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http://www.sweetwater.com/insync/running-tracks-in-ableton-while-controlling-lights-lyrics-video/
Can I Control my Light Board with Ableton Live?
I get this question very often. A lot of churches that have been running MultiTracks and feel like they have that down-are very interesting in using Ableton Live to control other gear, like lights, lyrics, and videos. This isn't a large church only thing either. This benefits small churches substantially-perhaps even more then large churches.
We have video content coming from our training time at Sweetwater that will include videos you can share with customers. We'll also make a form of what you see here available in public form along with those videos. So the short answer to that question:
Yes, it’s very likely. Here’s a few ways to control lights and if Ableton supports that control.
DMX
DMX is the standard lights accept for control from a lighting console. If you cut out the “middle-man” and want to control lights directly from Ableton, you can use the Enntec DMX-IS to program and control lights directly from with-in Ableton Live in a plugin format. This is a great solution for churches looking for a simple, one machine based solution for MultiTracks and lighting control.
SMPTE Time Code
SMPTE is the “industry standard” for time-line based automation. Lights are programmed in a console (or software lighting control) on a time line and audio is sent from a control program that sends information like Hour, Minute, Second, Frame to cue specific lights at a specific point in time. Live doesn’t natively output SMPTE but you can use a solution like http://elteesee.pehrhovey.net to generate a Striped SMPTE audio track. You can load this file into Ableton Live and send it via an audio output of your interface into the LTC (Linear Time Code) input on your Console
MIDI Time Code
MIDI Time Code (MTC) is essentially a MIDI version of SMPTE. It’s a linear based programming solution. The benefit of this solution is that it’s based on MIDI so you can send it wirelessly or virtually between machines. Using a free Max 4 Live Plugin (Great reason for upgrade to Ableton Live Suite) called LiveMTC you can generate MIDI Time Code information from Ableton Live
MIDI Show Control
MIDI Show Control (MSC) allows you to call up cues in the console/software using a Cuelist/Cue format and a message like a GO message. A typical MSC message would be be GO to Cue 31 in Cuelist 4. Live can’t natively send MSC but you can use a program like Q-lab or Bome’s MIDI Translator to convert MIDI notes to MSC.
MIDI Notes/CC
Some lighting consoles/Software accept MIDI Notes or MIDI CC to remotely trigger presets, cues in the lighting console. You can create MIDI notes/CC natively on clips in Ableton Live.
Have more questions? Contact Will Directly-will@multitracks.com.
Thanks!
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