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Futility User Guide

Futility is a Max for Live device that provides important shortcuts for Ableton Live. It offers shortcuts for arming tracks, soloing tracks, and zooming that work on the currently selected track. The device also includes unique shortcuts for un/bypassing the first 10 devices in a track's chain sequentially. A new feature in version 4 is the Track Control floating window, which provides mixer controls for the selected track directly on the screen. It is meant to reduce use of the mouse while working in Live.

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martin
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55 views

Futility User Guide

Futility is a Max for Live device that provides important shortcuts for Ableton Live. It offers shortcuts for arming tracks, soloing tracks, and zooming that work on the currently selected track. The device also includes unique shortcuts for un/bypassing the first 10 devices in a track's chain sequentially. A new feature in version 4 is the Track Control floating window, which provides mixer controls for the selected track directly on the screen. It is meant to reduce use of the mouse while working in Live.

Uploaded by

martin
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
Available Formats
Download as PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Hi! This is Futility.

A MaxForLive tool device by Valium•Du•Peuple

Live is missing important shortcuts, and so Futility offers you those. For the most part,
these shortcuts work on the currently selected track.
Futility was born a long time ago, and since then Ableton did implement some of these
shortcuts natively into Live (arm/solo track, zooming etc); these are still available from
Futility as a way to customise them if needed.
Still, most shortcuts available from Futility are unique to this device.

How?
You can put Futility in any track, where you usually put your utility stuff.
Simply key/midi map all those buttons (some of them don’t look like buttons, I know!), and save in
your template so from now on every new set will have these shortcuts ready to go automatically.

Every button’s role should be straightforward, but if you have any doubt you can hover over a
button and a little info popup will appear.
What’s new in Futility v4?



• the Track Control floating window

• the Devices Switcher

Track Control floating window:


This floating mixer appears at your mouse’s location when you press its corresponding
shortcut.
It gives you access to the selected track’s mixer section, sends and In-Outs included.
While the whole idea behind Futility is to use the mouse less, the Track Control floating
window is meant to be used with the mouse. Just because. None of its GUI is mappable.

Devices Switcher:

These buttons are devices/plugins un/bypass switchers.


They work on the selected track, on the first 10 devices/plugins,
sequentially. Or, chronologically? Is this the correct term?
« 1 » acts on the first device in the chain, « 2 » on the second one and so
on, you get the idea.

It ignores devices in racks. A rack is treated as a single device.


In other words, it won’t un/bypass devices inside a rack.

Important:
- if you add a new device (or move devices) in your chain while Futility’s Devices Switcher
is currently focused on this track, you’ll need to go back and forth from another track for
the new device to be registered by Futility’s Devices Switcher.
- don’t use the Devices Switcher shortcuts while Live is recording (if you have automation
rec active), or you’ll end up with automations conflicts i.e an automation on the controlled
plugin and one on Futility! This actually true for every Futility’s shortcuts.

General tip: press the word « futility » at the top of the device in case you need to
instantiate it.

Enjoy!
Try to be happy, peace
ValiumDuPeuple

Release notes:
v4.0:
- new Track Control floating window
- new "Devices Switcher"
- « kill mute » and « TakeDown » (and a few other bits) stability improvements.

v3.5.2:
- muted tracks could get unmuted on sets’ load

v3.5.1:
- Live's Save dialog was opening on load.

v3.5:
- new feature: key/midi mappable "move selection to a new Take lane" automated
process (only available in L11).
- "toggle sel. clip" is renamed to "Play/Stop selected clip"
- some clean up

v.3.4:
- AutoArm was blocking Live's Undo history
- fix "needs to press kill/mute twice"
- fix using (kill)mute blocking Live's undo history
WARNING: the « show envelope » action can crash Live 11beta (due to the WIP new
detail clip tabs. Hopefully Ableton will fix this before the release)

v3.3:
unreleased

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