Sequencing with Ableton Suite 8

[damianmadden]

Hi all - back after 7 years absence from this forum and a new set-up - Ableton Suite 8, to which Im attempting to connect and work with my trusty 2002 Access Virus KC.

So far I seem to be getting MIDI notes in and out of the Virus via Ableton MIDI tracks, but when getting to mixing stage I cant control the Virus volume via the Ableton mixer/DAW and have to adjust volume manually on the Virus hardware. Also I cant get any Ableton effects to apply to the Virus MIDI tracks..

I suspect a basic routing problem/mistake - can anyone help me wiht some best practie here to get the Virus working better , to enable automation, recording of filter sweeps etc into the sequencer - Im trying to use the Ableton Live External Instrument plug-out but not sure if this is the best workaround - routing Virus MIDI into one of these doesnt seem to be feeding audio back in if thats what its supposed to do...

[oscillator]

Hi, if you connect the Virus with a single left/right output on a single stereo audio card in, you must consider that even if you got 16 tracks in Ableton they share the same volume output. In other words the 16 tracks got 1 Ableton volume divided into 16 tracks.
So there's no way to control that volumes. I save multis with my volume preferences already done. Another way is to use midi, but i can't tell you how.
The fx concept is similar.

For the automation: in the track with your 'external instrument' with the right midi channel, you must check the CC number of the parameter you want use (on virus manual), then open envelopes tab in Ableton, choose midi ctrl in the upper menu, then choose the midi CC number you need from the list in the second menu.
Now you can draw the automation line.
Let me know.

[damianmadden]

Thanks for responding - I appreciate it!

so far Virus pads getting in to Ableton fine using Ext Instrument routing device - although signal is coming in quite hot and I have to adjust the master volume using the main Virus volume control. - adjusting gain within the Ext Instrument has a small effect if overall volume on everything comes down, the audio track volume slider doesnt do a lot - when you say you are saving your volumes within your MULTI settings can you give me a little more information there? Sounds like something straightforward I am missing on the Virus programming side..

Also having a problem with applying Ableton effects to the Virus tracks - I tried to route the B81 Vi-Bass sound to a Return track for additional delay but nothing happened, of it did I couldnt hear it!

Thanks for automation info - will try it and come back to you

[oscillator]

If you click to the right side of the display on 'PART' buttons, you scroll the 16 synth parts; if you click the 'PARAMETER' buttons you access to the parameters of the single voices in the multi. In this case you will find the volume parameter of each part; then you can adjust it in every synth part.
Regarding the effects check the send knob of the virus track, maybe it's all way down, so you don't hear it.

[damianmadden]

Thanks for help -have played around with setting and got functionality on volume/ability to add Ableton effects via their External Instrument plugin...

I plan to use the Virus multitimbrally/polyphonically via Multi or Multisingle mode with Ableton Live - but currently if I load up 2 Ext Instrument tracks ( one with Virus bass, one with a Virus pad) I get blended Audio back in on each relevant Ext instrument track - I think this is because my Audiophile soundcard only has 1 pair of ins/outs so selecting 1/2 IN as the audio source back into Ableton gives me the entire audio output of the Virus..

Is there a workaround here ? Potentially creating some type of Virus submix maybe before rendering - Id be interested in hearing how others use Multisingle mode effectively at mixing stage as currently I cant isolate different audio parts from the Virus