Key Arranger
Key Arranger is a Max for Live device for arranging songs in Live’s Arrangement View just by pressing keys on a Midi Keyboard. The Key Arranger workflow makes it easy to try out different combinations of parts and progress at your own pace.
With Key Arranger, you can mute and unmute clips by pressing keys on your keyboard and thereby try out and listen to different combinations of sounds. You can work on a section as long as you like, then save and move on to work with the next section. In that way, the tool combines the intuitive qualities that you normally only get in the Session View with the linear workflow of the Arrangement View.
Using Key Arranger
With Key Arranger you arrange your song in Live's Arrangement View by using your midi keyboard. When adding the device to Live, your clips are mapped to keys on your controller.
To start, set a section length of your choice by adjusting the loop in Live's Arrangement View and enable your clips for arrangement. Then, by pressing keys on your keyboard your clips will unmute or mute. This makes it possible to quickly hear how different parts sound together, and what it sounds like if you add or remove parts to what is currently playing.
When you have a combination that you want to keep, use a dedicated key on the keyboard to keep the section and get a duplicate to work with next.
Additional Features
With Key arranger you can sketch out a full arrangement just by using your keyboard and one function key. There are also additional features such as:
- switch scenes
- adapt section lengths
- capture more detailed arrangements within your current section length
- map a group of tracks to one key, and map individual sounds from a drum rack to separate keys
System Requirements
- Mac OS (Sierra or later), or Windows 10/11
- Ableton Live 11 Suite, or Live 11 Standard with Max For Live 8 as an add-on license
- RAM: minimum 8GB, recommended 8GB+
- Midi Keyboard
Note:
Note that Key Arranger is not a performance tool, since it does not launch clips in a quantized manner like you can do in Live's Session View. It is a tool that uses the Live API to move, copy, mute and unmute clips as you press keys on your keyboard, making it useful for quickly creating arrangements.
Key Arranger Screenshots