Just Add Music - QC port for Ableton

itsthejayj's picture

The Just Add Music 2 (JAM2) project

Hi Guys i thought it was about time i talked about what i've been working on for the last 4 months. Just Add Music 2 (JAM2) is my second attempt to join together Ableton Live a music synthesizer and Quartz Composer to create a live audiovisual performance and production tool.

Abletons functionality is very flexible and is a great tool for quickly loading, performing and recording with audio and MIDI files. Just Add Music is a plugin that sniffs out all the parameters of Ableton's unofficial API. With JAM Ableton (Abe) is transformed into a multimedia application, this means we can use Abe's simple interface to load in images, movies, and any other formats including Quartz Compositions into QC. Ableton artists can launch these assets with Midi controllers, ipads, and instruments.

The intention of JAM is to mimic Ableton, allowing for obvious audiovisual synchronisation, artists can launch and perform a/v content without a separate visual application. I've built some sample compositions that show how Quartz Composers and Ableton can work together to display screen composites and audiovisual effects. The future intention is to allow users to build there own compositions using the protocols i've set up in Quartz Composer, hoping to open up an industry where we can build interactive custom set ups for music artists and make some money?!

However at the moment i've having some problems with the application on certain systems and was wondering if people could try and run the application which is an simple Kineme Quartz Bulider app and post the results with system specs?

Information for setting up JAM is available at my new blog located at http://tinyurl.com/32h9sd3

Thanks Jon (jayj)

photonal's picture
Re: Just Add Music - QC port for Ableton

This looks v. nice! I asked Ableton if they could support video clips a couple of versions ago but it never got implemented (which is a shame 'cos of course the Ableton interface would be great too as a VJ tool), this looks like the next best thing ;-)

dust's picture
Re: Just Add Music - QC port for Ableton

this is awesome, i have been waiting for a beta for sometime jon, here is a video i made with live a while back for fun. sort of a response to the viral og video done in sort of a cold cut motif where i use the video clips to make drum beats and stuff. i'm hoping to do something similar with JAM2 in session view ;)

so its kind of repetitive but the very end is cool and the middle as his nuts get chopped.

photonal's picture
Re: Just Add Music - QC port for Ableton

that clip is excellent!! :)

you made the video just with live?

dust's picture
Re: Just Add Music - QC port for Ableton

yeah not in session view though. you would have to watch the original steve porter version. to get the context, but yes you can drag and drop video onto live and arrange like music. this is just raw cut. didn't know you could video edit in live. max4live sort of changes everything now. i mean you can drag and drop clips into max for effects and stuff.

itsthejayj's picture
Re: Just Add Music - QC port for Ableton

Cheers guys, @dust nice addictive tv'esk video, + i'll get you that beta soon enough, protocols have to be perfect first so i don't have to change them after you've created your own comp's.

Just got midi working tonight, touchscreen Sequencer anyone!

dust's picture
Re: Just Add Music - QC port for Ableton

wow your really coming along. you got the video, the waveform, now the midi. your like me i'm still working on the perfect virtual controller. finally found a solution for everyone its a controller that lets you design your control layouts natively in three-d.

photonal's picture
Re: Just Add Music - QC port for Ableton

oh no! can't believe I missed this one - thought it was a 'live 8' feature!

toneburst's picture
Re: Just Add Music - QC port for Ableton

It's looking good, Jon. Long time no see, incidentally.

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