Ableton Link not working as hoped

Questions
1

Set up
MacBook Pro running DJAY pro
Pioneer ddj-1000
iPad Pro running Light Rider

I use a lighting controller on my iPad called Light Rider. It includes facility to LINK tempo with Ableton. It uses this data to synchronize my light show to the beat (and recognize the beginning of each bar)

DJAY PRO and light rider do connect by Ableton but the the behavior is not as required.

I want
The DJAY PRO tempo to dictate to the lighting software at all time, furthermore I specifically want the tempo from the live deck to be broadcast and accepted by light rider.

I get
DJAY PRO takes the tempo from light rider and applies it to the deck I am fading in. Disaster.

I’m told (by the staff at Light Rider) that the implantation of Ableton on TRAKTOR works ok but that the other DJ software packages including DJAY PRO are all getting this wrong.

I believe this is a coding challenge for the folks at Algoriddim and would like to know if they know of the issue.

Equally if there are any users out there who have solved this one being smarter than me … I’m all ears.

2

Which app are you enabling Link on first?

The way Link works is that no one app is in charge. They all have equal rights to start/stop/set tempo etc. but if you prefer DJay Pro to set the tempo, then enable Link there first, and the lighting app second.

2 Likes
3

Hey PK

You’re fast!

I’ve not consciously activated Ableton in any order. I’ll try that, but will it set a precedent beyond the first song?

If as you describe that last signaled tempo rules then …. during a live set when I’m operating the DDJ 1000 I have a recurring problem ….When coming out of the live deck …. Ableton will force the upcoming deck to light rider tempo?

4

Are you doing a lot of jumping around in tempo then? Typically with modern DJing you’d try to avoid that.

You talk about fading in, but usually that would be done with the incoming track at the same tempo as the outgoing one, so not an issue for LR.

5

Hi @Dan_Edwards,

Please refer to these articles for more details on how Ableton Link works with djay Pro and how the djay Pro Sync function works. djay Pro will act as the master if it is linked first and plays the initial beat.

7

Thank you both for getting back to me.
Slackjaw - I’ll take a look at those

1 Like
8

Opening the Advanced Settings options on Mac version 5.1 I see no such ‘Ableton Link’ section, where do I find this option in the latest version as I want to set up sync with Soundswitch.

Screenshot 2024-02-12 at 20.54.44
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9

From what people have said previously, it’s under master volume (I know it’s weird).

10

Dear @Slak_Jaw,

thank you for pointing out that djay Pro will act as master if we follow these steps.

Could you please explain the right steps to do so that djay Pro stay as Link-Master when using Automix?

Regards
Heiko

11

@Rob_Grimes see screenshot below for the Ableton Link switch

IMG_0760
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12

Thanks;

@PKtheDJ agree that is the last place I would have looked.

At least the support articles should be updated to reflect the shipping software. How do I use Ableton Link in djay Pro for Mac? – Algoriddim Support

13

Hi @Heiko_Fanieng

As long as you don’t stop playback in djay or disconnect the Link connection, it should remain the Master. However, I suspect you will need to test and experiment with this to confirm. In my experience, if there is a dip or loss of WiFi connection the Link and resulting Sync can be thrown off.

14

OK, I’ll try to test this out. but why should i check WiFi?

Missed to point out my configuration. djay and Ableton runs under MacOS on the same machine :wink:

15

Ah okay @Heiko_Fanieng. I assumed you were using Ableton Link between two different devices. In which case WiFi won’t matter and it should perform more consistently.

16

two different devices is level 2.

#1 is that i wan’t that djay and Ableton works on the same device as expected.

you do a great job for this community :+1:, so please figure this out.

in 1 or 2 years i didn’t find a solution or a case in that the dj-software (in Autoplay) stays as master > Ableton link :wink:

17

Hi @Heiko_Fanieng, in that case, please try to capture a video of this happening, upload it to your Dropbox/Google Drive, enable the necessary sharing permissions, and share a link to the video here. I can then forward this to the engineering team to see if they can reproduce your issue on their equipment. Thanks!

18

I’ve tested in automix and djay pro remains the master tempo when moving between songs - Ableton linked devices pick up the new track tempo.

Note - I’ve tested on wifi and connect simply with usbc cable - both share the Ableton protocol between devices.

What does not work is DJAY modes outside of automix….ie regular manual mixing. In this instance … djay does not assert a master tempo when I manually beat match. And this is my problem for hooking up to lighting equipment via Ableton.

19

Hmmm, I missed that info earlier. Not sure why you’re running Live (which I’m assuming you are when you say Ableton). You do know that there’s no need to run Live in order to use Link?

20

Rob - let me know how you get on. We’re both trying to do the same thing - take a signal from DJAY to drive tempo in lighting software.

I’m still struggling ….

21

Have you tried with Sync ON while manually beatmatching in djay Pro. I could be wrong, but I believe for Ableton Link to work Sync needs to be ON.