MIDI from Android phone to Ableton Live on PC Laptop

[Mike]

Hi, so I just bought Set List Maker (SLM) and I'm having a little trouble. Let me just preface this by saying that I'm familiar with Midi, been working with it for years but I can't seem to understand how to make SLM send MIDI to my computer via USB. According to the website all you need is a USB cable for Android devices. As per the website: "The Android version can send and receive MIDI over RTP (wireless) or USB".

I've set up Midi presets and added them to songs, etc. but every time I try and send these messages to Ableton Live it doesn't even receive midi from SLM. Is it as simple as plugging it in via USB and it should pick it up MIDI messages or is there something I need to do to get SLM to communicate with software on my PC?

Also the app keeps crashing on me whenever I try and change MIDI settings such as the "send midi preset" option in Settings>Automation.

[arlo]

Hi, so I just bought Set List Maker (SLM) and I'm having a little trouble. Let me just preface this by saying that I'm familiar with Midi, been working with it for years but I can't seem to understand how to make SLM send MIDI to my computer via USB. According to the website all you need is a USB cable for Android devices. As per the website: "The Android version can send and receive MIDI over RTP (wireless) or USB".

You can send MIDI via the USB port on your Android device, but that doesn't mean you don't need a MIDI interface to connect from there to another device, or a MIDI driver installed onto your computer. It depends on what device or OS you're connecting to. I don't really know about the built-in MIDI capabilities on Windows, but I can look into it.

Also the app keeps crashing on me whenever I try and change MIDI settings such as the "send midi preset" option in Settings>Automation.

Is that on a phone? That will be fixed in the next update in the next day or two.

[Mike]

Thanks for your quick reply!

Makes sense I would need some kind of interface. Just thought since it could send midi data over USB I thought it would work kind of like a standard midi controller where you just "plug and play". But I guess even those need some kind of drivers. I will look into some kind of midi interface.

Yes the app is installed on a phone (will be getting an iPad soon). Thanks for fixing that. Appreciate all the help!   

-Mike

[arlo]

Before you buy any hardware, you could try this driver and see if it solves the problem:

http://www.humatic.de/htools/mnet/download.php

Or if you're interested in sending MIDI over wi-fi...

http://www.tobias-erichsen.de/software/rtpmidi.html

[Mike]

Thanks! Will try that stuff later tonight. You have been extremely helpful.

[arlo]

I checked with the makers of the mnet driver linked above, and it sounds like that will not work for connecting a tablet to a computer directly with USB. I think you will either need to add a USB MIDI interface to your computer, or install RTP MIDI for a wireless connection.

[Mike]

Yea, tried the mnet driver and it didn't work. Will try wireless next and if that doesn't work I'll go ahead and buy an interface, there's a couple that I already have in mind.

Also, I reinstalled SLM and it stopped crashing. So far it's working well.

-Mike

[arlo]

Also, I reinstalled SLM and it stopped crashing. So far it's working well.

I released a new version yesterday that fixed lots of bugs. Did you uninstall and reinstall the app? I think you would have gotten the same benefit just from installing the update. I generally don't recommend uninstalling and reinstalling because you lose all your data when you do that.

[Mike]

Yes I did, but no worries, I had not started to create any "real" setlists yet that's why I did it. Glad you got those bugs fixed. The wireless connection seems to be working. Just a matter of figuring out how to use these hexadecimal midi messages.

-Mike

[Mike]

Hey Arlo just wanted to let you know that I've got everything working how I want now and it's working brilliantly. Thanks again for all your help.

-Mike

[arlo]

Excellent.

[jaytrax]

Can you let me know how your triggering song in Ableton live with SLM or Bandhelper