There’s so much more to MaxForLive than I could fit in a single video, so I’d encourage you to explore and ask questions if you need to. Are you already using MaxForLive? Drop a comment below 👇🏻 with some of your favourite tools and devices.
Ableton live is one of those programs that look super simple, but underneath is literally government grade wizardry. Bitwig and Ableton are the most intuitive DAWs to this day in my opinion.
i didn't realize how i stayed away from max for live because i wasn't sure how to use it, and not sure how to jump right in. the way you explained it really helped me feel more at ease about it, and it almost makes me wonder if i'm ever going to need another vst plugin again. thanks for help. i can't wait to explore more of max for live.
Because, as a person wiser than I once told me, 80% of the world just wants to know what time it is, the other 20% are building the clocks 😂 [in context, I was interviewing for a job with the owner of an engineering firm]
Awesome video! You have a very easy to listen to voice that's calming. Also, your visuals speed match your voice tempo and makes the whole watching experience easy to follow and enjoyable. Great job and thank you for making this vid!
Oh man, I adore M4L. It's basically the principal reason I stuck with Ableton. I struggled to learn Max/MSP for about a year, then stumbled through a couple M4L patch attempts before I found myself suddenly quite comfortable with it. That said, I wish the search function of the site would get overhauled. I highly recommend *not* using "# of downloads" as a search filter. The top 100 most downloaded patches are mostly from 5-10 years ago, with only a handful updated in the last year, and none created in the last couple years. Many are in desperate need of updates, and most have even inspired new patches with cleaner takes on the same ideas since then. People still gravitate toward the older posts just because they have a couple thousand downloads, but there are so many more hidden gems in the past year than the "# of downloads" list would imply. An example: I loved Crap Cassette for the longest time (and even posted a patch of my own which attempted to emulate some of my favorite features from it), and I have a lot of respect for it and the dude who made it, but the fact of the matter is that it's four years old, and a lot of better implementations of its features exist out there. The wow/flutter is more efficiently done using native Ableton effects, the "hum" feature is too loud and can really screw up mixing, and the drop-outs require a delay line that makes it relatively useless, whereas other M4L patches can process that effect in realtime. It sucks that there aren't more reviews on devices, and it would be nice if the actual review scores came with a description, but in the meantime, I really hope people take it upon themselves to look at newer patches, too!
Thanks for that awesome reply! 🙌🏻 Yeah, I agree that the M4L.com site needs quite an overhaul, but (and don't quote me on this) I've heard rumours that one might be coming 😉 Let's hope. It would really bolster the community to have a more modern platform. In the interim, there are lots of great 'round-up' style posts of people's favourite devices - this one is particularly good: docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vRngItA2PEDOI3yKraeBt_kh1DLwNDeAvOL2SslmXdDBdZupjcizvszVlGvaXJcgvWMpQh4NF_boY15/pub I still think sorting by # of Downloads or Rating is a good way to go for beginners, 'cause there can be quite a lot of crap that might turn people off, but totally agree that once you're more comfortable with the kind of things M4L can do and what's available, a little more digging is certainly required to find the best stuff. P.S: Also love Crap Casette 🤓
@@ELPHNT Oh man, I was looking for that list the other day. Thanks! I know it's kind of a vain thing to say, but it bums me out a bit that the only device of mine on that list is one of my least favorite patches I made early on. I heard the site was under new ownership. Any site improvements would be greatly appreciated. Honestly, it's already a great site as-is, but some quality of life improvements would probably help stimulate the newer community quite a bit.
@@GenteelCretin Haha, I feel you about being bummed out about the patch. I know from experience that whenever I put out a pack or tutorial that I'm totally stoked with the reactions ends up being, 'meh 🤷🏻♂️' and when I put out something that I'm kinda meh about, then everyone loves it! 🤣 One of my most popular videos is one that I'm REALLY not happy with and one of my most popular packs is one I threw together in like an afternoon 😂😂
@@ELPHNT Yeah, sure. I'm neither prolific nor am I a Max savant by any means, but I love sharing patches and getting feedback. The one I'm most fond of (and use the most) is actually my Crap Cassette inspired College Dropout patch. I feel like I'm constantly wanting to tweak it, though. www.maxforlive.com/library/device/4805/college-dropout I also did a pretty basic bitcrusher patch that probably isn't the most impressive thing, but I do think it's an efficient solution to what I always felt was the greatest weakness to redux-styled devices: the overstated resonant overtones. www.maxforlive.com/library/device/5153/high-school-crush I'm not going to say they're the most brilliant or original patches out there, but I am biased to thinking they're at least unique enough to stand apart from other similar patches. Check 'em out if you're ever bored. ;)
I found out about your channel through a podcast. This is the first video on your channel i watched. Your calm explaining voice paired with the minimalistic visuals makes everything so simple and clear. Subscribed!
I've been using MaxForLive for a while, but you actually explained things a bit more universally, and have definitely inspired me to go try some things, great videos thanks!
I’ve had ableton installed on my laptop for a few months and gave up learning it (Seasoned FL user and figured what’s the point). This video just gave me motivation to stop playing and take the leap
Videos are simple and have a high production value. I like it. Currently thinking where to start on ableton. Had the intro version but many people said its not that good. So i gave it back. Now im thinking of buying standart or suite.
Intro is essentially exactly the same as Standard or Suite - you have pretty much all the same functionality, but with a few limitations like fewer tracks and fewer instruments and effects, but the core software is exactly the same, so its a good place to start. And Intro also supports plugins, so you can still get a ton of extra sounds with some free VSTs.
FANTASTIC video. I did some Max work for my music degree and it's one of the things that drew me towards Ableton, but I've not delved back into it since. This has really inspired me to and I'm excited about all the possibilities :D
I don't know why I hadn't seen this video hahaha I had it tagged, but finally saw it. Teach me your M4L ways Tom. There's so much to do and so little time.
Thanks 🙏🏻 The backing is just something I threw together for the video. It's sitting in my work in progress folder at the moment, so hopefully I'll get round to finishing it at some point 🙃
If I have Live Standard right now and I buy Max For Live, will upgrading to Suite in the future be cheaper? Or would it make more sense just to upgrade to Suite, as far as value is concerned.
The design sense in this video is spot on. Except the Max for Live website, they could really benefit from your services. But I digress, they're probably jamming
I wish I'd seen this before getting Bitwig 😢 The modulation options in Bitwig are pretty comprehensive, but being able to modulate things on a completely seperate track is amazing!
Interesting video. btw; controlling Live goes much further than you may think, you can even control Push and make it do stuff which isn't even supported out of the box (yet?).
And also control anything else you could attach to your computer, really! Lights, robots, you name it. Or even the other way around, control your Ableton session with video game controllers, touch interfaces, etc. SO much fun to be had 🤓
That's definitely something that would be interesting to do at some point in the future. I've got quite a lot of experience with linking Resolume and Live, but I've also been using EboSuite a lot recently - I'd recommend checking out their explainer videos, they give you a good bit of info on how to use Ebo Suite. Don't get your hopes up about a 'visuals video' anytime soon 'cause I've got a lot of stuff on the backburner 😣 but I'll add it to the list 🤓
EboSuite from Isotonik Studios. I didn't mention it in the video because it's paid, but its really good! 🙌🏻 Check it out at isotonikstudios.com/product/ebosuite-video-ableton-live-clips/ Or, if you want something free, check out vizzable.zeal.co/
You can get Max For Live as an add-on to Live Standard, but honestly the difference in price between getting that and just upgrading to Suite is small enough that I'd say just go straight for Suite. Then you get a bunch of other cool stuff as well.
Hi... Can you make a track using M4L devices?... Sometimes the learning curve of this devices is difficult because some of them have a simple or complex interface. Also there are not much videos of how integrate it in your productions and the different alternatives that M4L offers... For those who are not seasoned musician (that includes me) examples and alternatives is the best way to learn. Keep on with the good work... Cheers
I would like to find out more about any audio/visual Max for Live Devices that you guys are using. I am looking for something that will allow me to manipulate an audio signal using a visual input. Any help greatly appreciated! Happy creating to all.
MaxForLive is the thing that pushes me to change my DAW. But I'm not ready yet hahaha. Btw this is a great explanation video. Thank you for this great content!
I’m still kinda confused on the whole purpose of Max for Live, and I’ve been using Ableton since 2016. Gonna watch this a few more times and look at other videos and see if I can’t figure it out.
Aside from just giving you access to a massive library of instruments and effects, the most important addition of Max For Live is the ability to interact directly with Live itself in ways that you can't with say a VST plugin. For example, you can modulate, step sequence or control parameters of any device like you could in a modular synth. You could control Live's playback or create entirely new MIDI clips. You could change devices and presets on the fly, perform video in Live and a whole host of other things that aren't possible with native Live or using VSTs.
Ableton are basically making a really user friendly version of Logic's environment window. I would use Ableton but its like Windows; So many versions! Mac has macOS, err, thats it.
Hi Tom, love your work and have bought a few things on your site that have been super useful. Any chance you could do a video focused on the Push 2 and how you use it in your own workflow? I'm struggling to find ways to take advantage of what it offers outside of what you can do with any other standard MIDI controller. I don't like working in Session View personally and never get anything done when I start that way (and on your video about finishing lots of songs I noticed one of the tips was getting out of Session View ASAP). I use a lot of third-party plugins so parameter tweaking on the Push is limited, and I can't justify using any of the browser menus when CTRL+F will always be a faster way to find what I'm looking for. I recognize that certain things will just always be more feasible with the mouse and keyboard so I'm not trying to ditch it completely, I guess I'm basically just asking if you can highlight some of the ways that the Push can be more efficient than M+K and fit into a more standard workflow without forcing you to make loops in Session View etc. so that I don't feel like this $700 controller is going to waste after the first 30 minutes of starting a track.
Hey Dakota. I'll preface this whole thing by saying that Push 2 isn't for everyone. I absolutely love it, but it just doesn't fit into some people's workflows and there's nothing wrong with that. That being said, here are some thoughts. Push works totally fine in the Arrangement View. The only thing that doesn't work so well in Arrangement are the step sequencers, 'cause those lend themselves to working in loops, but I can see a workflow where almost everything happens in Arrangement and you just hop over to session when you want to step sequence something. Otherwise, you can still play notes and drums on Push, you can still mix, record automation, etc. so having an Arrangement focused workflow shouldn't be a problem. As for 3rd party plugins - yes, it does require a bit of initial setup to get the plugin's parameters set up nicely to work with Push, but you could easily spend a single session or a few hours getting that set up once and then you're done. I personally use tons of 3rd party stuff. Whenever I get a new plugin I just spend 5 or 10 minutes getting it configured nicely for Push and then it works great. Some plugins that have hundreds of controls don't work so well, but there's nothing wrong with going back to the mouse for those. The main reason I love Push is that it gets me away from the computer screen when I need it to. Some tasks, like finding sounds, are almost always going to be faster with the mouse and so I just let myself use the mouse for those, which is fine. But when I'm mixing, adjusting device settings, etc. the last thing I want is to be looking at a screen. I want to get away from a screen so I can just focus on actually listening. So Push is awesome for that. Sure, you could get hands-on control with another MIDI controller, but the fact that Push automatically maps to EVERYTHING makes that workflow so much quicker. Another thing I'll say is that I hear a lot of people saying how they're so much faster with a mouse, so why should they use Push? Well yeah, of course you're going to be faster with a mouse because you've probably been using it for several years and you've gotten really good at it, but when you started using Live you were probably quite slow to find where everything was with the mouse too. The same is true for Push - you're not just magically going to have an awesome workflow right off the bat, you HAVE TO spend time practising with it like any other instrument. There are many things that I do that I'm miles quicker with on Push because I've been using it for several years and I'm really good at the workflow. So if you've haven't really put the time in to practice Push, you need to do that. Spend a few sessions where you force yourself to only use Push - you can't touch the mouse. After a few sessions like this, you'll start getting used to the workflow and be able to do certain things much quicker. I actually find that sometimes I'm even able to load certain things from Push a little quicker than I can with the mouse. Anyways, I have a lot of thoughts on Push, so perhaps a video in the future would be a good idea. For now, I hope some of that was useful. Feel free to drop me an email if you want to chat more about it.
@@ELPHNT Wow thank you. I could definitely benefit from some more preparation and practice with it. If you do end up making a video with it I'd love to see some of the ways you use it with your favorite third-party plugins and your general songwriting workflow. I'm sure it'd be really inspiring for all the Push users out there.
So the audio effect from Ableton itself are all made from MAX/MSP?? If i want to build an unique audio effect, where should I start? MAX/MSP? And if i want to build an audio effect but "NOT" only for Ableton but also for other DAWs which program should I take? Can I make a odd visual from MAX/MSP? If i want to make visual ,does MAX/MSP a good choice?? BY the way really nice vids!!!
The native Audio Effects in Live aren't made with Max, those are custom made by Ableton, but any devices you find in the MaxForLive category will be made with Max. As far as getting started building your own audio effects goes, Max and MaxForLive are probably the easiest to get started with to learn the basics of digital signal processing. If you wanted to build something that would work across multiple DAWs (for example a VST plugin) then you'd need to use something like JUCE. Yes, Max can do visual things as well - it's pretty powerful and diverse. If you want to get into audio programming I'd recommend starting with Max because it's a little easier to learn and even if you do ultimately learn something like JUCE, Max is still useful for doing quick prototypes before building something with code.
Haha, thanks. It was actually just something I put together for the video but never quite finished as a piece. It's essentially just a repeating 2min or so loop. You can grab it here though if you'd like: www.dropbox.com/s/0wihkmbgy5wrhu9/Peeky%20%28Loop%20Arrangement%29.mp3?dl=1
Haha, sorry 😅 Definitely take it slow and don't try too many new devices at once. If you want a good place to start that's a little less overwhelming than maxforlive.com check out elphnt.io/max-for-live-curated-collection/
Ok one important question i have is, can i use nesting in max for live? That is lets say i need to use a premade delay effect in my new device, can i drag drop it into my device? If i do not own it its ok, and it would just not drop... or throw an error... whichever way Ableton sees fit...what i mean is i need to be able to reuse device inside the device im making, why would i want to make a delay/reverb/distortion etc from scratch if theres one already available....also if i make an effect myself and compile it as a device, i should be able to use it inside my other devices... kindly answer my questions, im currently in the mood to spend and im not sure if i should upgrade my reason or my Ableton Live with max for live...which upgrade would allow me to do the things i need to make a good live set...using only Ableton with max for live or using Ableton with Reason 12 which allows me a new combinator to make hybrid instruments using available devices or using only Ableton with max for live
I'm not actively using m4l or max so I cant answer your question directly - but what speaks against using the devices separated? Like little modules? For example like the LFO or the Reverb he's shown in the video. Should be more modular "opt-in opt-out" style.
@@Acprod99 Yup, none at all. I actually had a license for standalone Max for a while but canceled it 'cause everything I ever wanna do with Max is right inside of Live anyways.
That's awesome 🙂Building Max devices is super fun. Been getting a lot of requests about how to get started, so I might be making some vids on this soon 😉
Quick question! I downloaded the Grain-smearing device, and opened it thinking I had Max for Live installed already (I use Live 9) which I didn’t. Ableton then opened and the whole screen was bugged out and glitcy. Anyone else been there?
Yeah, I've heard this quite a bit. It seems something in the update broke Device Randomiser and they never really updated it for Live 10 anyway... Maybe they'll get to it at some point in the future... In the meantime, I'd recommend checking out ClyphX, specifically the Macrobat functionality of it. It's pretty advanced stuff, but if you want to brave it, there are some seriously powerful things you can do.
4 роки тому
Many people realize your song skills won't get any better with endless possibilities of fun modular stuff. Ask Berlins underground scene, Andrew Huang or Fl Studio.
I can´t find a single video or article explaining how to use Ableton without max for live. I really don´t want to use it cause it's expensive af. Any info or tips? Can you still use Ableton properly without M4L or did I make the wrong purchase?
Hmm, that's strange - I've never seen any video that properly talks about using Ableton WITH MaxForLive, which is exactly why I made this video. I'd wager that 95% of the videos about Ableton out there don't use MaxForLive at all. Maybe you've just seen the 5% that do 🤔 Check out just about anything from Production Music Live, Cymatics or any of the ADSR videos about Ableton Live. You absolutely, definitely do not need MaxForLive for Ableton to be amazing. In fact, even the cheapest version of Live, Lite Intro is fantastic and does pretty much everything you need to make great music 😉
You'll have to contact Ableton support about that: www.ableton.com/en/contact-us/. They're generally very helpful so I'm sure they'll be able to get it sorted.
There’s so much more to MaxForLive than I could fit in a single video, so I’d encourage you to explore and ask questions if you need to. Are you already using MaxForLive? Drop a comment below 👇🏻 with some of your favourite tools and devices.
Incredibly helpful. Thanks!!!!
Ableton live is one of those programs that look super simple, but underneath is literally government grade wizardry. Bitwig and Ableton are the most intuitive DAWs to this day in my opinion.
Love that you made this video exist, so much thanks
I've only watched 3 vids on your channel and all of them have been more valuable than all the vids I've watched this week
Best music investment I've ever made. Easily. Bought tons of synths, plugins, and modular gear. Suite is by far the best value. M1 chip is #2.
Just got Suite and stoked af to dive in!
i didn't realize how i stayed away from max for live because i wasn't sure how to use it, and not sure how to jump right in. the way you explained it really helped me feel more at ease about it, and it almost makes me wonder if i'm ever going to need another vst plugin again. thanks for help. i can't wait to explore more of max for live.
I like the efficiency of your videos. High information, low on rubbish. Thank you!
Thanks 😎
how you don't have over half a milli subs is beyond my comprehension hands down the best ableton tutoriols in this planet
Hehe, I'm working on it 🤓 Thanks for kind words and support though, I really appreciate it! 🙏🏻
Because, as a person wiser than I once told me, 80% of the world just wants to know what time it is, the other 20% are building the clocks 😂 [in context, I was interviewing for a job with the owner of an engineering firm]
everytime i think i start to understand a fraction of ableton, i find something that instantly smashes that :D love it
Maaaan….Maaaan this is CRAZY! This is a cool gem to dropped. Thank you!
Awesome video! You have a very easy to listen to voice that's calming. Also, your visuals speed match your voice tempo and makes the whole watching experience easy to follow and enjoyable. Great job and thank you for making this vid!
Thanks so much! 😊
This is true. You've opened my mind to the power of max for live. How have I been missing out on all these cool tools!?
Oh man, I adore M4L. It's basically the principal reason I stuck with Ableton. I struggled to learn Max/MSP for about a year, then stumbled through a couple M4L patch attempts before I found myself suddenly quite comfortable with it.
That said, I wish the search function of the site would get overhauled. I highly recommend *not* using "# of downloads" as a search filter. The top 100 most downloaded patches are mostly from 5-10 years ago, with only a handful updated in the last year, and none created in the last couple years. Many are in desperate need of updates, and most have even inspired new patches with cleaner takes on the same ideas since then. People still gravitate toward the older posts just because they have a couple thousand downloads, but there are so many more hidden gems in the past year than the "# of downloads" list would imply.
An example: I loved Crap Cassette for the longest time (and even posted a patch of my own which attempted to emulate some of my favorite features from it), and I have a lot of respect for it and the dude who made it, but the fact of the matter is that it's four years old, and a lot of better implementations of its features exist out there. The wow/flutter is more efficiently done using native Ableton effects, the "hum" feature is too loud and can really screw up mixing, and the drop-outs require a delay line that makes it relatively useless, whereas other M4L patches can process that effect in realtime.
It sucks that there aren't more reviews on devices, and it would be nice if the actual review scores came with a description, but in the meantime, I really hope people take it upon themselves to look at newer patches, too!
Thanks for that awesome reply! 🙌🏻 Yeah, I agree that the M4L.com site needs quite an overhaul, but (and don't quote me on this) I've heard rumours that one might be coming 😉 Let's hope. It would really bolster the community to have a more modern platform. In the interim, there are lots of great 'round-up' style posts of people's favourite devices - this one is particularly good: docs.google.com/document/u/1/d/e/2PACX-1vRngItA2PEDOI3yKraeBt_kh1DLwNDeAvOL2SslmXdDBdZupjcizvszVlGvaXJcgvWMpQh4NF_boY15/pub
I still think sorting by # of Downloads or Rating is a good way to go for beginners, 'cause there can be quite a lot of crap that might turn people off, but totally agree that once you're more comfortable with the kind of things M4L can do and what's available, a little more digging is certainly required to find the best stuff.
P.S: Also love Crap Casette 🤓
@@ELPHNT Oh man, I was looking for that list the other day. Thanks!
I know it's kind of a vain thing to say, but it bums me out a bit that the only device of mine on that list is one of my least favorite patches I made early on.
I heard the site was under new ownership. Any site improvements would be greatly appreciated. Honestly, it's already a great site as-is, but some quality of life improvements would probably help stimulate the newer community quite a bit.
@@GenteelCretin Haha, I feel you about being bummed out about the patch. I know from experience that whenever I put out a pack or tutorial that I'm totally stoked with the reactions ends up being, 'meh 🤷🏻♂️' and when I put out something that I'm kinda meh about, then everyone loves it! 🤣 One of my most popular videos is one that I'm REALLY not happy with and one of my most popular packs is one I threw together in like an afternoon 😂😂
@@GenteelCretin Btw, can we get a link to some of your patches? Feel free to ignore the ones you don't like and send only your personal favourites! 😁
@@ELPHNT Yeah, sure. I'm neither prolific nor am I a Max savant by any means, but I love sharing patches and getting feedback.
The one I'm most fond of (and use the most) is actually my Crap Cassette inspired College Dropout patch. I feel like I'm constantly wanting to tweak it, though.
www.maxforlive.com/library/device/4805/college-dropout
I also did a pretty basic bitcrusher patch that probably isn't the most impressive thing, but I do think it's an efficient solution to what I always felt was the greatest weakness to redux-styled devices: the overstated resonant overtones.
www.maxforlive.com/library/device/5153/high-school-crush
I'm not going to say they're the most brilliant or original patches out there, but I am biased to thinking they're at least unique enough to stand apart from other similar patches. Check 'em out if you're ever bored. ;)
I found out about your channel through a podcast. This is the first video on your channel i watched. Your calm explaining voice paired with the minimalistic visuals makes everything so simple and clear.
Subscribed!
Just purchased Live 11 Suite! Can’t wait to try out some Mac for live plug ins!
I've been using MaxForLive for a while, but you actually explained things a bit more universally, and have definitely inspired me to go try some things, great videos thanks!
Great video. Thank!
You are welcome!
As each year goes by, I find more uses for plugins and kitbashing devices, great entry vid, jump in friends 🖤🖤🖤
Hi Tom, love your content and especially the visual style of your posts and your site. Very sleek and professional!
Thank you!!!
very well curated video, thank you for the content and the information shared. subbed to you
Thanks = excellent intro to Max
ELPHNT thank you for the inspiration!
Amazing... I just use LFO but i wanted to know hoy to use max for live deeper. This has given me motivation to do so :D
Awesome! 🎉
Wow, Really excellent, clear and informative video, Thankyou
Afternoon afternoon!! Holla there!! Mr Thomas. Afternoon at Pointblank, thanks for refreshing my memory.
I’ve had ableton installed on my laptop for a few months and gave up learning it (Seasoned FL user and figured what’s the point). This video just gave me motivation to stop playing and take the leap
Watch the Kenny beats live streams too they help
Videos are simple and have a high production value. I like it.
Currently thinking where to start on ableton. Had the intro version but many people said its not that good. So i gave it back. Now im thinking of buying standart or suite.
Intro is essentially exactly the same as Standard or Suite - you have pretty much all the same functionality, but with a few limitations like fewer tracks and fewer instruments and effects, but the core software is exactly the same, so its a good place to start. And Intro also supports plugins, so you can still get a ton of extra sounds with some free VSTs.
Best walkthrough explanation ever!
Hehe, thanks Darren 😉
Great content
you are awesome thanks
Full support! Thank you for this video.
These videos are so well made. Great job!
awesome intro into Max. thanks.
This is absolutely crazy im amazed thank yuo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Your content is always exceLlent but your graphic design sets you apart... I LOVE YOUR MINIMALISTIC ELEGANT DESIGN IN EVERYTHING YOU DO !!!!!!
Thank you! 😊
Thank you for this!
Excellent video!
Great engaging content! Thanks for these insights, grateful!
Such a pleasure! 😊
Thanks!!
FANTASTIC video. I did some Max work for my music degree and it's one of the things that drew me towards Ableton, but I've not delved back into it since. This has really inspired me to and I'm excited about all the possibilities :D
Wonderful!
The video feature looks very intriguing, especially the fact you can make your own effects and stuff!
I don't know why I hadn't seen this video hahaha I had it tagged, but finally saw it. Teach me your M4L ways Tom. There's so much to do and so little time.
Fantastic, fantastic video
thanks for the explanation :D
I'd love to see some good tutorials on Max4live programming..
Awesome !!!!
Fabulous video. I love the backing track. What is it?
Thanks 🙏🏻 The backing is just something I threw together for the video. It's sitting in my work in progress folder at the moment, so hopefully I'll get round to finishing it at some point 🙃
If I have Live Standard right now and I buy Max For Live, will upgrading to Suite in the future be cheaper? Or would it make more sense just to upgrade to Suite, as far as value is concerned.
Subscribed. Thanks
The music in the background, is it yours? It's perfect :)
It is. It's not released yet, but maybe at some point in the future. Youn can hear some more of the music I make at elphnt.io/music
Great video man, thank you!! repping the za
The design sense in this video is spot on. Except the Max for Live website, they could really benefit from your services. But I digress, they're probably jamming
I wish I'd seen this before getting Bitwig 😢 The modulation options in Bitwig are pretty comprehensive, but being able to modulate things on a completely seperate track is amazing!
Man said Bitwig 😂😂
Interesting video. btw; controlling Live goes much further than you may think, you can even control Push and make it do stuff which isn't even supported out of the box (yet?).
And also control anything else you could attach to your computer, really! Lights, robots, you name it. Or even the other way around, control your Ableton session with video game controllers, touch interfaces, etc. SO much fun to be had 🤓
Beautiful🌷😍
What a great vid. I finally understand what Max for Live is. Lol.
NICE
Amazing video on MaxForLive, I'm definitelygoing to explore the shit out of this
Great video! what Rhodes instrument are you using here? and where do you get it?
Here: elphnt.io/live-packs/electric 😉
People have also done insane things with JS in reaper.
can you make a video about live video control from Live with M4L devices? I've been very interested in that topic for a long time
That's definitely something that would be interesting to do at some point in the future. I've got quite a lot of experience with linking Resolume and Live, but I've also been using EboSuite a lot recently - I'd recommend checking out their explainer videos, they give you a good bit of info on how to use Ebo Suite. Don't get your hopes up about a 'visuals video' anytime soon 'cause I've got a lot of stuff on the backburner 😣 but I'll add it to the list 🤓
What was the video Max Plugin you mention at 2:55?
EboSuite from Isotonik Studios. I didn't mention it in the video because it's paid, but its really good! 🙌🏻 Check it out at isotonikstudios.com/product/ebosuite-video-ableton-live-clips/
Or, if you want something free, check out vizzable.zeal.co/
Could you make a video on how to use liveAPI in the max jsui object?
That's a little above my pay grade unfortunately 😅 But I'm trying to up my Max skills at the moment, so maybe one day!
I would luv to work on foley and sound effects for indie films in the future. Do i need the suite version to use max for live?
You can get Max For Live as an add-on to Live Standard, but honestly the difference in price between getting that and just upgrading to Suite is small enough that I'd say just go straight for Suite. Then you get a bunch of other cool stuff as well.
literally almost teared up at the end XD time to DIIIIIIIIVE into this shit!!
🙏
wellness vids for mac users. pure data, faust, vvvv, or simple something that makes voltage plugged to a midi controller mapped to ableton.
Hi... Can you make a track using M4L devices?... Sometimes the learning curve of this devices is difficult because some of them have a simple or complex interface. Also there are not much videos of how integrate it in your productions and the different alternatives that M4L offers... For those who are not seasoned musician (that includes me) examples and alternatives is the best way to learn.
Keep on with the good work... Cheers
I've got a new series of videos on this subject that you might enjoy: ua-cam.com/video/v2_mdrz9XrU/v-deo.html
I would like to find out more about any audio/visual Max for Live Devices that you guys are using. I am looking for something that will allow me to manipulate an audio signal using a visual input. Any help greatly appreciated! Happy creating to all.
Something like this - www.maxforlive.com/library/device/197/motionmod?
MaxForLive is the thing that pushes me to change my DAW. But I'm not ready yet hahaha. Btw this is a great explanation video. Thank you for this great content!
👍
I’m still kinda confused on the whole purpose of Max for Live, and I’ve been using Ableton since 2016. Gonna watch this a few more times and look at other videos and see if I can’t figure it out.
Aside from just giving you access to a massive library of instruments and effects, the most important addition of Max For Live is the ability to interact directly with Live itself in ways that you can't with say a VST plugin. For example, you can modulate, step sequence or control parameters of any device like you could in a modular synth. You could control Live's playback or create entirely new MIDI clips. You could change devices and presets on the fly, perform video in Live and a whole host of other things that aren't possible with native Live or using VSTs.
Awesome video matey.
Do I need MFL to run video in Session View using VIZZable?
Indeed you do.
Great video! I hope my computer CPU can handle what I’m about to throw at it.
Unless its from, like, 1995 it'll probably be fine 😉 Most Max devices (the good ones anyways) are pretty CPU friendly.
What are the devices in the chain during the “Live Audio/Visuals” section?
Looking for a M4L device to play around with visuals.
That'll be EboSuite - www.ebosuite.com/
thankss
Ableton are basically making a really user friendly version of Logic's environment window.
I would use Ableton but its like Windows; So many versions! Mac has macOS, err, thats it.
Logic's Environment doesn't really even hold a candle to what's possible with Max For Live. Just sayin' 😉
You're awesome!
Hi Tom, love your work and have bought a few things on your site that have been super useful. Any chance you could do a video focused on the Push 2 and how you use it in your own workflow? I'm struggling to find ways to take advantage of what it offers outside of what you can do with any other standard MIDI controller. I don't like working in Session View personally and never get anything done when I start that way (and on your video about finishing lots of songs I noticed one of the tips was getting out of Session View ASAP). I use a lot of third-party plugins so parameter tweaking on the Push is limited, and I can't justify using any of the browser menus when CTRL+F will always be a faster way to find what I'm looking for. I recognize that certain things will just always be more feasible with the mouse and keyboard so I'm not trying to ditch it completely, I guess I'm basically just asking if you can highlight some of the ways that the Push can be more efficient than M+K and fit into a more standard workflow without forcing you to make loops in Session View etc. so that I don't feel like this $700 controller is going to waste after the first 30 minutes of starting a track.
Hey Dakota. I'll preface this whole thing by saying that Push 2 isn't for everyone. I absolutely love it, but it just doesn't fit into some people's workflows and there's nothing wrong with that. That being said, here are some thoughts.
Push works totally fine in the Arrangement View. The only thing that doesn't work so well in Arrangement are the step sequencers, 'cause those lend themselves to working in loops, but I can see a workflow where almost everything happens in Arrangement and you just hop over to session when you want to step sequence something. Otherwise, you can still play notes and drums on Push, you can still mix, record automation, etc. so having an Arrangement focused workflow shouldn't be a problem.
As for 3rd party plugins - yes, it does require a bit of initial setup to get the plugin's parameters set up nicely to work with Push, but you could easily spend a single session or a few hours getting that set up once and then you're done. I personally use tons of 3rd party stuff. Whenever I get a new plugin I just spend 5 or 10 minutes getting it configured nicely for Push and then it works great. Some plugins that have hundreds of controls don't work so well, but there's nothing wrong with going back to the mouse for those.
The main reason I love Push is that it gets me away from the computer screen when I need it to. Some tasks, like finding sounds, are almost always going to be faster with the mouse and so I just let myself use the mouse for those, which is fine. But when I'm mixing, adjusting device settings, etc. the last thing I want is to be looking at a screen. I want to get away from a screen so I can just focus on actually listening. So Push is awesome for that. Sure, you could get hands-on control with another MIDI controller, but the fact that Push automatically maps to EVERYTHING makes that workflow so much quicker.
Another thing I'll say is that I hear a lot of people saying how they're so much faster with a mouse, so why should they use Push? Well yeah, of course you're going to be faster with a mouse because you've probably been using it for several years and you've gotten really good at it, but when you started using Live you were probably quite slow to find where everything was with the mouse too. The same is true for Push - you're not just magically going to have an awesome workflow right off the bat, you HAVE TO spend time practising with it like any other instrument. There are many things that I do that I'm miles quicker with on Push because I've been using it for several years and I'm really good at the workflow. So if you've haven't really put the time in to practice Push, you need to do that. Spend a few sessions where you force yourself to only use Push - you can't touch the mouse. After a few sessions like this, you'll start getting used to the workflow and be able to do certain things much quicker. I actually find that sometimes I'm even able to load certain things from Push a little quicker than I can with the mouse.
Anyways, I have a lot of thoughts on Push, so perhaps a video in the future would be a good idea. For now, I hope some of that was useful. Feel free to drop me an email if you want to chat more about it.
@@ELPHNT Wow thank you. I could definitely benefit from some more preparation and practice with it. If you do end up making a video with it I'd love to see some of the ways you use it with your favorite third-party plugins and your general songwriting workflow. I'm sure it'd be really inspiring for all the Push users out there.
I take it this changed in version 11. I can’t find it in the Core Library.
So the audio effect from Ableton itself are all made from MAX/MSP??
If i want to build an unique audio effect, where should I start? MAX/MSP?
And if i want to build an audio effect but "NOT" only for Ableton but also for other DAWs which program should I take?
Can I make a odd visual from MAX/MSP? If i want to make visual ,does MAX/MSP a good choice??
BY the way really nice vids!!!
The native Audio Effects in Live aren't made with Max, those are custom made by Ableton, but any devices you find in the MaxForLive category will be made with Max. As far as getting started building your own audio effects goes, Max and MaxForLive are probably the easiest to get started with to learn the basics of digital signal processing. If you wanted to build something that would work across multiple DAWs (for example a VST plugin) then you'd need to use something like JUCE.
Yes, Max can do visual things as well - it's pretty powerful and diverse. If you want to get into audio programming I'd recommend starting with Max because it's a little easier to learn and even if you do ultimately learn something like JUCE, Max is still useful for doing quick prototypes before building something with code.
If you want to build stuff for multiple daws you probably want to look into Reaktor as well.
Does anyone know the name of the device that uses the weather in London as control?
I've actually heard people have gotten PHDs with Ableton. It can go that deep.
nice video
I can't listen to this tutorial because the beat in the background is so dope. Please tell me it's a song!
Haha, thanks. It was actually just something I put together for the video but never quite finished as a piece. It's essentially just a repeating 2min or so loop. You can grab it here though if you'd like: www.dropbox.com/s/0wihkmbgy5wrhu9/Peeky%20%28Loop%20Arrangement%29.mp3?dl=1
This is overwhelming
Haha, sorry 😅 Definitely take it slow and don't try too many new devices at once. If you want a good place to start that's a little less overwhelming than maxforlive.com check out elphnt.io/max-for-live-curated-collection/
Will they ever support iPad Pro? Because my new iPad exceeds the processing power of my computer
Ok one important question i have is, can i use nesting in max for live? That is lets say i need to use a premade delay effect in my new device, can i drag drop it into my device? If i do not own it its ok, and it would just not drop... or throw an error... whichever way Ableton sees fit...what i mean is i need to be able to reuse device inside the device im making, why would i want to make a delay/reverb/distortion etc from scratch if theres one already available....also if i make an effect myself and compile it as a device, i should be able to use it inside my other devices... kindly answer my questions, im currently in the mood to spend and im not sure if i should upgrade my reason or my Ableton Live with max for live...which upgrade would allow me to do the things i need to make a good live set...using only Ableton with max for live or using Ableton with Reason 12 which allows me a new combinator to make hybrid instruments using available devices or using only Ableton with max for live
I'm not actively using m4l or max so I cant answer your question directly - but what speaks against using the devices separated? Like little modules?
For example like the LFO or the Reverb he's shown in the video.
Should be more modular "opt-in opt-out" style.
If I purchase the full Live suite, which of course includes Max for Live, am I also able to authorise and use (i.e. save files) MAX MSP?
No, Live Suite just gives you access to Max For Live, not standalone Max.
@@ELPHNT Will that limit what you can achieve, would you say?
Presumably there isn't much limitation if you're planning on basing your work in Live?
@@Acprod99 Yup, none at all. I actually had a license for standalone Max for a while but canceled it 'cause everything I ever wanna do with Max is right inside of Live anyways.
@@ELPHNT Thank you so much - you've saved me many a sleepless night worrying about that!
i have live 11, which has max for live built in it seems...so i can start building devices ? Or do i need to purchase something?
Hey Vishesh - Live Suite has Max For Live included, so if you've got Suite then you can start building devices!
This video inspired me to wanna go to a university for this
That's awesome 🙂Building Max devices is super fun. Been getting a lot of requests about how to get started, so I might be making some vids on this soon 😉
Quick question! I downloaded the Grain-smearing device, and opened it thinking I had Max for Live installed already (I use Live 9) which I didn’t. Ableton then opened and the whole screen was bugged out and glitcy. Anyone else been there?
i have some problems with device randomizer in live 10.1 .... another friends have the same problem
Yeah, I've heard this quite a bit. It seems something in the update broke Device Randomiser and they never really updated it for Live 10 anyway... Maybe they'll get to it at some point in the future... In the meantime, I'd recommend checking out ClyphX, specifically the Macrobat functionality of it. It's pretty advanced stuff, but if you want to brave it, there are some seriously powerful things you can do.
Many people realize your song skills won't get any better with endless possibilities of fun modular stuff. Ask Berlins underground scene, Andrew Huang or Fl Studio.
Can I hook my synth up to it so I can play through ableton?
You most definitely can 😎
Hey I have a question. Can you use MaxForLive on Ableton Lite? Cause I'm having trouble getting the plugins to work on it.
No. Just 'Suite' and "standard if you do the max upgrade'. Lite and Intro cannot use Max for Live.
I can´t find a single video or article explaining how to use Ableton without max for live. I really don´t want to use it cause it's expensive af. Any info or tips? Can you still use Ableton properly without M4L or did I make the wrong purchase?
Hmm, that's strange - I've never seen any video that properly talks about using Ableton WITH MaxForLive, which is exactly why I made this video. I'd wager that 95% of the videos about Ableton out there don't use MaxForLive at all. Maybe you've just seen the 5% that do 🤔 Check out just about anything from Production Music Live, Cymatics or any of the ADSR videos about Ableton Live.
You absolutely, definitely do not need MaxForLive for Ableton to be amazing. In fact, even the cheapest version of Live, Lite Intro is fantastic and does pretty much everything you need to make great music 😉
Hey guys! I've got a license for Ableton live 10 suite, but still when I go on their website, they ask me to pay 149€ for it...?
You'll have to contact Ableton support about that: www.ableton.com/en/contact-us/. They're generally very helpful so I'm sure they'll be able to get it sorted.