Lucid - Remote for Ableton Live
Lucid is an Ableton Live Remote Controller for touchscreen devices designed for fluid controls, with added live performance-oriented features and even system workflow approaches to Ableton Live. It is based on a blend of TouchOSC and Max for Live.
Not just a controller, a philosophy of play.
Lucid does not allow you to do everything from your iPad; a trusty mouse and a keyboard with good shortcuts are infinitely more efficient to configure a session, in my opinion. But when it's time to play, feel, and vibe, this is where those fall short.
MIDI controllers have been my go-to for a long time and they still are a big part of my setup today, but I always felt like there were some gaps in my play, features I would love to have, and so I just ended up making my own controller.
So, Lucid is the result of almost 2 years of research, learning Max and TouchOSC. It is carefully designed to be very familiar and intuitive for Live users, with a custom UI for TouchOSC, breathing space between controls, and a thoughtful layout and placement of elements. Choices were made purposefully to avoid friction, especially when working on touchscreen devices without haptic feedback. And many more little details.
Max for Live Sequencer Extension
Lucid features a custom 16-Step Max for Live Sequencer. It's your traditional and efficient 16 steps sequencer, but with a few twists in terms of options for generating random patterns. And also an unorthodox approach to handling pitch.
Live Demo
Open Ecosystem
Lucid features a few entry points for you to use, like the pre-established network connection between your TouchOSC device and Ableton Live for your own Max for Live devices that would benefit from an OSC Remote Control!
To go along with that, you also have an embedded section within the controller to put your own custom controls. And of course, being a Max for Live patch and TouchOSC Template, this means that you can open things, modify them, add your own stuff, etc.
Learn more about all of it here!
YouTube Playlist
Requirement
You will need Ableton Live 12.4.6 Suite, or with the Max for Live Extension. A touchscreen device such as an iPad, Android tablet, phone, Linux, or Windows machine with a touchscreen-compatible display. Note that Lucid can be used locally on your computer, so you technically do not require any touchscreen device to use it, but then what's the point? Just click Live's UI directly, no?
On the device with the remote controller on it, you'll need to have the TouchOSC application from Hexler. The desktop version can be used for free, but the touchscreen one will be around 20€; trust me, even outside of my remote controller, it will be worth it.
Although the remote controller can run on almost anything technically, I would recommend using more recent devices with medium to large size screens in order to have a good experience, and also with a good Wi-Fi chip if you plan to use Lucid wirelessly. As for Ethernet use, most iPads and Android tablets do support USB hubs and Ethernet adapters; standard 1Gb/s ones should be more than enough since OSC is a pretty lightweight communication protocol. But keep in mind that your device will need to be charged, so hubs are a little bit better here.
Join the Discord
Join our little community, give your feedback, exchange ideas, share your custom layouts, etc.
Support the long-term development with Patreon
If you are a Lucid user and you want to help me keep it alive.
No refund allowed
Due to the nature of digital goods, we regret to inform you that we cannot offer refunds on our sample packs purchases. We encourage the customer to carefully review the product descriptions and previews before purchasing to ensure compatibility and satisfaction. Thank you.
Contact
If you have questions, do let me know at contact@arsene-martinet.com
