I have a very hard time following complexity
Rightly or wrongly I’m from the generation that expects “everything to just work automatically ie
@Tristan what would you say is “the simplest most obvious way” to use the ableton move device with scaler 3 I know you’re the ableton pro in the scaler 3 team and if you can share your thinking about this question I’d love to hear your answer
I’m not asking for anything complex
In fact the most simple basic idea you can think of (for use with Scaler 3) and how to do it is what I’m hoping (begging?) for
Hi daisy - I might be able to help as I have a Move that I have been using with Scaler 2, from an iPad, as well as Scaler 3 from both a Mac and a PC.
The first issue you need to address is that the Move is a little lacking in its midi implementation, at this point. This is because the USB-C port does not support midi unless the Move is in Live controller mode.
The easiest way to address this, and the method recommended by Ableton, is to use a Bluetooth adapter in the USB-A port (the WIDI Bud Pro from CME is the one I use).
Once that is in place you can easily send MIDI to the Move from any app on your Mac or PC. It is easy to use Ableton Link for synchronisation and to transfer chord progressions, with or without associated motions, from Scaler. With the upcoming V1.5 firmware update for the Move (currently in beta) you can assign a separate midi channel to each track on the Move - and then send multiple parts from Scaler.
Hope that helps, yell out if you want any more info…
Interesting so when scaler 3 iPad version comes out @davide does this mean we can tap away on it while relaxing in the sun then send midi from that playtime to the ableton move via blue tooth!? if im understanding you correctly @zzrwood that would be pretty darn cool cc @Tristan
Scaler is a great tool that has lots of options. The workflow you will use will be dependent on your own preferences. A lot of people would probably be uncomfortable with my workflow. There really isn’t a right or wrong way to do it. A simpler tool would not allow nearly as much personal creativity.
For myself, I just don’t try to keep everything inside Scaler. Its progression building tools are nice. It is great for mapping a scale to work with (much better than the built in stuff with Logic.) It’s patterns/arpeggiations are great. Trying to do it all inside Scaler is just more than I want to deal with. My DAW has a really nice piano roll to edit things. I don’t want to have to deal with a different mini-DAW inside the arrangement page.
I usually just keep the chords in the track. Sometimes I will put them in Logic’s chord track but that just doesn’t work the way I would want it to.
@daisy Yep - exactly as you described. You can also drive the Move in real time from the iPad and, by connecting it with a USB-C cable, use the Move as an audio interface. This opens up ways to extend the Move’s capabilities.
I use it with Logic Pro to create Drummer parts, and to host other AUV3 apps. You can even sample to pads directly, synced to Move. Also works great with Koala, or other generative tools like the excellent Piano Motifs.
iPad, Scaler and Move is a great songwriting combination.
Yes I’m kindly awaiting the introduction of the iPad version of scaler three can I ask you sound quite sophisticated with all this stuff? What are the best video resources for learning how to use the move product by ableton the way you like to @zzrwood
Hi @daisy - There aren’t many definitive video resources on the Move, you have to hunt around for bits and pieces. For some reason, when the Move first came out a lot of YouTubers dismissed it for only having 4 tracks - which in reality is not much of an issue due to its great resampling capability. Anyway, as a result there aren’t as many resources as there should be, IMHO.
A few places where I’ve found good material include the YouTube channels of:
And Taetro has some info on using the USB-C for sampling (bear in mind that once set to USB-C sampling it can also be used as a general audio interface for the iPad):
Apart from that, I have found out a lot by just trying stuff out - the Move is really approachable. It also pays to keep track of the numerous upgrades Ableton continue to deliver that add a lot of functionality.
Happy to provide any info if you have specific questions.
