Questions regarding loop module + Ableton Link settings w/Traktor

Brilliant Winfield

TLDR:

Question 1: can you extend the lead-in time when using Pattern as the Target in Loop Mode?

Question 2: is there a way to manually control the Ableton Link clock?

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I hope I’m not asking something that has been asked 100x over, but I have been looking for some info for several months - if it helps I have read the manual and googled until my eyes hurt, but can’t really find the answer I’m looking for.

Like a lot of others here, I use an MK3 to loop live instruments, and I have found that the lead-in time after pressing Start is totally different depending on my Target type.

If I have it set to Sound, the current pattern will play through its entirety and will begin recording once the play head gets back to the beginning of the phrase/pattern. This is ideal and great.

However, if Target is set to Pattern, it will begin recording (from what I can tell?) on the beginning of the next measure, regardless of where the pattern is. I have learned to adapt to this by only pressing the Start button right before my loop, but it doesn’t give me much time to maneuver back to my instruments to get in position.

Is there a way to increase the lead-in time when using Pattern as Target? Or, since Sound works as preferred, can anyone recommend a workaround using Sound that will give me Pattern-type functionality?

I also wanted to see if there was a way to manually control Ableton Link’s clock - from what I have read, the clock is supposed to sync to whatever app first enters the Link, and I am Linking my MK3 and an S5 controller. However, if I press Link on my S5 first, the Link clock often appears to connect in the middle of the measure as if an invisible clock has been ticking outside of Traktor. This means that if I am independently playing a track, and hit Link, there is a good chance that the app is immediately “off” even if I hit Link directly on the 1.

(This leads me to believe that my S5 is getting its clock from elsewhere, maybe my Scarlett? which I also don’t know how to adjust.) Is there a way to fix this?

Thanks for reading!

D-One

Question 1: can you extend the lead-in time when using Pattern as the Target in Loop Mode?

No, it's not configurable.

You can try pressing 'Start' right after the downbeat, which gives you a bit less than a full bar of lead in but depending on what your doing that might not be enough. I think you're much better off creating a new pattern first and using "Sound" as the Target this way you have the full pattern length as lead-in time. If you do this often then make a template with a bunch of empty Patterns ready to go.

The SW and HW screen tells you what the lead time will be after you press 'Start', idk why it changes based on different things. It would be nice to just use the same count-in time we have set in your Prefs>General>Count-In Lenght but Audio wouldn't work right because it needs to start at the beginning of the sample/loop, hard to explain in words.

https://community.native-instruments.com/discussion/comment/92927#Comment_92927

I also wanted to see if there was a way to manually control Ableton Link’s clock - from what I have read, the clock is supposed to sync to whatever app first enters the Link, and I am Linking my MK3 and an S5 controller. However, if I press Link on my S5 first, the Link clock often appears to connect in the middle of the measure as if an invisible clock has been ticking outside of Traktor. This means that if I am independently playing a track, and hit Link, there is a good chance that the app is immediately “off” even if I hit Link directly on the 1.

(This leads me to believe that my S5 is getting its clock from elsewhere, maybe my Scarlett? which I also don’t know how to adjust.) Is there a way to fix this?

Theres no relation between Link and your Audio Interface.

Once you enable LINK on the 1st device and start playback LINK will always be running even if you stop playback, so on your 2nd device you should only enable LINK if it's playback is stopped and wait a tiny amount of time (you will see the LINK bar in Maschine moving) and only then your should press play on Maschine, this way it will wait for the next measure to sync Start synced.

I don't use Traktor to know if it has Link peculiarities, but there's a chance that it does not wait for playback to start LINK, but if this happens it should be visible somewhere like it is on Maschine.