Controlling both HELIX LT and HX STOMP through ABLETON midi

[ryansorensen12]

Hi there!

 

First post, long time reader.

 

End goal: I would like to know if it is possible to "piggy back" my HX Stomp off my Helix LT's snapshot/patch changes which are originating from Ableton sending midi. In multiple live projects, I currently use Ableton to change patches and snapshots on my LT through USB Midi. However, I have a new project where the lead singer/vocalist also requires automated changes and I was thinking of hooking them up with my Stomp.

 

One way I suppose could be to buy a midi interface and connect both the Stomp and LT to independent channels through midi cables.

 

But is there a way to do it something like this:

 

ABLETON -> COMPUTER PORT -> USB MIDI CABLE -> (IN) HELIX LT -> MIDI (OUT) CABLE -> (MIDI IN) HX STOMP

 

I have already hooked this up and seem to be able to change patches this way, but not snapshots.

 

Any thoughts? Is this possible without having to buy a midi interface?

 

Thanks!

 

Ryan

[DunedinDragon]

I control everything on stage including my Helix and potentially any other MIDI device through Ableton 11 and have for several years now.  In my case I use a Morningstar MC8 MIDI controller as the central controller attached to the laptop running Ableton Live.  In my case each Helix preset is a song and equates to a Bank on the MC8.  By selecting the song bank on the MC8 it synchronizes the MC8 Bank with the appropriate Helix Preset.  I decided to use the MC8 rather than the Helix as a controller because it's much more powerful and flexible than the Helix as a MIDI controller.

 

I run Ableton in Session mode with each row representing a song and the various columns within that song representing the various instruments in the backing track for that song as well as the MIDI Out column for sending MIDI sync commands as well as a column for STOP commands.

 

I select the song and then press the Start button defined on the MC8 which starts the appropriate song tracks playing.  Among the song tracks I have a MIDI Out track which sends the individual synchronized command to the MC8 which then can translate that into any number of multiple MIDI commands to other devices that need to trigger during the song at that point.  The song files play in session mode and I have one MIDI Stop command at the end that loops the stop signal back to Ableton to trigger the stop playing action.  I then use the Next or Previous button on my MC8 to move to the next or previous song in the set, press the Start button and the process repeats.

 

My laptop has one USB MIDI connection to the MC8 for controlling these actions and a separate USB Audio connection to an Audio interface that sends the stereo backing tracks to the mixing board.  I've been using this setup for about 3 or 4 years ever week and it's never failed.  FYI the MIDI commands to control Snapshot selection is a different MIDI sequence than those used to activate/deactivate a footswitch.  Refer to THIS for more information on how this is done.

[rd2rk]

On 12/18/2023 at 8:32 PM, ryansorensen12 said:

Hi there!

 

First post, long time reader.

 

End goal: I would like to know if it is possible to "piggy back" my HX Stomp off my Helix LT's snapshot/patch changes which are originating from Ableton sending midi. In multiple live projects, I currently use Ableton to change patches and snapshots on my LT through USB Midi. However, I have a new project where the lead singer/vocalist also requires automated changes and I was thinking of hooking them up with my Stomp.

 

One way I suppose could be to buy a midi interface and connect both the Stomp and LT to independent channels through midi cables.

 

But is there a way to do it something like this:

 

ABLETON -> COMPUTER PORT -> USB MIDI CABLE -> (IN) HELIX LT -> MIDI (OUT) CABLE -> (MIDI IN) HX STOMP

 

I have already hooked this up and seem to be able to change patches this way, but not snapshots.

 

Any thoughts? Is this possible without having to buy a midi interface?

 

Thanks!

 

Ryan

 

ASSUMING that I understand what you want to do, AND

ASSUMING that your singer's presets/snapshots are on the HXS, you would want to control that using the InstantCommands (ICs) in the LT's presets.

Setting the LT to transmit and receive on MIDI Channel 1 and the HXS to receive on Channel 2, configure the ICs on the LT to send on Ch 2.

When LIVE sends a preset change to the LT the saved snapshot will send the configured ICs.

When LIVE sends a CC#69 (Snapshot Change) to the LT, the ICs configured in THAT snapshot will send.

 

IOW, LIVE controls the LT via USB and the LT controls the HXS by standard MIDI via the LT's snapshots and ICs.

 

IDK how to get this to work with LIVE, I tried but couldn't get LIVE to record MIDI at all.

I know that it will of course, I'm just not familiar enough with LIVE to make it happen.

In Reaper it took 2 seconds to set it up, and it works flawlessly.

 

Maybe @DunedinDragoncan tell you how to do it in LIVE.