Ableton Live - Device Mode

Device Mode is a special dynamic workspace that reads all the parameters of a selected device and displays them on the touch pads and dials for manipulation.

Due to the way this dynamic workspace has been built, it is not customizable.


Entering Device Mode
Engage Device Mode via home screen links or by clicking button 2.
This automatically brings you to the bottom bar, which shows all the devices on the track. There, use the wheel or arrow keys on CT or Dials on Live to select the device that you want to control.

PROTIP for CT: If the device isn’t selected automatically and you don't want to use your mouse, hold Fn and press Save twice – this will select the device at the bottom bar, and you can then use the wheel or the CT arrow keys to select and browse devices on the currently selected track.


Pads: toggle actions
Toggle-type actions (e.g., on/off type values) and some dropdown-type actions (e.g., filter types, oscillator shapes) are found on pads, and tapping the pad browses through the available values of that parameter.

Dials: handy parameter manipulation and automation

Parameters with freely set numerical values appear on dials (e.g., filter cutoff, dry/wet, volume, etc.) for convenient dial-type control.


Note that there are often several pages worth of parameters to unravel for most devices. Pushing the home button always takes you back to the initial page of the device.

TIP: Dials are made to be experimented with! Do get creative with them, and do note that pushing down on a dial will always return a parameter to its default value, so if you want to get wild with effects, for example, you can, as you can get back to the initial value very easily. Or, if you want to record a filter sweep and return the filter to its default position? No problem: just record the sweep and press the dial...handy!



Too many parameters?
Do notice that Device Mode lists all parameters – even ones that may not be active or visible in your current operational state of the plugin. For example, for Delay audio effect, you will see L Time and R Time, which are inoperable if you are in Sync mode: they only work when you switch sync off, but CT/Live displays them all the time. Same goes for filter Drive features: they are always seen, but unless a filter type using Drive is in use, they do not do anything.
This is not a bug: CT/Live is supposed to show all parameters of the plugin.


Macros for convenience


It may often make sense to group a device to enable Macros in Ableton Live and then map your most often used parameters to them, in order to make seeing and operating the most important parameters more convenient and immediate. Your Loupedeck device will read and report the Macros immediately.


Note that even when you have enabled Macros for a device, you can still move the device selection to the actual device and see all its parameters again, so using Macros does not exclude being able to see all parameters.

Third-party device parameters
You may come up with a question: “What parameters do my third-party devices show, and why can’t I see them all on my device?” This has to do with how the device is configured to work in Ableton Live and does not have to do with Loupedeck CT/Live.


Refer to Ableton Live manual (relevant section: “Plug-In Configure Mode”) for how to display third-party plugin parameters (so you can see them in and operate them with CT/Live).
Also seek information on line “-_PluginAutoPopulateThreshold=32” for options.txt file, which has to do with the number of third-party plugin parameters that is reported automatically.

 

TIP: abundance of parameters – many creative possibilities!
While browsing through a vast list of parameters – offered by Live’s synths, for example – can be arduous in a way (using Macros help a lot in this regard), seeing everything that a plugin has to offer and playing with the parameters can actually great for many “happy accidents” and a serious source of ideas and inspiration. Many synths as well as plugins have a lot of features and parameters that can either be hidden or something we have never played with.


For example, you can change the Oscillator type of Analog (parameter: OSC1 Shape) with a simple touch of a button, and same goes for the Algorithm that Operator uses: you can simply click through them. And what’s best, you can record all this action.


So, do explore what your devices have to offer, as there is often more than immediately meets the eye. CT is made to help you unleash the creativity with your favorite devices!