Hi all!
I am having trouble figuring out how to send clock to ableton from the pyramid and controlling it with the pyramid transport. With the research ive done so far, it seems that you cant control ableton with the pyramid transport? if thats true, i find that absolutely crazy and the pyramid becomes useless to me when i want to make it the “brain” of the studio. Does anyone have any info on this they could share?
truly appreciate the help!
Regards
Check Pyramid: Settings > MIDI Out > Sync MIDI A/B/USB & Start/Stop
Check Ableton to respond to EXT (may depend on your flavour of Ableton).
Off the top of my head (not tested), and Live 9 on Windows system:
Options > Preferences > MIDI > Input: Sync
This brings up an [EXT] option in the upper left corner on my system which allows me to sync to external MIDI.
However, Ableton does not play well with external sync in my experience… YMMV
Hey thanks for the reply,
All those settings have been applied previously but ableton doesnt notice the pyramid as a control surface. Ive tried to send clock out of ableton via usb but once the pyramid receives clock, it doesnt distribute it well to my abstrakt avalon. However, if i make the pyramid the master, clock is distributed evenly to all. So I thought ableton would be easy to be clocked by the pyramid.
looks like i have to, yet again, buy another piece for the studio (e-rm multiclock)
Yeah, sorry. I’m not well versed in Ableton. I only learn just enough to do what I need to do and if it gets too confusing I find another way around.
I’m not sure what you mean by
In my rig I experienced a crippling amount of MIDI jitter when trying to incorporate Ableton, and the ‘solutions’ really weren’t. So, it was less confusing to find another way around and for me that was pulling Ableton out of the equation and go fully hardware and I’ve found a bliss.
The E-RM MultiClock was the solution that was offered to me and that seems like a solid option.
Something something USB and prioritising MIDI and blah blah blah.
If you use Ableton as purely a sound module and can accept a modicum of jitter wrt soft synth LFO’s, then it might not be an issue. If you want to warp audio or sync Ableton clips, then yeah: I’d think multi-clock.
There will always be another piece to buy for the studio. - Anonymous Wise Person
i just meant that for some reason when i send midi to the pyramid from ableton, the clock that goes thru the pyramid is completely off when going to the abstrakt.
How are you recording tracks and mixing them without ableton?
If i could get away from the computer, i would. but i need compressors, eqs, processing to mix and send off to press.
Clock completely off: Sounds like MIDI Jitter, alright.
Recording/mixing?
I’m a hobbyist. 
…and no one wants to hear the stuff I make. heh heh
haha fair enough. Thanks for the help though!
I guess i just cant understand how Ableton cant make a reliable clock output, after being around for more than a decade, yet charge 800 for the software lol.
Also, equally i cant understand why squarp wouldnt make the pyramid able to communicate with a daw in the most obvious and basic form imaginable, start and stop.
and to have to finally resort to getting yet again another device to make this happen is just crazy to me lolll 
ah, yes.
well, I don’t know if you’re on a Mac or a PC, but the problem in my understanding is neither Ableton nor Squarp, but inherent in the nature of the way the computer operating systems approach USB wrt to MIDI data.
Trust me: I’ve been there and was beating my head against the wall so hard.
Maybe that’s why I have brain damage?!?
But honestly: do you need to sync to record to Ableton?
Audio isn’t a problem, just MIDI.
I guess you do if you have tempo changes, or at least have to have creative workarounds, but generally since Audio doesn’t have the timing issues you can record each track separately irrespective of tempo Ableton is at - just a str8 audio file, no warping.
If you have a problem lining them all up just put a ‘click’ as the first beat of any audio and then line up the clicks, then edit them out. Like just the audio of a clapperboard.
If you still have small timing issues, let’s say your song is in 128bpm. Just warp from the warp marker at the click 128bpm and it should only require minor adjustment if anything.
Or a multi-port audio interface like an Octacapture.
But really: i feel your pain.
For some reason my custom built “all the best/fastest stuff” computer couldn’t handle it. Yeah, there’s probably things you can do to make it better, but if there is an issue, it will always be an issue and you will have to fight it over and over. I’m lazy - I have other things to do.
So yeah: honestly I just record irrespective of Ableton sync. If I want to throw something like Stutter Edit on some of those Tracks I just make sure I get the 1 at the 1. If I don’t try to sync, everything is fine. I don’t think compressors and exciters and stuff need sync.
But again: I’m just a hobbyist and kind of an idiot.
I’m probably missing a bunch of things, but no one listens to my music.
Well, sober at least.
Another hobbyist here - sync recording is a mixed blessing. I have it nicely working with Fostex D2424LV recorder as master when working on audio and it’s priceless to be able to go back and add a new synth track if you realize you need it afterall, or there was a mistake in the original track(s).
OTOH the price is the DAW curse: because you can go back and tweak, you will. Been tweaking the drum track of a song in progress for months now, as the whole song has been transforming into something entirely different as more audio is recorded, and re-recorded, tweaked and then re-recorded again because the earlier recording no longer matches the new development 
No that’s not right. You can. Just tick the ‘sync’ against the pyramid line in midi prefs.
If you don’t mind me saying…
You’re barking up the wrong tree if you’re trying to get the pyramid recognised as a ‘control surface’ though as it isn’t.
However… after years of trying to get ableton to sync from external sequencers I would say “don’t “
If you think about it logically a computer slaved to an external clock trying to stream or record sample accurate audio while simultaneously trying to adjust for jitter is an inherent contradiction.
By far the best option is to slave the pyramid to ableton no matter what the configuration /use.
Honestly I’m not saying this from a position of arrogance /snobbery or anything like that. I’m saying this from bitter experience.
You will waste hours of your time trying to get it to work and when you come to mix down none of the audio files will line up /sync properly.
Clocks from computers are usually really accurate. Clocks from hardware vary considerably.
because its an inherent issue in using midi over usb using operating systems like windows/macos.
… its not something Ableton can ‘fix’ - go talk to microsoft/apple 
as above, pyramid can control ableton’s transport and sync.
pyramid → turn on midi out, sync usb = send, start/stop usb = on
then in ableton,
preferences → input → pyramid = sync = on
click on EXT.
Im sure there are lots of videos on youtube, showing how to setup ableton for slave clocks,
and also how to apply things like offsets
I’ll just mention is most common to let the computer be master and other instruments slave.
but do what works best for you. (I often slave the DAW to my sequencers for ease of use)
as above, you may encounter jitter with the clock - this very much depends upon your setup.
(I actually see very little… or at least its perfectly acceptable to me)
the perfect solution requires use of something like an e-rm multiclock (there are others) which (simply put) use audio signals, which have guaranteed delivery on windows/mac.
again, if you search the internet, and this topic you will find a lot of information about this topic.
its a ‘general issue’ with using hardware (esp sequencers) with computers… and promotes alot of discussion.
personally, I found ‘peace’ with it, my getting it ‘good enough’ , and not seeking it to be perfect… this was my ‘cost effective’ solution
Thanks for response!
ive long since had all settings/inputs and outputs correct on both ableton and the pyramid. All up to date as well. Something else is going on with the communication between ableton and the pyramid. Now also having issues with the squarp communicating with my elektron OT.
I definitely understand what you guys are saying about slaving ableton. I figured id just give it a shot because i exhausted all other options.
Have an erm coming in later today. hoping this remedies all the chaos!
Also, Would you happen to be the technobear with the youtube channel as well? if so, your videos are amazing and quite in depth.
one and the same - glad you enjoy 
(more coming in the winter months…)
In case you didn’t notice, there are interesting related observations in this thread: Using an external clock - #7 by vt100
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