Using Ableton Live 12’s Tuning System with External VST Instruments

Ableton Live 12 now includes a Tuning System, but can it only be used with instruments inside Ableton Live 12, or can it also be used with external VSTi’s?

The tuning system in Ableton Live 12 can be used not only with Live’s built-in devices, but also with MPE-compatible plugins. This means that when working in tunings other than 12-tone equal temperament, you can access various scales not only with Live’s internal instruments, but also with external MPE-compatible VST instruments. However, to use the tuning system with external plugins, the plugin must support MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression). Be aware that with VST plugins that do not support MPE, you may not be able to take advantage of Live 12’s tuning features.

Playing with Live 12’s Tuning System on a Standard Keyboard

When playing in tunings other than 12-tone equal temperament using Live 12’s tuning system, using a standard piano-style keyboard can be difficult for the following reasons:

1. The relationship between the key layout and the actual pitches is not intuitive
   On a 12-tone equal tempered keyboard, the interval between adjacent keys rises by a semitone each time. However, in other tunings, the intervals are different, making the relationship between key position and resulting pitch less intuitive.
2. It is difficult to accurately play in tunings other than 12-tone equal temperament
   For example, in just intonation, the pitch of the same key changes subtly. Accurately expressing this on a standard piano keyboard requires skill.

To solve these issues, consider the following methods:

1. Use an MPE (MIDI Polyphonic Expression) compatible keyboard
   With an MPE keyboard, you can continuously vary the pitch for a single key. This makes it easier to express subtle pitch differences such as those in just intonation.
2. Use a visual guide
   Some products can indicate the positions to be played on the keyboard with LEDs, matching the scale of the tuning set in Live. This makes the correspondence between tuning and keyboard clear at a glance.
3. Devise your own fingerings to match the tuning
   Although it may be difficult when you are not used to it, it is also important to practice changing your fingering to match the intervals of the tuning.

In any case, using a standard piano-style keyboard as-is is difficult, so I recommend modifying your playing environment, such as by introducing an MPE-compatible keyboard or using visual guides. It may be challenging until you get used to it, but it is well worth the effort to gain the expressive power of various tunings.