Philip Meyer's MIDI Tools Volume One presents an innovative fusion of form and function in music production. The suite consists of four MIDI Generators and eight MIDI Transformers, all designed to redefine the way we create rhythmic music in Ableton Live 12. System requirements dictate at least Ableton Live 12 along with MaxforLive essential functionalities installed for compatibility with the program encompassing both Mac & Windows systems.
Installing MIDI Tools is as simple as navigating to the User Library in Places at Live and situating the MIDI Tools folder there. The collection can be segmented into Generators and Transformers folders for organization. Ableton Live should automatically detect these tools, making them easily locatable in the Generator and Transformer tabs of any MIDI Clip's Note Editor.
The MIDI Generators include Blocks, Phase Pattern, Turing Machine, and Polyrhythm. Blocks enables users to create nested containers for rhythmic sequences, while Phase Pattern generates varying temporal patterns. The Turing Machine employs randomization to build complex sequences, whereas Polyrhythm helps create intricate rhythms that would be arduous to craft manually.
In conjunction with MIDI Generators, MIDI Transformers come into play. The collection includes Condition Transform, Develop, Divs, Draw, Pattern Transformer, Segment, Shift, and Feel. Using these, producers can seamlessly manipulate and transform MIDI clips to reiterate nuances in their compositions. They allow the user to add variations to rhythmic and melodic ideas, fostering an atmosphere of creativity and playful experimentation.
Feel, for instance, allows a rhythmic transformation by adding swing, grooves, and micro-timing to patterns, where Shift creates subtle variations by rotating different note attributes. Segment combines Divs and Condition Transform to subdivide notes based on duration. Pattern Transform opens tremendous creative avenues with options to add, remove, and manipulate notes. With Draw, users can make quick adjustments to pitch, velocity, and chance using a mouse, and Divs facilitates decoration or rolls to rhythmic patterns. Develop aids in increasing or decreasing the complexity of MIDI clips. Lastly, Condition Transform helps create variations on existing MIDI Clips.
Philip Meyer's "I made 12 generative MIDI devices for Ableton Live 12" video gives a comprehensive walkthrough of using these tools. In the video, Meyer provides examples of harnessing the power of serial workflows by creating rhythmic containers using Blocks further subdivided by Divs, followed by groove dialing through Feel.
The MIDI Tools by Philip Meyer not only supercharge creativity but also alleviate the tedium of manually crafting complex rhythmic structures. These tools allow rapid idea generation and enable rhythms like polyrhythms and nested rhythms that are hard to create using the traditional piano roll interface. Each tool’s power exponentially increases when used in combination, birthing incredible possibilities.
A critical aspect of these tools lies in their compatibility with Ableton 12’s new Scales feature. When activated on a MIDI clip, the devices produce notes in the key. Even the aesthetics of the interface adjust in accordance with Live's themes, ensuring a visually pleasant, off-the-cuff experience for users.
If you are interested in revolutionizing your electronic music production with these MIDI Tools, they are available for purchase at Isotonik Studios' website. You will find a detailed user manual and all the information needed for smooth integration of these devices into your Ableton Live sessions. If monetary challenges hold you back, you may reach out directly to the creator. With Philip Meyer’s MIDI Tools Volume One, crafting intricate electronic music becomes a dialogue between producer and machine. An exciting new landscape of musical possibilities awaits you.
Example Usage
Imagine you're just getting started with creating music in Ableton Live, and you're eager to experiment with different rhythm patterns without manually programming each note. Here's how you can use several of Philip Meyer's MIDI Tools to quickly generate and transform patterns that breathe life into your track:
We'll begin by creating a drum pattern using the "Blocks" generator. First, select an empty MIDI clip on your drum track, and from the Clip view, access the Generators tab. Choose "Blocks" and set it up to create a simple four-to-the-floor kick drum pattern. Now, you'll not only have your base rhythm but also a visual guide in the MIDI clip.
Next, let's add complexity with the "Divs" transformer to add some hi-hat ratchets. Duplicate your kick drum MIDI clip to a hi-hat track. With the new MIDI clip selected, go to the Transformers tab and pick "Divs". Adjust the settings to subdivide your quarter-note hi-hat hits into sixteenth-note ratchets that give your pattern an exciting, energetic feel.
To create some swing and groove, use the "Feel" transformer. It comes with a simple swing knob in Basic mode, which you can adjust to dial in just the right amount of shuffle for your pattern, ensuring your drums have a more natural, humanized feel.
If you want to experiment with melody, you can use "Pattern Transform" on a bassline clip. Start with a simple one-note bass pattern and insert "Pattern Transform" from the Transformers tab. Play around with note addition and melodic variation controls. You'll be able to introduce new notes that conform to the scale of your project, adding a more interesting bassline that stays in key.
For beginners, the beauty of these devices lies in their simplicity and ability to create complex results quickly. With just a few tweaks, you've laid the groundwork for a dynamic rhythm section that can serve as the foundation for further creative exploration in your session. Remember, there's no right or wrong way to use these tools—feel free to experiment and find what works best for your music!
Imagine you're looking to inject a new level of rhythmic complexity into your latest track. Let's explore how to use some of Philip Meyer’s MIDI Tools in an intermediate workflow within Ableton Live to achieve this.
First, let’s lay down a basic chord progression with a simple rhythmic structure using any MIDI instrument. We aim to develop this into a more intricate pattern using Philip Meyer's 'Blocks' generator to lay the groundwork for our rhythmic exploration. Create a new MIDI clip, drag 'Blocks' into the generators subfolder and launch it. Start with a preset that appeals to you and tweak the parameters to lay out a foundational pattern that complements your progression.
Now, with 'Blocks' having provided our rhythmic container, it’s time to add intricacy with 'Divs.' This device will subdivide certain beats within our pattern to create more interesting fills and rhythms. Set 'Divs' on those beats where you want to introduce ratchets or tuplets to add flavor.
Next, we introduce movement and groove using the 'Feel' transformer to apply swing and microtiming variations. Begin in Basic mode with the swing knob to give your pattern the desired groove. Gradually enter Advanced mode and adjust the timing offset for individual notes or groups of notes to fine-tune the groove.
Once you have a complex and groovy pattern, use 'Shift' to create a variation on your current MIDI clip. By rotating the attributes of the notes, such as pitch, velocity, or duration, you will find new melodics that transform your original idea into something completely fresh while keeping the core essence.
To give your pattern a dynamic evolution, use 'Develop' to gradually introduce or remove elements. Start with a sparse pattern and over time, increase the complexity by allowing 'Develop' to fill in more notes, or do the opposite to create a deconstruction of your rhythm as the track progresses.
Finally, apply 'Pattern Transform' to iterate on your idea. Use it to thin out overly busy patterns or conversely, fill them in. Introduce melodic variations and subtle changes that keep the listener engaged. Be sure to enable your MIDI clip scales to ensure that these variations remain harmonically correct.
In this workflow, you've used five of Philip Meyer's MIDI Tools to take a simple chord progression and transform it into a complex, evolving rhythmic sequence that feels alive and dynamic. The beauty of these tools lies in their ability to encourage experimentation. By chaining them and exploring their interactions, you're likely to stumble upon rhythmic and melodic ideas that you might never have crafted through traditional MIDI editing.
Further Thoughts
Imagine you're scoring a piece of music that's meant to capture the bustling atmosphere of a futuristic city market. The soundtrack requires a sense of organized chaos – layers of rhythms and textures that converge and diverge, creating an aural collage representing the movement and interaction of people and technology.
Start by creating a new MIDI clip on a percussive track and load the 'Blocks' generator. This device will lay the groundwork by populating your clip with a basic rhythmic pattern that mimics the steady pulse of footsteps and the hum of machinery.
Next, add complexity to the rhythm using the 'Polyrhythm' generator. Here, you set contrasting rhythmic patterns against each other to emulate the chaotic syncopation of vendors calling out their wares over the underlying hum of the city.
Now that you have a complex rhythm, employ the 'Divs' transformer to insert ratchets and nested rhythms within those blocks. Imagine these additional notes as the sound of droids beeping intermittently, adding a realistic layer to the hustle and bustle.
To ensure these patterns groove together, use 'Feel' in Advanced mode to adjust the microtiming, giving your soundtrack the essential swing and sway that captures the inexact nature of a crowded market.
As your piece progresses, you decide that the introduction should evolve into a more complicated soundscape. Introduce 'Develop' to gradually build the pattern's complexity, reflecting the market's crescendo from dawn to midday bustle. This gradual introduction of elements is perfect for scoring a cinematic sequence that builds in intensity.
Now, let's address melodic content. Create a new clip on a melodic synth track. Use the 'Turing Machine' generator for a sequence that feels both random and intentional, representing the serendipitous encounters between characters in the market.
To create variations on this sequence so it doesn't become monotonous, use 'Pattern Transform'. Apply it mildly at first to keep the thematic material recognizable, but increase the variation amount as the scene becomes more intense, mirroring the visual complexity of the scene.
To tie it all together, consider using 'Segment' to target specific notes in the clip by duration, allowing you to subdivide longer notes to represent the nuances of conversation against shorter, percussive elements that represent the ebb and flow of the crowd.
Lastly, utilize 'Shift' to remix the clip by rotating attributes like pitch and velocity independently, giving your score an ever-changing, dynamic texture.
Throughout this process, you are not just a composer, but a sonic architect, using Philip Meyer's MIDI Tools in Ableton Live to build a richly detailed and immersive sonic world. The MIDI Tools act as the brush and palette in your digital studio, enabling you to paint complex auditory landscapes that are as vivid and dynamic as the scenes they underscore.