Rockin’ Scaler 2.4 Live (with Ableton 11 and Launchpad)
Here is a video demo of a live performance setup I’ve created using Scaler 2.4, Ableton Live 11, and a Novation Launchpad Pro Mk3.
The overall idea is that MIDI notes and CCs have been assigned to create a custom mode layout on the Launchpad, and several instances of Scaler have been applied to tracks in Ableton Live to accept the commands from the Launchpad and perform music in response.
The Launchpad and the Scalers have been programmed in a complementary way (via what Scaler calls “MIDI binding”) so that performance axes representing scale, chord set, individual chord, and specific performance are all simultaneously available for the user to command.
The results, IMO, are superb. Have a watch and see if you agree!
Respect and kudos to the programmers at Novation, Ableton, and Scaler who have created the cooperative capabilities in their programs that allow this new and wonderful kind of music-making to exist!
I will follow up by posting all the relevant files which should enable anyone with the same hardware and software to get up and operating with this setup as a point of departure. After that, just change instruments (in the DAW), chord collections and performances (in Scaler) and you will be far along into your own new world of musical performance and composition very quickly.
This .zip contains XML exports of the 3 different Scaler instances used in the project - one for bass, one for electric piano, and one for “color” synth.
This is the Ableton Live 11 project file. If you have Scalar, it should be load-and-go for you, except that if you don’t have Jamstix4 then you’ll have no drums. BTW, I highly recommend Jamstix4 - check it out if you don’t know about it!
Note: All above files have been renamed with “.mid” at the end so that they could be uploaded here. After downloading, just rename them to delete the “.mid” at the end.
But, I digress.