Limitbreak
Offline
Arizona

Hey guys, I'm having a bit of an issue with Ableton 9 sending MIDI notes to my new Boss Dr-880 drum machine. I'm admittedly haven't used Ableton all that much for MIDI in the past, I've mainly used it with audio clips/samples. I have installed the drivers for the 880 and Ableton is acknowledging that it is connected but I cant seem to get the drum machine to play any sounds when I input a pattern into the piano roll. However, I have been able to play a demo loop on the drum machine by pressing play in Ableton and have gotten the drum machine to increase/decrease its speed by adjusting the tempo in Ableton...So I think I'm close to figuring this out, I just have no idea what I could be overlooking.

This is what I'm following from the Ableton website...

MIDI Output Ports:

To adjust the settings for your MIDI ports, open Live's Preferences' MIDI/Sync tab. First, enable the "Track" switch for the corresponding Output MIDI port. This allows you to send both MIDI notes to your synth to play back melodies and MIDI Control Change messages to automate its parameters such as the Filter Cutoff, Resonance, ADSR and everything else that can be tweaked in realtime.

If you are using an external drum machine, or if your external synth has an in-built arpeggiator or LFOs, you can synchronize these to Live's tempo. To enable this, activate the "Sync" button for the corresponding Output MIDI port.

Leave the "Remote" button disabled for the Output MIDI port.

And this is the machine I'm using...

Thanks in advance for any help you can provide.

herr_prof
Offline
Unsubscribe

Did you create a midi track, and then throw an external instrument rack on it? Then you just need to select your drum machines midi port, and the audio channel it is coming in on. Screenshots of your setup would help.

Limitbreak
Offline
Arizona
herr_prof wrote:

Did you create a midi track, and then throw an external instrument rack on it? Then you just need to select your drum machines midi port, and the audio channel it is coming in on. Screenshots of your setup would help.

I'll try it again when I get home from the office man. I'm dying to get this working.

herr_prof
Offline
Unsubscribe

here s a good video that should hook you up.

The only thing id do different is check the sync button as well so you can clock the device to ableton midi or vice versa.

Limitbreak
Offline
Arizona

I still can't figure out what the issue could be. I have track and sync enabled in the preferences, then I followed the video as to adding the external instrument settings and still nothing.

I'm also not wanting to run my audio through my computer. Is it possible for Ableton to send MIDI data without having to route it through an audio channel? I just want it to purely send MIDI data...

Last edited by Limitbreak (Feb 4, 2014 1:54 am)

Limitbreak
Offline
Arizona

Plus, I'm not using an interface, I'm using the USB port on my drum machine but I don't see how that would effect things.

herr_prof
Offline
Unsubscribe

yea just create a midi track and select the device from the IO dropdown for the output. What do you want ableton to control on the drum machine?

Limitbreak
Offline
Arizona

I was able to figure it out. It was a matter of sending the MIDI to the correct port on the drum machine. Some channels were for bass, others for drum, others for both...some did nothing...

I got it working now, thanks a bunch! The vid helped!

Last edited by Limitbreak (Feb 4, 2014 3:06 am)

herr_prof
Offline
Unsubscribe

Sweeeeeet