The Key Tracker Pro 1.0 by ManifestAudioLLC is a game-changing MIDI effect, changing the way music producers and live performers interpret and utilize MIDI signals in Ableton Live. This Max4Live device not only expedites the process of kinetic, responsive modulation, but also pinpoints MIDI signal interpretation to provide unique modulation possibilities.
Key Tracker Pro 1.0 takes the incoming data of MIDI note signals and interprets them to generate modulation values. This includes pitch, velocity and gate information, with the revolutionary addition of an optional delay function. When these components are cohesively integrated in a live set or studio production, it dramatically evolves the texture and dynamics of the musical elements.
What sets the Key Tracker Pro 1.0 apart from traditional MIDI signal processors is the polyphonic note handling options along with a trigger count exclusion mode. The advanced polyphonic note handling allows for complex note interactions, facilitating intricate harmonic interplay. Moreover, the trigger count exclusion mode provides a way to exclude certain count values, enabling a more curated and nuanced probabilistic response.
For instance, complex arpeggiated patterns or chordal voicings can be carefully crafted using these features. By assigning certain pitches to modulate specific parameters, or through excluding certain counts in repeating patterns, unforeseen and lackluster repetitions can be bypassed, making your MIDI performance audibly engaging and visually interactive.
This Max4Live device enhances the Ableton Live environment through its emphasis on MIDI-driven workflows. With its current version compatible with Live 12.0.5 and the Max 8.6.2, the Key Tracker Pro 1.0 allows you to fruitfully use your MIDI data, fostering movements, moments and modulations that were previously outside your reach.
Although it is a new addition to the Max4Live library with no current downloads or updates as per its timeline history added on Jul 25 2024, Key Tracker Pro 1.0 boasts a potential that cannot be overlooked. Despite having no user rating yet, its feature outline and methodical construction makes it a credible tool for MIDI device users.
The Key Tracker Pro 1.0 is available as a free download under the AttributionNonCommercialShareAlike license on https://maxforlive.com/library/device/10773/key-tracker-pro. Its official website https://manifest.audio/key-tracker-pro offers further insights, user guides and support for the device.
As a music producer or live performer, utilizing tools like the Key Tracker Pro 1.0 is a way of broadening your sonic horizon. Its intelligent and novel approach towards MIDI signal interpretation not only stretches the standard limitations of MIDI data but also enlivens the creative process, strengthening your control over performances while brewing a vast range of sonic possibilities. It is true – with the Key Tracker Pro 1.0, the depth of your MIDI interpretation is boundless.
Example Usage
Here's a simple scenario to get your feet wet with Key Tracker Pro 1.0, a powerful Max4Live device for creating dynamic MIDI modulation in Ableton Live.
Imagine you want to add some expressive dynamics to a simple synth lead that changes its timbre as you vary your playing intensity. By using Key Tracker Pro 1.0, you can easily map MIDI note velocity to a synthesizer parameter, such as filter cutoff frequency.
Step one: Load the Key Tracker Pro device onto a MIDI track that's already hosting a synthesizer designed for lead sounds.
Step two: Play a few notes on your MIDI keyboard and observe how Key Tracker Pro interprets the incoming MIDI data. By default, it's set to respond to note pitch, but we want to focus on velocity for this task.
Step three: In Key Tracker Pro, navigate to the section where you can select the MIDI data you want to use as a modulator. Choose 'Velocity' from the dropdown menu.
Step four: Now that Key Tracker Pro is tracking velocity, we need to map the output modulation signal to our synth's filter cutoff. Click on the 'Map' button within Key Tracker Pro, and then click on your synthesizer's filter cutoff knob. You should see the two link up.
Step five: Adjust the minimum and maximum range scales in Key Tracker Pro to tailor how the velocity affects the modulation. You might want to set a high minimum value if you want to ensure that even the softest key press opens the filter a little. Conversely, you can limit the maximum value to prevent the filter from opening up too much, even with the hardest velocity.
Step six: Start playing your keyboard with varied dynamics and notice how the synth's timbre evolves in real-time, reflecting your playing style. Soft notes will result in a less open filter, giving a darker sound, while harder strikes will open the filter for a brighter, more aggressive tone.
That's it! You've just set up a basic but expressive dynamic modulation using Key Tracker Pro 1.0 in Ableton Live. Remember, this is just scratching the surface. Key Tracker Pro offers much more depth, including polyphonic tracking and probabilistic modulation, waiting for you to explore as you become more comfortable with the device.
Imagine you're working on a progressive house track and you want to integrate an element of complexity in the way your synths respond to your MIDI keyboard performance. The Key Tracker Pro 1.0 can become central to this creative process. Let’s set up an intermediate-level modulation scheme using this device to control the filter cutoff of a synth based on note velocity and pitch.
Step 1: Prepare Your Synth Track First, load up your favorite synth with a preset that has a nice, rich filter – something that sounds expressive when you play around with the cutoff. For this example, let’s use Ableton's Wavetable.
Step 2: Insert Key Tracker Pro Next, drag the Key Tracker Pro 1.0 device onto the same MIDI track where your synth is located. Place it before the synth in the device chain to ensure it processes the MIDI data before it reaches the synthesizer.
Step 3: Configure Pitch to Cutoff Mapping Now, let’s map the MIDI note pitch information to control the synth’s filter cutoff. In the Key Tracker Pro interface, find the section labeled 'Pitch'. Turn on the mapping option and assign a modulation range that feels musical to you. You could set lower pitches to correspond to lower cutoff frequencies, making your sound darker and more subdued as you play lower notes on your keyboard.
Step 4: Velocity Sensitivity Adjustment Velocity will add another layer of responsiveness. In the 'Velocity' section of the Key Tracker Pro, enable the mapping and carefully select the range and curve for the modulation. This will now allow harder-played notes (indicating more intensity) to potentially open the filter cutoff further, injecting more brightness into those moments of your performance, all within the range you’ve set.
Step 5: Introduce Gate Time Modulation For sustained notes, perhaps we might want the filter to close down slightly over time, to create a sense of movement and evolution in the held chords. In the 'Gate' section, enable mapping and adjust the decay settings so that as a note is held, the modulation value decreases, gradually reducing the filter cutoff.
Step 6: Advanced Settings To take full advantage of Key Tracker Pro's polyphony, activate the polyphonic note handling. This ensures that each note gets individual treatment. If your performance includes quick repetitions of the same note, you may want to use the 'trigger count exclusion' feature to prevent modulation on every single repeated hit, for a less hectic response.
Step 7: Fine-Tuning Spend some time playing with the various delay, scale, and offset parameters to hone the response of the Key Tracker Pro to your keyboard performance. You want to achieve a balance where the modulation is evident and expressive but not so extreme that it becomes unpredictable or distracting from the core of your music.
Step 8: Test in Context Finally, play your part within the full arrangement of your track. Adjust the modulation parameters in real-time while the other elements play, ensuring the modulation complements the rest of your production.
By integrating the Key Tracker Pro 1.0 in this way, you can physically express complex modulation without ever leaving the keys of your MIDI controller. This approach opens up new dimensions of expressivity and interaction, allowing you to create a performance that feels alive and dynamic.
Further Thoughts
Today, we'll create a complex, evolving pad sound that responds organically to your playing using the Key Tracker Pro 1.0. Our aim is to set up a patch where each note you play not only generates its own evolving timbre but also influences the overall texture of the sound. We’ll use Ableton Live’s Wavetable synth as our sound source.
First, insert Wavetable onto a MIDI track and select a preset that has a rich harmonic content, such as “Vintage Pad.” This will serve as our sonic foundation.
Next, insert Key Tracker Pro before Wavetable in the device chain. We’ll use its advanced capabilities to modulate parameters within Wavetable.
Configure Key Tracker Pro to output three different CC messages based on your performance dynamics:
- Map the incoming MIDI note pitch to CC1, which will modulate the position of Wavetable's wave oscillator. This setup makes higher notes cycle through the wavetable faster, adding a bright sheen to the upper register.
- Set the velocity response to CC2 and map it to Wavetable's filter cutoff. This way, playing harder will not only increase volume but also open up the filter, making for a more expressive performance.
- Use the gate signal with a slight delay to generate CC3, influencing Wavetable's amp envelope release time. Longer notes will naturally evolve differently than shorter staccato stabs, lending a dynamic push and pull to the overall pad texture.
Now, the trick is to configure Key Tracker Pro's polyphonic note handling options. Set it to ‘High Note Priority’ with a ‘Trigger Count Exclusion’ set to 3, meaning every fourth note won't trigger the CC generation. This creates a sporadic modulation effect that makes the pad breathe and fluctuate in unpredictable yet musical ways.
To polish our setup, let’s incorporate some light randomness. Adjust the probabilistic values for velocity and gate responses to introduce occasional variations in the filter cutoff and release time. This emulates the natural inconsistencies of a live performer, injecting life into our sound.
Lastly, map the overall output from Key Tracker Pro to Wavetable’s unison detune for a subtle thickening effect every time a new note is played.
Now as you play, you’ll notice that each note contributes its own character to the evolving pad, with the modulation creating an intricate dance of timbres that respond to your touch. The Key Tracker Pro 1.0 brings a new level of expression to your performances, blurring the lines between a pre-programmed patch and a live, breathing instrument.
For an interactive exploration and further details on setting up your Key Tracker Pro configurations, visit [Key Tracker Pro on ManifestAudio’s website](https://manifest.audio/key-tracker-pro). Remember, this device thrives on creativity, so tweak, modulate, and transform to your heart's content.