minor bugs have been
edit : here is the link
http://www.mediafire.com/download/942143vcoopg6o8/sparkLE4.rar

Changelog :
transport button are set
Select+pattern button->select the track associated to the number ( if it is a midi track)
Tune mode has been changed-> it is no longer a piano but it is a step sequencer that works like modular sequencer works.
                                                   to change the tone of the note keep the pattern button and use the jog wheel

A video will be added soon ( i don't have my webcam with me )

[raztua]

I have had return of poeple unable to use the script.
But have someone been able to use the script on live ??