Are there instructions about how to do this anywhere or a particular part of the manual I can refer to? Or maybe someone reading this has experience doing this? Is the best / only way to do it - make 2 tracks, load scaler 3 onto one midi track then make the second midi track listen to the first midi track - the manually take that from scaler 3 midi and ask the physical synthesizer to read and or play it? This seems very unsuited to a live jamming session etc? I would like to click with my mouse on the scaler 3 plug in and or its connected daw and hear my physical synthesizer receive the relevant note/chords/audio into my daw from scaler 3 via the physical synthesizer and its own sounds -
is this possible? Any help appreciated! Many thanks
Hi @daisy. Apologies for the slow response. It is a good question and would be interesting to hear othersā experience with controlling hardware synths using Scaler 3.
Ableton Live does make internal MIDI routings from plugins such as Scaler 3 tricky as it combines everything into one channel. But if there is only one track in Scaler 3 e.g. Arpeggio track which youād like to send out to a single hardware synth, you can assign that track any MIDI channel from 1 - 16 on Scalerās Arrange page, then set all other tracksā MIDI output channel to ānoneā. Then create another MIDI track in Ableton Live and set itās MIDI input as Scaler 3ās MIDI output, and it should only receive MIDI from the single Scaler 3 track you assigned a MIDI output channel to.
Adding Ableton Liveās External Instrument device to the MIDI track receiving MIDI from Scaler will help you get MIDI out to your hardware synth, and also monitor/record the audio from that synth if you have it connected to your audio interface.
Thanks for your time and effort in laying that all out Tristan. Can I ask one other thing please, re: Confirming MIDI Routing from Scaler 3 to Elektron Digitone II via Ableton Live.
I believe I understand how this works, but Iād love to double-check with those more experiencedāespecially since the creator reads this forum regularly!
Iām using Scaler 3 in Ableton Live to play melodies on an Elektron Digitone II via MIDI. My assumption is that I only need to have the āTrackā option enabled for the Digitone II MIDI Output Port in Abletonās preferences, and not āRemoteā, since Iām just sending MIDI notes and not trying to control parameters like filter cutoff or program changes.
Would you kindly confirm if this is indeed the correct setup? Or is there a scenario where enabling āRemoteā would be necessary for this workflow?
Many thanks for your time and insights!
And pps ā what daw in your experience makes internal MIDI routings from plugins such as Scaler 3 LESS tricky
Thatās probably the most important question I can think of for what Iām imagining trying to do right now
Again many thanks for yours and @davide time and work
Hi @daisy. Yes ātrackā is all you need enabled in Liveās MIDI settings to send note information to/from Live. Like you say, remote is only really needed if you want to map controllers to parameters in Live.
In my experience, Ableton Live and Logic Pro seem to be the most restrictive DAWs in terms of MIDI routing. Logic Pro made some significant improvements recently in allowing internal multi-channel MIDI routings to overcome its lack of VST support and now seems perfectly capable, but Iām no Logic expert.
Most other DAWs e.g. Cubase, Studio One, Reaper, Pro Tools etc. I believe all natively support multichannel internal MIDI routings. There have been many requests over the years for Ableton to address their limitation but I wouldnāt hold your breath.
Hi Tristan based on your advice regarding internal midi routing being difficult in ableton Iāve actually switched to bitwig now. Amazingly my audio engineer friend told me that the early creators of Ableton are actually the people who invented bitwig
anyway Iāve purchased an Arturia pro 37 to try and dumb down and simplify the workflow with scaler three because as you know I find it too intimidating and confronting.
Could you give any pointers or tips on how to use a device like that? Specifically with scaler 3
My objective is use the more visual step sequencer of something like bitwigs step wise in combination with scaler 3 to then in turn āfeedā the Digitone 2 synthesiser
I love Scaler three but I also hate it because I find it so difficult to use, but I can see its power and potential when in the right hands . Iām asking to create the SIMPLEST LEAST SOPHISTICATED workflow to enjoy engage with scaler 3 in a studio setup described as above
thanks for your continued attention and help @Tristan
Basically Iām building or trying to build a hybrid workflow using Bitwig, the Arturia KeyStep Pro 37, and external synths like the Elektron Digitone II. My goal is to combine Scaler 3ās chord and scale intelligence with the step-sequencing power of Bitwig and KeyStep Pro to drive melodic hardware synth lines.
The KeyStep handles live or step-based sequences sent to the Digitone. Iād like Scaler 3 to act as the harmonic brain, helping me define and trigger chords or scale-locked notes ā ideally routing through Bitwig and out to hardware in real time.
Could you advise on best practices for:
1. Using Scaler 3ās MIDI output in Bitwig to feed external gear
2. Locking incoming MIDI from the KeyStep Pro to Scaler 3ās chosen scale
3. Combining Scaler 3 with Bitwigās Note FX and MIDI routing tools
Thanks for your time ā Iād love to make Scaler the center of my hardware/Digital hybrid setup.
and ps @Tristan thanks for the info re virtual midi bus session as a newbie I dont even know what that means let alone that it exists but after googling I see its very relevant to what im trying to do so thanks for sharing
The virtual MIDI bus is useful if you want to route multiple MIDI channels from Ableton Live to external apps, or just to multiple tracks in Ableton Live. Or other hosts for that matter. If Bitwig doesnāt have the same routing limitations as Ableton Live you probably donāt need worry about it.
We will be releasing more MIDI routing documentation for various hosts to align with the release of Scaler 3.1 which may be appealing to you if youād like to learn more about that side of things.
Iāve never used Bitwig before so I canāt really offer any advice in response to your questions, but Iām sure there are other Bitwig users here if youād like to create a new thread about that.
To lock notes from your MIDI keyboard to scales in Scaler, the easiest method if using Keys Lock. We have released a video on using Keys Lock in Scaler 3 if youād like to take a look: https://youtu.be/y2XTBR2wQ04?si=w9rPcyPESz6YglTE
I abandoned Ableton after you told me the other day its internal midi routing is bad
I now use Bitwig
I later found out Bitwig was invented by a whole bunch of old Ableton staff who left in frustration
Do you want to assign me a task to confirm if this is true?
If Bitwig doesnāt have the same routing limitations as Ableton Live you probably donāt need worry about it.
As you can see I have no idea what I am doing
Maybe in future Scaler 3 updates you can include special Bitwig specific features as, as far as I know, and I am only a beginner, Bitwig seems to be the most sophisticated / flexible DAW on the market. I have a 30 year audio specialist friend who was helping me the other night and he is totally DAW agnostic (āknow how to set them all upā) Has worked with some big names you would know etc But even he commented when he was helping me get Bitwig setup, wow this is so much more advanced than the other DAWS.
Anyway that was all thanks to your comment the other day
It pushed me over the edge to quit Ableton once and for all so thanks
Now I can actually enjoy having fun
And ps thanks for your answer and helpful tip at the end
I am determined to not quit Scaler 3 , yet ! AHHHHHH
