Ableton Push Controller

Yeah, understood. I'll be answering my own question in a couple of weeks :)

That note feature is pretty cool. I used to do something similar with my launchpad by lighting up notes in a particular scale with midi out.

Well according to their video on adjusting sensitivity, it is possible to be set so sensitive that electrical noise or a bump of the table can trigger the pads. Wtf you'd do that is beyond me, but at least I know I won't have to hammer on these pads if I don't want to.

 

https://www.ableton.com/en/help/learn-push/

Got mine last night. This thing is so much fun. Pads feel fantastic.

 

It will take awhile to get used to the workflow since there are so many different modes to switch between, but that just takes time.

 

Scale mode is awesome... I was getting really musical results within 30 mins of wrapping my head around it.

 

So nice to be able to see device params on the screen and automate them on the fly. What would.have been a fairly dry drum pattern quickly came to life after recording a few knob tweaks.

 

Pretty psyched about this! Will it let me make music without a computer? No, there are a lot of things I like to do by hand, but this takes a lot of the focus off of the mouse for sure.

 

Will report more as I get more used to it.

Is it released early over there or have you got some special preview privilege thingamajig - I didn't think they were out till about June ?

A few days before it went on sale, Ableton said on facebook when pre-orders were starting. So I woke up early that morning and placed my order. I guess I got lucky and got in early enough to get the current stock. I'm assuming they quickly ran out and is why it now says 3-4 months.

Anyone know if it's remotely possible to get one of these from a London shop now or am I gonna have to wait several more months until the stock levels become a little more healthy?

Looks unreal. I'll start saving now.

I just missed out on the first batch when I preordered mine from a local retailer, their ETA is late june/early july. They only got a handfull for all of Norway (I think the dude said 6-8) ,so they're probably not going to be very easy to find elsewhere either, for quite some time. My guess is I won't see it untill september/october.

Quick question (probably something real simple I've missed). How do you swap the order of a chain of effects using Push:

 

Say I have something like - EQ, Reverb, Compressor

But I want - Reverb, EQ, Compressor

 

How do you got about swapping the order - Or is this a mouse only thing ?

OK fellas, seems like some of you have had them for a while now, how are you finding them now? There's lots of things I like about this but not sure if I want to spunk my cash. How easy is it to navigate from track to track/clip to clip? What's the integration with 3rd party plug ins like? General pro's and con's you've discovered through extensive use?

Track to track, clip to clip is as easy as easy could be. It's a great little device !

 

3rd party support has got better but still isn't perfect. A good workaround is to group the VST as an instrument rack and then use the macros to highlight the various common parameters onto the rotary encoders.

 

The only issue I'm found at all is that whatever machine/track Ableton on the laptop has focus of, Push has the same focus of (and vice versa). Which is absolutely fine if you're the only one controlling Ableton but if there's two of you connected to the same machine trying to tweak parameters independently it becomes a bit of an issue.

 

The firmware has already had a big update, and no doubt it'll continue to be worked on. Also if you're a control freak you can get user scripts to extend functionality (Like PXT Live + Life Plus) -

 

Built like a solid bastard too.

  On 7/10/2014 at 1:05 PM, mcbpete said:

Track to track, clip to clip is as easy as easy could be. It's a great little device !

 

3rd party support has got better but still isn't perfect. A good workaround is to group the VST as an instrument rack and then use the macros to highlight the various common parameters onto the rotary encoders.

 

The only issue I'm found at all is that whatever machine/track Ableton on the laptop has focus of, Push has the same focus of (and vice versa). Which is absolutely fine if you're the only one controlling Ableton but if there's two of you connected to the same machine trying to tweak parameters independently it becomes a bit of an issue.

 

The firmware has already had a big update, and no doubt it'll continue to be worked on. Also if you're a control freak you can get user scripts to extend functionality (Like PXT Live + Life Plus) -

 

Built like a solid bastard too.

Hallelujah!

 

Interesting video, seems to extend the ability to create sans keyboard immensely. Like it.

 

Good to hear it's built well, how are the knobs? It's to be expected but some of my other controllers have started to lose a bit of precision through extended use. The parameter value will jump around a bit with a few of the more worn knobs, can be annoying. Noticed anything like that? I realise that's bound to happen with extensive use but the longer it can be avoided the better.

Edited July 10, 2014 by b born droid

Oh nice this being thrusted back into my vision. I just started working again and have a laptop that can run ableton, this is yet again very tempting.

Well after spending the afternoon thinking I realised I'll only know if I'll like it if I buy one, so went and picked one up. A lot bigger than I expected. Will bury myself into this over the next month and see how I get on.

I have a question;

 

Does anybody else have trouble with writing in automation into a clip? Let's say I create a clip and set the sample start at 10% for one of the samples. I then duplicate that clip and want to write in automation so the sample in this clip starts at 30%. Automation selected, record enabled, move the pot for sample start; automation begins recording, no problem. The problem occurs when I hold the same value throughout the length of the clip. When I stop recording, the automation deletes itself and simply sets 30% as the new base value, which both clip 1 and clip 2 read.

 

Am I being a moron or is this a problem with the Push? It only happens when I want to set a particular value for the entire clip - which sometimes I really need/want - and it's fucking INFURIATING me. If there are a few fluctuations within it, the automation will record in fine. I feel like I'm being a moron.

A shot in the dark; maybe it has something to do with the overdub setting? (one of the selectors top middle in ableton itself)

ie; overdub should be on while it's not right now.

Edited August 3, 2014 by ussr

Funnily enough I didn't have overdub on, that didn't fix it, but I think I have stumbled across the answer whilst seeing if it worked.

 

Basically when I hold a constant value it'll write that value as automation, but I think I was letting go once the value had looped round, at which point the clip doesn't have any value notches written into it. Hence the automation 'disappears'. What I actually need to do is hold the value until it's been set for the duration of the clip and also wait for the clip to start looping again. At which point a notch gets created with that value right at the start of the clip. Then I can let go.

 

So yeah. I was being a moron.

Does seem sort of counter intuitive though.

 

Just realized this post adds absolutely nothing to this thread, sorry

Edited August 4, 2014 by ussr

  On 8/4/2014 at 10:31 PM, ussr said:

Does seem sort of counter intuitive though.

The way the automation works via the Push encoders always seemed logical to me, in that if you don't touch it, it'll remain as whatever manual/default level you first set it at, and should only change when the encoder is then adjusted. I think that there's an option in the plugin 'PXT live' which allows you to adjust the way the automation works with the touch-strip - either the default 'alter only when touched but snap back to the centre', or a latched mode that stays at the last touched position

Just jumping in the topic, as I'm finally considering getting myself one of these guys.

The thing is it's a lot of money for me, and I would love for the lucky owners to give me a bit of input on your experience.
I love the way Push functions within Live and how it brings more of an "instrument" approach to working on music.

However, I'm not totally certain my personal workflow would suit it, so if you could clarify a few things for me, that would be awesome:

- I mainly use third party plugins: what's your experience using Push to control them?
- I'm partly attracted to Push for the build quality. I'm sick of mini 50€ portable controllers, I want something solid. Is it worth the price on that point?
I used to do most of my automations on an MPD24 which is more than decent for the bucks and I miss the Akai build quality.
- For people who are not keyboardists at heart but who love nonetheless to be in search of the perfect melody: do you use that note mode/scaled-keyboard-thingy a lot, or did you find you actually leave it aside most of the time?
- How about that User mode? Can you switch from and to it easily just pressing the mode buttons? Or do you have to mess with the MIDI settings in Live?
- My tracks are usually full of hand-recorded automations: is it easy to quickly assign Push's knobs to any parameter? I'm always a bit suspicious about controllers specifically made for one DAW. I'm sure I would love to play around with Push's step sequencer and scaled keyboards and all, but I wouldn't even consider getting it if I couldn't use the "Blue hand" function on any external plugin and if I couldn't just assign any knob to every parameter the very same way a random controller would let me.
The way I imagine a typical working scenario is this: I'm using Push normally to compose and create a "base" (aka not so far from the way Ableton wants you to in their promo videos).Then I switch to User mode for my automations and I can quickly and easily assign and un-assign knobs and that touch strip to my parameters. I barely assign more than 4/5 knobs at once to record automations, so 8 knobs is more than enough for me.
- Is it fast and responsive? My problem with the Launchpad (first gen) is this slow delay, that doesn't let you switch from a mode to another very easily, especially in a stage scenario.
- How do the pads behave in User mode? Simple Keyboard or assignable buttons?
- I use my Nanokontrol a lot for simple "button" triggering (turning stuff ON/OFF), and I love the ability to change the behavior of buttons through Kontrol Editor. Is such a thing possible with Push?
- I intend to keep using my Launchpad as a scene launcher so I don't have to switch back and forth between Push's modes. Did anybody try this? How are the two behaving together?

Basically, I love the extra features Push provides as a Live-dedicated controller, but it's decisive to me that I can still use it as something more generic, being able to assign everything freely and if possible without having to compromise on the Live-specific features, switching between both very freely.
If both are possible + on a good build quality, then it may be a close-to-perfect controller for me.

Edited August 5, 2014 by tttom

  On 8/5/2014 at 1:00 AM, mcbpete said:

 

  On 8/4/2014 at 10:31 PM, ussr said:

Does seem sort of counter intuitive though.

The way the automation works via the Push encoders always seemed logical to me, in that if you don't touch it, it'll remain as whatever manual/default level you first set it at, and should only change when the encoder is then adjusted. I think that there's an option in the plugin 'PXT live' which allows you to adjust the way the automation works with the touch-strip - either the default 'alter only when touched but snap back to the centre', or a latched mode that stays at the last touched position

 

 

Have to admit I've yet to touch a push, but the latched mode seems more intuitive to me but might be completely different when I actually experience using it.

Have been having quite some fun with a few controllers and the help of clyph-x and push emulation scripts though!

Here's a few answers, though I've only had mine a month and there are far more experienced users here than me in terms of how long they've had it etc...

 

  On 8/5/2014 at 8:52 PM, tttom said:

- I mainly use third party plugins: what's your experience using Push to control them?

The only parameters that are available are the ones that are added with the 'configure' section of a 3rd party plug in. But once they are listed they'll be controllable via the LCD screen.

 

  On 8/5/2014 at 8:52 PM, tttom said:

- I'm partly attracted to Push for the build quality. I'm sick of mini 50 portable controllers, I want something solid. Is it worth the price on that point?

It's solid as fuck. Which you would expect for its weight (I think it's damn heavy personally). Rotary knobs seem pretty solid too.

 

  On 8/5/2014 at 8:52 PM, tttom said:

- For people who are not keyboardists at heart but who love nonetheless to be in search of the perfect melody: do you use that note mode/scaled-keyboard-thingy a lot, or did you find you actually leave it aside most of the time?

I use it a fair bit and like it. Sometimes I just have to think about what intervals will make a good chord, but it's a good cheat for sure. Plus the aftertouch is awesome.

 

  On 8/5/2014 at 8:52 PM, tttom said:

- My tracks are usually full of hand-recorded automations: is it easy to quickly assign Push's knobs to any parameter?

I don't really know the answer but I will say the fact that the 8 main knobs are automatically mapped to whatever you're focused on never causes me a problem. On top of that I have gone to great lengths to really design effect racks and instrument racks in a way that mean I have pretty much instant access to whatever I want via macros etc. I know that doesn't really answer your question but I guess what I'm trying to get at is that with other controllers I've needed to custom map things whereas with the Push (so far) I've not needed to. Make of that what you will.

 

  On 8/5/2014 at 8:52 PM, tttom said:

- Is it fast and responsive? My problem with the Launchpad (first gen) is this slow delay, that doesn't let you switch from a mode to another very easily, especially in a stage scenario.

Switching pages etc is pretty quick but I noticed the other day I was getting some horrible latency when playing with a drum rack. I need to investigate more to find the cause though.

 

  On 8/5/2014 at 8:52 PM, tttom said:

- I use my Nanokontrol a lot for simple "button" triggering (turning stuff ON/OFF), and I love the ability to change the behavior of buttons through Kontrol Editor. Is such a thing possible with Push?

To my knowledge there is no equivalent of the Korg Editors. I could be wrong though.

 

  On 8/5/2014 at 8:52 PM, tttom said:

- I intend to keep using my Launchpad as a scene launcher so I don't have to switch back and forth between Push's modes. Did anybody try this? How are the two behaving together?

Someone else might be better off suited answering this, but I tried this recently and the two did not work well at all. Mainly because triggering a clip on the launchpad seemed to change the track focus when in note mode of the Push. But I'm sure I was doing something wrong. I know you can lock Push to a track/device, but I wanted to jump around quite a bit.

@b bon droid:

 

Thanks a lot for your detailed feedback! Couldn't hope for more!

It's cool if the Configure button just works the same way a random controller would. I was kind of afraid you may have to change something in the track/sync/remote options to use it as a more traditional controller, making navigation between both worlds a bit un-intuitive and annoying (both worlds = pre-mapped Live-specific functions VS using Push a traditional "blue-hand-supportive" controller). About the buttons behavior, I guess it doesn't hurt to use a little Nanokontrol on the side anyway, especially when performing. Can't really imagine a scenario where I'd just drop my Nanokontrol anyway... such a handy little guy.

Yah the user mode is a simple one button press away and allows you to control it in a very different way from the normal mode. I've bunged PXT Live (and Live Plus) on it and it allows it do this kind of funky stuff -