i’m looking to get feedback on my design for an ableton live clip control device. especially from anybody who might be interested in pcbs or a kit. i’ve designed the entire project with easy to get and inexpensive parts, so if anybody’s interested i may do a run of pcbs.
as some if you know, i’ve been working on this for quite a while. i started out with the software, making a way for midibox and ableton live (via liveAPI) to communicate with detailed information. then i designed pcbs for it, and have a working prototype. now i’ve changed the design to be much smaller than the original PT-10 case. i took a CATIA class this semester and did the design in 3d so i could see how it all fits together (the case is only 1.3" high).
the box is comprised of only two pcbs. a core32, and the control surface. it’s usb powered (although i might add a power connector that automatically switches off usb power) so there are only two wires necessary: the ribbon cable from the core32 to the control surface, and a usb cable. simplicity and minimalism is best. 
my own needs have been met with the design, but i’m looking for feedback from anyone else who might want to buy a pcb and build it. maybe i’ve left out some kinds of control that others could use. keep in mind that other boxes are planned for other things, and this design is pretty much only related to clips.
the interface:
the interface has 64 tactile buttons and and 59 3 color leds (green, red, orange) done mb6582 style.
the main section has buttons that trigger a 5 (scene) x 8 (track) grid of clips. the leds above each button give feedback based on what’s going on in live. red if a clip exists but is not playing, green if a clip is playing, flashing green if a clip is about to be triggered, and orange if a clip is playing or looping (these might change).
the 5 buttons (vertical) to the right launch scenes.
the 8 buttons across the bottom stop the playing clip on the track, and the bottom-right button stops all clips.
the left side has play/stop controls, record mode toggle, overdub toggle, and each has led feedback to show the state.
the bottom left are the bank buttons. the script puts the famous red box around the clips on live’s interface, and the bank buttons will move the red box accordingly, and of course the led indicators on the clip grid will change as well.
prev is a preview button. if you “get lost” on the button grid, holding preview and pressing a clip button will put the red box around only that clip so you can see which clip you would be triggering with that button. using preview with the stop button will highlight that track, and a scene button will only highlight that scene.
sel is a select button. holding select and pressing a clip button will activate that clip and make live show clip detail at the bottom. using select with a stop button will activate the track and show device view. select and scene will activate that scene, and while holding select, a scene button will toggle between clip detail and track view (i haven’t yet finalized how this function will work, but it’s an idea).
the alt button will allow many other parameters to be changed at once. the first row of clip leds will now show which tracks are muted, and allow you to toggle mute for them. second row is for solo. the third and fourth row will allow you to nudge the clip forward and backward. the stop buttons at the bottom will let you toggle arm for the track, and the leds will indicate which are armed for recording. the scene buttons will change the entire mode of the box for future applications.
finally, holding the loop button will change the clip leds to show you which clips are set to loop, and let you toggle loop for that clip.
the case:
the following pictures show various views of the casing. the case is aluminum and is sold in a 4 colors, as well as bare aluminum so you can paint it yourself. i will have FPE do the cutting. i haven’t yet figured out what to do for the text graphics. getting FPE to etch it is easiest, but i’d like some graphical design on it with screenprinting or lasertrans. i’m certainly open to suggestions on this. the overall size of the case is quite small: 7.38" x 4.70" x 1.30" (188mm x 119.5mm x 33mm). i’m estimating that the cost to build will be around $150 - 200. i realize that something like a novation launchpad can be bought for the same price, but money is not a reason to DIY. this will be part of a larger system, and i think that the way it’s used will expand with other midiboxes.
so if anybody is interested in having one of these, this is your chance to help finalize the design. the button count will stay at 64 or less, because it’s just a lot easier to use one blm scalar matrix. however, the functionality of the buttons at the left can be changed pretty easily. and almost anything you can imagine is possible with liveapi.
pr0n:
