In one of my YouTube videos about setting up Live Loop Cutting (MLR style) in Ableton Live, I demonstrated a template I made for the MIDI Fighter 64 that included some super fun momentary FX. This guide will cover all the techniques you need to know to create your own FX-triggering template.

First, let’s make a distinction between Momentary FX and Toggle FX:

Toggle FX – Click once to turn the effect on, click again to turn it off.
Momentary FX – Hold to turn the effect on, release to turn it off.

It used to be much more annoying to create momentary FX in Ableton Live, first using performance clips (dummy clips) and later with Max for Live.

These days, we can use built-in tools like Envelope MIDI, Expression Control, and Shaper to achieve just about any type of effect control.

All of these techniques fall under the art of controllerism. Check out the full Controllerism workshop we did HERE, where we cover many more techniques beyond momentary FX.

And don’t miss the Live Trigger FX Template at the bottom of the page for an example of how far you can take these methods.

To build our own custom Momentary FX triggering system, we’ll start by creating a new MIDI track dedicated to FX triggering.

On this MIDI track, we can use either a Drum Rack or a MIDI Effect Rack with key zones assigned to each FX trigger.

The built-in Envelope MIDI modulator is perfect for momentary triggering.

First, set it up with no attack, full sustain, no release, and turn off velocity sensitivity (see image). Then map it to any parameter for instant momentary control.

You can fine-tune the Min and Max values of the mapping to shape how the parameter responds. For example, with Redux, you might map the main Rate knob but have it reduce the Rate every time you trigger the effect. In that case, set the Min to 100% (Rate all the way up when the effect is not triggered) and the Max to around 75% when triggered.

You can use Modulation mode to keep control over the parameter and modulate it relative to its current position, or use Remote mode to take full control over the parameter.

In some cases, we may need to map the Envelope MIDI to multiple destinations.

For example, to create a real-time reverse effect with PitchLoop89, we can map the Freeze button. But since this effect is always on, we also need to map the Dry/Wet knob.

We can achieve this using the Multi-Map feature inside the Envelope MIDI device.

We can also control the amount of FX by how hard we hit the MIDI note or pad.

To do this, simply enable velocity sensitivity in the Envelope MIDI. This works especially well when mapping Send knobs.

What if we want to press a button to control the send knob but also mute the audio after a 1/4 note?

To do this, we need to use two Envelope MIDI devices: one to control the send knob (like before) and another to mute the track or anything that controls the volume, such as a Utility device. For the second Envelope MIDI, we’ll set the attack time to match a note division according to the BPM, and set the Attack Slope to -100% so it happens immediately.

We can use free tools like THIS ONE to calculate the milliseconds for a 1/4, 1/8, or 1/16 note at our BPM.

If mapping to the Utility device, don’t forget to set the Envelope MIDI Min to 50% (0 dB in the Utility Gain) and Max to 0% (-inf dB in the Utility Gain).

The problem with manually syncing the attack time to a note division is that every time the BPM changes, we have to readjust the attack time. To solve this, I created a Max for Live utility that auto-maps to the Envelope MIDI attack time and locks it to a chosen note division. It then updates automatically whenever the BPM changes.

Envelope MIDI Attack Sync

This Device is included in Composition Power Tools (Over 100 Racks, Preset Packs, Templates and Max for Live Devices)

To get more expressive with our effects, we can combine our Momentary FX with the classic MIDI mapping mode with another control such as the mod wheel, a fader, knob, or encoder and map it to a different parameter in the effect. This adds variation to the Momentary FX, since we can tweak parameters while triggering the effect.

Some examples include:

• Speed of the Beat Repeat
• Filter Frequency
• Reverb Time
• Delay Feedback

If you have an MPE controller (like the Push 3), you can use the pads to momentarily trigger FX, while the MPE controls such as Slide and Pressure can be used to shape effect parameters.

To map Slide and Pressure, we’ll use the Expression Control device.

In some situations, we only have buttons or notes on our controller, or we simply want to trigger a sequenced effect such as a filter opening or a reverb build-up.

For example, when I hit a pad or a key, I might want it to trigger a one-bar filter sweep.

For this, we have two options:

1. Use the Shaper MIDI device and multi-map both the effect’s on/off switch and the parameter you want to control. This will trigger the sequenced effect in its entirety. For example, if we set it to 1 bar, triggering the effect will make it run for the full 1 bar.

2. Use a combination of the Envelope MIDI and the Shaper (Audio Effect version) to turn the effect on and off while retriggering the Shaper. This still provides a sequenced effect but also lets us use it as a momentary trigger. For example, if we don’t want the effect to run for an entire bar, we can simply release the note or pad to turn it off.

The Envelope MIDI is multi-mapped to both the effect’s on/off switch and the retrigger button of the Shaper (the small gray R). The Shaper itself is mapped to the effect’s parameter.

Because we are triggering all the FX from a dedicated MIDI track, we can use Max for Live devices like THIS ONE for real-time quantization.

This will quantize all FX triggering, which is especially useful for effects like Beat Repeat and time-based effects such as delays.

Place this device first in the chain, and keep in mind that the global transport must be running for real-time quantization to work.

Furthermore, because we are using a dedicated MIDI track to trigger the FX, we can also create MIDI clips to sequence the effects.

This allows us to build effect-triggering presets simply by using different clips with different FX sequences. 

Although the built-in tools like Envelope MIDI, Expression Control, and the Shaper modulators give us everything we need to create momentary FX, I also recommend a free Max for Live device called MIDI Hub.

It lets us map various MIDI controls to different destinations and includes other built-in features such as smoothing (fade-in and fade-out) and quick MIDI note learning.

I’ve created a Max for Live utility that takes over 8 pads of the Push to send out regular MIDI notes. These pads can then be mapped to momentary FX. The layout is dynamic, so the pad positions will adjust automatically based on the current Push layout.

Ableton PUSH Momentary FX Utility

This Device is included in Composition Power Tools (Over 100 Racks, Preset Packs, Templates and Max for Live Devices)

And finally, I took all these techniques and created a master template featuring 64 momentary FX.

This template can be incorporated into any Ableton project and comes with a custom Max for Live device to display which FX are active, along with a custom Audio Effect Rack for 8 performance encoder effects.

Although I’m using the Push to demonstrate this, you can use the template with any controller, including a MIDI keyboard.

FEATURES

• 64 Momentary FX divided to quadrants
• 8 Custom Momentary Encoder Filter FX
• FX Layering
• 18 Quintillion Possible FX Combinations
• Dynamic Display of Last Played FX
• Load into Any Project
• Compatible with PUSH 3 Standalone
• Don’t have PUSH? use with any controller!

Live Trigger FX Template

If you would like to learn a lot more techniques about controllerism check out our 2+ hours workshop HERE

This session will focus on:

• • How to Controllerism
  • Planning a Live Routing
  • Playing Melodies with a Fader
  • Advanced Clip Launching
  • Trigger & Momentary FX
  • Dummy Clips & Automations
  • Beat Fader
  • Custom MIDI Controllers
  • INCLUDED: Controllerism Template
  • INCLUDED: Controllerism Project from Class
  • INCLUDED: Relative Keys Max for Live Device (Exclusive)