stefkeB

After struggling with finding a reasonable way to combine Ableton Live loop recording, my Marshall amplifier and my POD X3 Live floorboard, I found a way of controlling it all, without (too much) additional hardware or pedals. In fact, I can diminish the amount of pedals considerably, as I don't have to use the Marshall pedal switchboard. I did had to buy a MIDI-2-USB connector, since the X3 Live connection through USB to the laptop does not send MIDI signals, only audio.

Control the Marshall Amp with the X3 Live floorboard

(I originally wrote this on http://line6.com/community/thread/38069)

I have the X3 Live and a Marshall JVM 215C.

The Marshall can be programmed to react on MIDI signals. The X3Live seems to only send some MIDI signals around.

What I do:

• connect a MIDI cable from X3Live MIDI out to Marshall MIDI in
• set all the buttons on the Marshall in the correct position (channel selector, reverb and master and fx/loop selector).
• double click the program-switch from the Marshall to start listening to incoming MIDI
• click on a PODX3Live bank select button
• If the Marshall starts blinking and then stops, it has recorded the bank-select click from the POD.

Now I can switch to the correct amp channel and buttons (NOT THE DIALS, ONLY THE BUTTONS) by switching to another patch on the POD.

Beware!

• The volume, gain, etc... dials on the Marshall don't react on MIDI and they don't move.
• Every single bank switch on the POD will have the Marshall react. That means, by default, every single channel switch on the POD will make the Marshall switch to channel A clean, reverb off, master volume channel 1, fx off. Unless you programmed it differently using the above procedure.

Controlling Ableton Live with the X3 Live

(see also discussion on http://line6.com/community/thread/36398)

I [...] used a MIDI conversion tool, to manipulate the MIDI signals from the POD into something more useful.
It works, but it is not trivial. I used it successfully to use the tap-tempo button for MIDI mapping in Ableton Live.

My first attempts failed, but then I remembered I could use my USB MIDI Controller "hold" pedal with success. So I analyzed that first to see what that was sending: two signals. That gave me the hint I needed.

I used Midipipe (freeware on OSX), but I assume other software can do similar things.

• Midi In, set to receive MIDI from my USB2MIDI interface from Edirol/Roland.
• AList (which is just the display of the received signal). Use that to see what is passing through a particular step.
• Message Convertor to translate all CC064 (damper pedal/sustain) messages to MIDI channel 2. This ensured I could ignore all the rest that was being transmitted.
• Message Filter set to filter out MIDI channel 1 (so my output was a bit cleaner).
• Control Split, set to inverse the signal. I also enabled "duplicate original message".
• WHAT I ASSUME THAT IS HAPPENING: it always ensures that both a "0" and a "127" value are sent, which is the equivalent of pushing a button and releasing it. That was needed for proper reaction in Ableton.
• AList (just to see what is getting through)
• Midi Out (to send the result through the MidiPipe MIDI instrument.

In Ableton I allowed the Midipipe instrument to remote control and then listened to that only. Then I could toggle the switch and Ableton reacted. I used it for the Looper main button.

I guess there are other approaches and now I learned Midipipe, I can start to investigate more complex messages.

But for now I'm happy: I can use only the POD X3 Live buttons to

• switch channels on my Marshall Amp (JVM series - they have MIDI in to react on Bank Switch messages and you can store the settings of the knobs that way - not the dials).
• toggle Looper in Ableton Live.
• And still use the sounds from the POD and switch during recording.