mat4live

MAT functions as the heart of a theater or show, track playback system based on Ableton Live. It provides the intuitive, simplified interface that a musical director, conductor or musician needs to navigate a complex show.

MAT is a cross platform (Mac or PC) runtime application that  functions as an alternate graphical user interface (GUI) for Ableton Live. It was written using the MAX/MSP programming environment from Cycling '74 by Michael Atwood, who currently works as an audio technician for Cirque du Soleil's "KA" at the MGM Grand Hotel/Casino in Las Vegas.

MAT works by re-mapping the keys on a typical midi controller to different midi channel/note combinations based on which song is currently loaded. This allows the user to trigger an entire show's worth of scenes or clips in Ableton Live very easily. It can be used as a show cue system for sound effects or to play back complex musical scores.

Programming of MAT is done by creating very simple text files. The user creates a 'songlist.txt' file that tells MAT the names of all of the songs in your show and what MIDI channel should be associated with each song. Then a text file is created for each song that tells MAT which midi notes should trigger the different scenes or clips in that song.