User Guide

Version 1.2

   

 

Kapture Pad - User Guide 1. Introduction 2. Using Kapture Pad

2.1 Breakdowns and buildups 2.2 DJ style 2.3 Different songs in a Live set 2.4 Sound design 2.5 Comparing mixes 2.6 Clip follow actions

3. Reference 3.1 Snapshots 3.2 Naming your tracks 3.3 User Interface - Global View 3.3.1 Kapture 3.3.2 Filter 3.3.3 Edit 3.3.4 Trigger Track 3.3.5 Trigger Clip Exceptions 3.4 User Interface - Track View, Morph Pad and Global Morph Slider. 3.4.1 Track Selection 3.4.2 Edit 3.4.3 Morph Pad 3.4.4 Global Morph Slider 3.5 User Interface - Bank View

1. Introduction Kapture Pad is an app for iPhone/iPad to control Ableton Live. It is the next evolution of the Kapture Max for Live patch, originally created in 2010 for Plastikman Live. Kapture Pad does not require Max for Live. Kapture Pad lets you take snapshots of your Live set and restore them at will, without reloading your Live set or interrupting the audio. Don’t be deceived by the simple interface Kapture Pad is very powerful. This manual will show you how to install and use the software. You can also find some tips and suggestions on what to do once you’ve got the basic setup working.

   

 

2. Using Kapture Pad The easiest way to undersand how Kapture Pad works and what you can do with is to go through a few scenarios. Read the following stories and imagine how this can apply to your own workflow. For a detailing description of each button and function, you can skip to the Reference section. 2.1 Breakdowns and buildups: go wild and land safely I have a live setup where I launch MIDI clips controlling D16’s Nepheton - a great TR-808 emulator. Each MIDI clip has a different drum pattern. The Nepheton plugin is setup in multichannel mode: every sound gets its own channel in Live. This is great for mixing and loading different effects on each sound. I am using the 32 knobs on my Livid Code to tweak the parameters. There are 8 columns of 4 knobs. Each column controls one drum sound: two knobs control synthesis parameters (pitch, delay, etc) and two knobs control effects on that drum sound channel (delay, filter, distortion, etc). Before I start transforming the sounds, I can store the initial clean state by going to Kapture Pad and tapping the KAPTURE button in Kapture Pad (in the Global View). This immediately creates a snapshot called “New Snapshot 1”. I can jam with the Code and quickly come up with some very different combinations of drums and really twist each sound. When I find a mix of effects I really like, I tap the Kapture button (found in the Global View). The state of my Live set has automatically been stored as ‘New Snapshot 2’. I can keep on jamming with the knobs and twist the sound even more, tapping Kapture every time I really like the result. Now, I can really let loose. I take out the kick drum, create a huge buildup over 32 bars and when I’m ready to bring the groove back, I can tap whichever stored snapshot I want to jump back to. All the synthesis and effect parameters go right back to where I wanted and the beat goes on. 2.2 DJ Style ‘Kaoss Pad’ I do a DJ style set with Live. I have three tracks of songs, and I can mix between them. I use another controller for this. I like to use sends to add FX to the tracks I’m playing. I can have a complex Track Kapture set up with a chain of effects on Return A and another on Return B. Then I can send a track to one of the returns, and jam on the XY pad, Kaos pad style. Checking and unchecking different devices on the Track Filter for that Return can give me very different effects.

   

 

2.3 Different songs, different states: smoothly plan a setlist I have a live show with many songs. All the songs run in the same Live set and they use the instruments and effects, but each song needs very different settings. The 303 VST has different tuning and filter values. The FX in the Return Tracks having different feedback and delay times. The mix is different, some songs have louder drums and others have louder synths. The combinations of sends and returns (and returns feeding back into returns) are very precise. When I start each song, I can recall a pre-prepared Global Snapshot to make sure that my Live set is in exactly the right state. I start Kapture Pad go to the Bank View. Here I can load the Bank of snapshots I’d previously stored. Now I go to the Global View and I see a list of Global Snapshots, one for each song. When I’m ready to start a new song and I want to recall all the right settings, I just tap that snapshot. Or even better, I can name name a track “Kapture” in the Live set and add a blank clip with the name of a Global Snapshot. Triggering this clips recalls the Global Snapshot with the name. This way, launching a scene starts a song and reconfigures the Live set at the same time! 2.4 So many parameters, so little time: creative sound design In one of my songs I have a track with a complex effect rack where exploring and tweaking some of the huge number of parameters inside yields a wide range of interesting combinations. Navigating the rack and tweaking the parameters one by one with the mouse is rather slow. With Kapture Pad, I can select this track (in the Track View) and use the Morph Pad to Kapture a snapshot of all the rack settings in one corner. Now, I move all the parameters and create 3 more snapshots, one in each corner. I now have a very complex morphing patch which can do some very interesting, unexpected things, which was set up very simply! 2.5 Comparing mixes I want to A/B two different mixes. One is uber compressed with the drums really prominent. The other is much more gentle with the vox up front. I can Kapture each and A/B using Global Snapshots. 2.6 Follow actions on Global Snapshots I can trigger Global Snapshots by launching a MIDI clip with the same name. Combining this with follow actions makes for intense parameter automation.

   

 

3. Reference 3.1 Snapshots There are two types of snapshots available: Global Snapshots and Track Snapshots. Global Snapshots store the following settings: Mixer • Volume • Pan • Solo • Mute • Sends Devices • Every parameter for Ableton devices (Instrument, MIDI Effect, Audio Effect) • Every configured parameter for VST/Audio Unit plugins Track Snapshots store the following settings on a single track: Devices • Every parameter for Ableton devices (Instrument, MIDI Effect, Audio Effect) • Every configured parameter for VST/Audio Unit plugins • Four sound configurations 3.2 Naming your tracks The default names in Live (“1 Audio”, “2 MIDI”) are dynamic. If you move a track, it gets renamed. If you insert a track in the middle of your set, all the subsequent track names are incremented by one digit. For Kapture to be able to identify the tracks and restore the proper Mixer and Device states, even if the tracks are moved, each track needs to have a unique name. Go through your Live Set, and give each track its own name (without spaces or unicode characters). THIS IS IMPORTANT: IF YOU HAVE SEVERAL TRACKS SHARING THE SAME NAME Kapture MAY ACT UNPREDICTABLY. For the first time you play around with Kapture, you can certainly use the default tracks asis. Simply be aware that recalling snapshots after inserting/deleting/moving tracks with default names may cause unpredictable results. 3.3 User Interface - Global View The Global View is where you can kapture, recall and edit Global Snapshots. A Global Snapshot stores the Mixer and Devices parameters for every single track in the Live set: Audio, MIDI, Returns and Master.

   

 

3.3.1 Kapture Creating a Global Snapshot, nothing could be easier. Simply tap the “Kapture” button and a new Global Snapshot will appear in the list as “New Snapshot X”. Here”s a simple demonstration of Global Snapshots in action: • Create a new Live set with 2 Audio tracks • Tap “Kapture” • Bring the volume faders of both tracks half-way down • Tap “Kapture” • You can now tap “New Snapshot 1” and the Live set returns to its previous state. • Tap “New Snapshot 2” and the volumes move again. 3.3.2 Filter The Global Filter lets you selectively ignore the Mixer and/or the Devices part of a track. Tap “Filter” to bring up a list of the tracks and two options for each: Mixer and Devices. Remove a checkmark to ignore that part of a track when recalling a Global Snapshot. The filter is applied only when you recall a snapshot, not when you store a snap- shot. Tapping “Kapture” always stores all parameters of all tracks. This means you can store a new snapshot even if half the tracks are deactivated (in part or fully) in the Filter. Continuing the previous example: • Tap Filter • Remove the “Mixer” checkmark on the “1- Audio” track • Tap “New Snapshot 1” and “New Snapshot 2” • Notice how Track 1 doesn’t change, but Track 2 does 3.3.3 Edit Tap Filter Remove the “Mixer” checkmark on the “1- Audio” track Tap “New Snapshot 1” and “New Snapshot 2”. Notice how Track 1 doesn’t change, but Track 2 does. Tap the ‘Edit’ button to bring up options for managing your Global Snapshots. You can easily rename or delete any single snapshot. You can also delete all with a single button. But don’t worry, you’ll get a confirmation box so you’re in no danger of accidentally deleting everything!

   

 

3.3.4 Trigger Track Kapture Pad has a special function whereby clips in a track named ‘Kapture Pad’ will recall a Global Snapshot. For example, if you create a MIDI track called ‘Kapture Pad’ and in it you have a clip named ‘New Snapshot 1’ then launching that clip will recall that Global Snapshot. This can be very useful when you start a new song in your Live set. Another use could be using many clips with follow actions to change Global Snapshot rapidly on the beat. 3.3.5 Trigger Clip exceptions A Trigger Clip inside the Trigger Track can have an argument as a name. For example: [tempo=x] : Where x is 0 or 1. This disables tempo recall in Global Snapshots. For example the clip could be named “[tempo=0]”. Launching the clip will set tempo recall off. That means that recalling any Global Snapshot will NOT set the tempo to the saved value. [rate=x] : Where x is the interpolation rate in milliseconds multiplied by 100. 1 is the fastest speed. Usually this exception doesn't need to be altered, but if morphing is causing the GUI to freeze, try higher values. For example the clip could be named: “[rate=3]”. Launching the clip will set the interpolation rate to 300ms. If you set the clip name to “[rate=2]” and launch the clip it will set the interpolation rate to 200 ms. [xx] Before a Global Snapshot name will cause the snapshot to be triggered with the value in the brackets from 1 to 64. For example the clip could be named: “[16] New Snapshot 1”. This will cause Snapshot 1 to be morphed into 16 beats when triggered. This can be used to highly customize your morphing options and have them stored in your Live Set. The clip needs to be launched for the command to be executed. 3.4 User Interface - Track View and Morph Pad The Track View lets you create snapshots not for the whole Live set, but focused on a single track (whether Audio, MIDI, Return or Master). The other major difference with Global Snapshots is that you can have up to 4 different sound configurations for a single track. You can then morph between them with the Morph Pad.

   

 

3.4.1 Track Selection To get started, tap the track that you want to work with. The currently selected track has a check mark on it. You need to select the track before you can edit, recall, morph or delete snapshots. You can only play with one track at a time. 3.4.2 Edit Once you’ve selected a track, tap the ‘Edit’ button. This changes the look of the Morph Pad and splits it into four slots. The slots are ordered clockwise starting at the top-left. Set all the device and mixer parameters as you with on that track, then tap the first slot. Then you can move all the device parameters to create another sound and tap the second slot. You can create up to four slots. When you’re done, tap the ‘Done’ button. 3.4.3 Morph Pad The Morph Pad is very simple. Each corner contains a slot you previoulsy created. Tapping directly in that corner recalls that snapshot. Dragging between corners morphs the parameters. Simple! 3.4.4 Global Morph Slider The Global Morph Slider is located beneath the global snapshot list and above the global, track and bank buttons. Drag it all the way to the left to set it off and drag it to the right to increment the morphing time. Morph from ½ beat to 64 beats. Great for tempo changes and thunderous breaks! 3.5 User Interface - Bank View Let’s say you’ve created a number of Global Snapshots and Track Snapshots for your Live set, how do you recall them the next time you play? Very easy: save a Bank. The ‘Save’ and ‘Save As’ buttons work as you would expect on any software. ‘Save’ will overwrite the currently loaded Bank (identified by a check mark). ‘Save As’ will create a new Bank and let you name it as you wish.

   

 

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