With the release of Live 12.1, Ableton has come out with two new and free Max for Live packs. One is called Sequencers, which contains three interesting and useful step sequencers, and the other is called MIDI Tools by Philip Meyer. Both are great additions to Live’s feature set.
The MIDI Tools by Philip Meyer are the subject of this video tutorial. The pack includes three generators and two transformers, which can be found at the bottom of the MIDI Tools section in Live 12. Let’s have a look at all of them in detail.
Watch the Video:
MIDI Tools Volume One by Philip Meyer
If you like the free MIDI Tools by Philip Meyer then you might want to get all the other ones he’s created. MIDI Tools Volume One contains two further generators and eight transformers, making coming up with ideas for your tracks as well as creating variations a breeze.
Chapters
00:00 Download & Installation
00:56 Phase Pattern
06:06 Polyrhythm
10:34 Stages
14:57 MIDI Tools Volume One by Philip Meyer
15:15 Retrigger
18:04 Slice Shuffler
Phase Pattern
Phase Pattern is a MIDI generator that can create rhythms by bending time. There are three sections: one for the pattern itself, as well as for the pitch of the MIDI notes and their velocity. You can set the number of notes you want to generate, their relative duration and more. It’s great if you want to create bouncing ball patterns.
Polyrhythm
Polyrhythm, another MIDI generator, can be thought of as a kind of step sequencer. It’s best suited to creating drum patterns for a Drum Rack, which the initial note settings reflect, but you can also use it to create melodies. It has six lanes for generating, each with a setting for pitch transposition in semitones or scale degrees, pattern length, note density, pattern variations, velocity and an on/off switch for the lane. Two algorithms are available: Euclidean and Omni. The distribution options determine whether a polymeter or a polyrhythm is created.
Stages
Stages is the third MIDI generator in the pack and works well for creating bass lines once you get the hang of it. A stage is a sort of section of MIDI notes. You can set up to 16 stages, which allows you to create quite complex patterns. In the Stage section, you can set the number of notes to be generated per stage. Pitch allows you to set the pitch for each stage, and Pattern allows you to set the amount of rests or pauses. You can also set the velocity of the MIDI notes to be ramped up or down, or to be generated randomly within the set range.
Retrigger
Retrigger is a MIDI transformer that allows you to create repeating notes. The concept is similar to that of the Stages generator. You can decide how many sliders to use, which will be applied to the MIDI notes in the clip, as well as the interval for the retriggers. The sliders can also be linked to the number of notes in the clip. Retriggers can occur before or after the original note. The Time slider controls the distance between the retriggered notes, while the Velocity slider controls the velocity of the retriggered notes.
Slice Shuffler
The Slice Shuffler is the second MIDI Transformer. It’s a great tool for creating variations on melodies or chords you’ve already written. Depending on the Slice Interval setting, the existing MIDI clip is divided into a number of slices, for which the notes can be reordered. Notes can be reversed back to front, randomly shuffled or rotated to the right by 25%, 50% or 75%.
Related Tutorials
Let me know if you have any questions about the MIDI Tools by Philip Meyer pack. You’re also welcome to add anything, or suggest a topic for a future tutorial.
