# Wishlist for Scaler 3.x for MIDI control **URL:** \ **Category:** Scaler 2 Feature Requests\ **Created:** [June 1, 2021, 12:53pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/wishlist-for-scaler-3-x-for-midi-control/7341 "2021-06-01T12:53:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 13\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![Bernd](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/bernd/32/1320_2.png) [@Bernd](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/Bernd)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 12:48am UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/wishlist-for-scaler-3-x-for-midi-control/7341/43 "2021-06-10T00:48:05Z")
Just tried to open your shared Ableton project file @sj1 , and I realized it was in version 11, and I only have version 10 of Live. So I wonder if the CC automation only works in Ableton 11? ---
**Author:** ![jamieh](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/jamieh/32/1139_2.png) [@jamieh](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/jamieh)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 2:31pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/wishlist-for-scaler-3-x-for-midi-control/7341/44 "2021-06-10T14:31:02Z")
No, I have 11 and I had a similar problem of Scaler only sporadically responding to CC in the clips. ---
**Author:** ![sj1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sj1](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/sj1)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 4:25pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/wishlist-for-scaler-3-x-for-midi-control/7341/45 "2021-06-10T16:25:19Z")
Jamieh, have you tried with my 8 clips? (just wondering) ---
**Author:** ![jamieh](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/jamieh/32/1139_2.png) [@jamieh](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/jamieh)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 6:36pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/wishlist-for-scaler-3-x-for-midi-control/7341/46 "2021-06-10T18:36:13Z")
Not yet. I did down load them with a quick look at. I will try them when I get home ---
**Author:** ![jamieh](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/jamieh/32/1139_2.png) [@jamieh](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/jamieh)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 9:30pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/wishlist-for-scaler-3-x-for-midi-control/7341/47 "2021-06-10T21:30:35Z")
I just tried this and it worked as expected. Thanks! I think the key is that short CC message at 127. Mine was 1 bar long and for some reason it did not do well with that. This is an interesting and useful thing although not sure how I would use it necessarily. I do all performance changes in the Playback Performances area but I’m sure I’ll think of something. Cheers! ---
**Author:** ![sj1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sj1](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/sj1)\ **Post date:** [June 10, 2021, 9:41pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/wishlist-for-scaler-3-x-for-midi-control/7341/48 "2021-06-10T21:41:06Z")
Excellent, glad it worked, and thanks for the confirmation. Clips with just a CC may not have much use of themselves beyond “teaching” Scaler to bind that CC to a Performance. However, if we then draw those CCs at points as desired in a clip along with the notes to control scale, row, and chords then with such a clip I think we can fully specify a very complex Scaler song where everything changes over the course of the song, including between all of the performances that were bound. Bind a different set of Performances, move the notes and CCs around, etc. and we will be able to pretty much edit the Scaler playback action as desired. Then, the next big improvement will be when we no longer have to bind the Performances (this is still the slow part!), but can instead specify them directly ala the description at the top of this topic. ---
**Author:** ![RandomS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/randoms/32/127_2.png) [@RandomS](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/RandomS)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2021, 4:41pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/wishlist-for-scaler-3-x-for-midi-control/7341/49 "2021-07-08T16:41:51Z")
> [@sj1](#): > > I can’t see that three separate octaves to be used for switching (e.g. 1 each for: Scale, Row, Pad) is a problem. I agree completely! You don’t need an 88-key keyboard - there is a whole use case around programming these switches into your DAW’s MIDI editor and not necessarily hitting a note on a physical keyboard. @davide, please keep keyswitches in mind for MIDI mapping - if we could switch performances using a MIDI note, that would integrate perfectly with Studio One’s [Sound Variations](https://s1manual.presonus.com/Content/Editing_Topics/Sound_Variations.htm) feature. Even if you’re not using Studio One, it sure seems a lot easier to me to draw in keyswitches in the piano roll editor than to deal with MIDI CC’s. ---
**Author:** ![sj1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sj1](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/sj1)\ **Post date:** [July 8, 2021, 5:01pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/wishlist-for-scaler-3-x-for-midi-control/7341/50 "2021-07-08T17:01:40Z")
BTW, I’ve now got quite an elaborate setup for Scaler using CC clips in Bitwig. It was a good deal of work to create, but it works superbly (and I intend to share it in the not-too-distant future). So, an -option- to use another octave of notes would be fine, but please don’t -take away- that which works now via CCs. Thanks! ---
**Author:** ![sj1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sj1](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/sj1)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 7:00pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/wishlist-for-scaler-3-x-for-midi-control/7341/51 "2022-01-07T19:00:14Z")
> [@sj1](#): > > > [@davide](#): > > > > That would be too messy to incorporate given the different time signatures / grooves / feel etc that each expression has. There would be so many contingencies to address = we have been down this road! This is common amongst any phrase based libraries even classic drum machines in that patters will only change at a certain beat division / end of phrase. > > OK, I get what you are saying wrt. intra-pattern changes. > > However, I think I am observing that it is not possible to stay on the same chord, change the Performance, and have that Performance change take place on any of a beat/measure/pattern boundary (while keeping the same chord). > > Am I mistaken here? > > If not, that seems desirable to fix. I would love it if my specific comment immediately above could be specifically addressed. Thanks. ---
**Author:** ![davide](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/user_avatar/forum.scalermusic.com/davide/32/824_2.png) [@davide](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/davide)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 8:05pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/wishlist-for-scaler-3-x-for-midi-control/7341/52 "2022-01-07T20:05:47Z")
> [@sj1](#): > > However, I think I am observing that it is not possible to stay on the same chord, change the Performance, and have that Performance change take place on any of a beat/measure/pattern boundary (while keeping the same chord). You can change chord and and continue at the same position of the current performance but not vice versa. If you use play quantise you could kind of emulate what you are suggesting. ---
**Author:** ![yorkeman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/edb3f5/32.png) [@yorkeman](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/yorkeman)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2022, 8:08pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/wishlist-for-scaler-3-x-for-midi-control/7341/53 "2022-01-07T20:08:55Z")
“would be editable if desired.” You can indeed edit a State File, but it’s best to do this with an XML editor. However, the structure of the XML does not lend itself to easy management with many tools, and XSLT is a PITB so IMHO it’s far better to treat the files as variable length text and use a text parser coupled with chunks of Javascript to re-structure it. So in my chord printer gizmo, I read the State File as text ![fig 1](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/uploads/scalermusic/original/2X/1/11fc3bf0017e2a03c1f32c88fc79f45d66e011a7.jpeg) then filter out relevant bits ![fig 2](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/uploads/scalermusic/original/2X/c/c36943166824ee3b79c16405d0c268a84f33bcd6.jpeg) Match up with the chord names ![fig 3](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/uploads/scalermusic/original/2X/d/d7d815d79851161876aedcf7800a5f6052d1a37e.jpeg) Glue the two lists together, and parse out the note numbers ![fig 4](https://canada1.discourse-cdn.com/flex012/uploads/scalermusic/original/2X/4/4c7cbe11174ba9d943655e412bc6a7bd3f639c36.jpeg) The the intervals are computed by using (midi note MOD 12 +1 ) … and I have my print. ,This is important because the nomenclature of chords differs between sources, but I can see what a chord is without having to line blobs up vertically in the DAW piano roll. ---
**Author:** ![sj1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ebca7d/32.png) [@sj1](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/sj1)\ **Post date:** [January 8, 2022, 1:17pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/wishlist-for-scaler-3-x-for-midi-control/7341/54 "2022-01-08T13:17:21Z")
> [@](#): > > > [@](#): > > > > However, I think I am observing that it is not possible to stay on the same chord, change the Performance, and have that Performance change take place on any of a beat/measure/pattern boundary (while keeping the same chord). > > You can change chord and and continue at the same position of the current performance but not vice versa. If you use play quantise you could kind of emulate what you are suggesting. Thank you David for your reply, and for the confirmation. What I’m suggesting is that not being able to simply and directly change performance(s) while keeping the same chord is a fundamental musical/compositional limitation. A limitation we really should prefer not to accept. Software, by definition, is capable of overcoming such. FWIW, I think it would be a significant advance for Scaler to fix/solve this. To be very clear (at the risk of repetition), I’m not talking about or asking for instantaneous intra-anything perf changes without regard to the beat/bar structure, the tempo, pattern lengths, or quantization settings. I’m saying: in accord with all those things, operating essentially as now, let a performance change be able to be signaled and take place without requiring a chord change also. I note that I can accomplish this as a hack by sending a different chord and then very quickly (before the quantization to instantiate it is reached) sending the original chord again (all this via MIDI CC). Technically, if I can do this externally, Scaler could do it even better internally and that would be a full and permanent solution to the issue. Thanks for whatever further thought you can give to this. ---
**Author:** ![Rosko](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/34f0e0/32.png) [@Rosko](https://forum.scalermusic.com/u/Rosko)\ **Post date:** [January 21, 2022, 9:32pm UTC](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/wishlist-for-scaler-3-x-for-midi-control/7341/55 "2022-01-21T21:32:11Z")
Are there plans to allow to assign changes through keys on our piano keyboard? [Previous page](https://forum.scalermusic.com/t/wishlist-for-scaler-3-x-for-midi-control/7341.md?page=2)