Hey guys, I've been a stalker for a couple weeks now, and normally I can figure out how to get things set up the way I want them to, but I'm having loads of trouble with this so I registered to ask.

I'm trying to use Pd to control playing clips in Ableton. I'm not trying to use Pd as a MIDI keyboard or anything; I want to use Pd as kind of an Ableton controller. I've read that I need some kind of virtual MIDI cable so I downloaded MIDI Yoke and MIDI Ox, but for the life of me I can't get everything cooperating.

I can get MIDI Ox to display that it is reading MIDI data from Pd, but it is not throwing it forward into Ableton. I currently have it set so Pd outputs to MIDI Yoke Input 1, and MIDI Ox routes MIDI Yoke Input 1 to MIDI Yoke Output 1, and MIDI Yoke Output 1 is set to On and Remote in Ableton.

Any help would be greatly appreciated because my brain has just about exploded here.

I would recommend a midi remote script like:
http://livecontrol.q3f.org/ableton-liveapi/liveosc/

you can control Ableton by sending messages like

/live/play/clip 1 2

no midimapping hassle

quite simple

I read that you need MIDI Ox to do the appropriate routing within MIDI Yoke, but maybe I'm wrong. I'm relatively new to the whole MIDI deal.

Gromit: How would I write my Pd patch to output scripts?

This liveOSC script is ready to use, just download it and put it the right folder (..\Ableton\Live 8.2.5\Resources\MIDI Remote Scripts\liveOSC)
or read the install instruktions...

the patch talks to Ableton Live via OSC

have fun

http://www.pdpatchrepo.info/hurleur/pd-2-liveOSC.pd

Gromit if I lived anywhere near you I'd offer to buy you a beer. Thanks man! All that MIDI crap was crap.

I can't thank you enough for this. Big ups to you man.

I like beer, so here is version 2

have fun

http://www.pdpatchrepo.info/hurleur/pd-2-liveOSC.pd

I use liveOSC very often, it's cool and all but i notice a lot of latency when sending notes via OSC vs MIDI. So in the end it depends if your application is time critical or not.

Yeah I noticed a delay also, and my application will be pretty time sensitive. Any ideas?

I have no workaround... OSC is great but in this case i'd stick to MIDI. I do exactly as described in my first post in this thread.

dwan, I've got it set via MIDI Yoke so Pd now communicates with Ableton, but now how do I write my Pd patch to trigger clips on and off in Ableton? Do I need to send certain messages to Live via makenote, noteout, ctlout, etc? And if so, what messages?

if you want to launch a certain clip in Live, press CTRL-M to enter Midi learn mode and make Pd send the midi signal you want to use. It can be a midi note or a control change, it's up to you to decide the channel and note number or the control number you want to use. Check the help files of [ctlout], it's pretty easy !

dwan and Gromit, if either of you are ever in Wisconsin, let me know so I can buy you both beers! My project has gotten further just this weekend that it has in the past few weeks of development.

Thanks to you both! Cheers!

I'm glad to read that we did help you !