Using your Moog instrument with Ableton Live

NOTE: This document uses the Subsequent 37 as an example instrument. The process for connecting to your DAW will be the same even if you are playing a different Moog instrument. 

If your synth does not have an editor or if you do not wish to use the editor, simply ignore these portions of the document. This document focuses on Ableton and Logic but you will find the basic information relevant to any DAW.

Setting up a MIDI and Audio connection in Ableton:

Click PREFERENCES-LINK MIDI and select the Subsequent 37 or your interface as an INPUT and OUTPUT device.

Turn TRACK and SYNC on for the INPUT and OUTPUT of the device and turn START STOP SYNC to ON.

Click on PREFERENCES-AUDIO and select your interface as the AUDIO INPUT and AUDIO OUTPUT device. Click CREATE-INSERT MIDI TRACK.

On the MIDI track, select the Subsequent 37 or your interface as the MIDI FROM and MIDI TO device.

Turn MONITOR to OFF to avoid MIDI feedback. You may also want to set the MIDI FROM and MIDI TO channels to separate numbers to further avoid MIDI feedback. For example, set MIDI FROM to channel 1 and MIDI TO to channel 2. If you do this, make sure that the IN and OUT channels are set accordingly on the synth (IN on channel 2 and OUT on channel 1).

Next, click CREATE-INSERT AUDIO TRACK. On the audio track, select your audio interface as the AUDIO FROM device, it may also appear as Ext. In. Select the audio input channel to the channel which you have the Subsequent connected. Set AUDIO TO to MASTER. Set MONITOR to IN.

You can also accomplish the above MIDI and audio routing via Ableton’s external instrument plugin. Select EXTERNAL INSTRUMENT from Ableton’s INSTRUMENTS tab and drag this on to a MIDI track in your session.

In the device view, set MIDI TO to the Subsequent 37 or your interface and select the desired MIDI channel. In the track view, set MIDI FROM to the Subsequent or your interface and select the desired MIDI channel.

On the MIDI track, turn MONITOR to OFF and set the AUDIO TO to an available audio track. On that audio track that you’ve just selected, turn MONITOR to IN and select the appropriate audio input channel.

If you are using a MIDI controller with your setup, you will simply select it as the MIDI FROM device in all the above examples and turn MONITOR to IN.

Using the Editor Software in Ableton:

Find the Subsequent 37 Editor VI in Ableton’s PLUG-INS tab. Add the Editor VI to an available MIDI track.

On the MIDI track, set MIDI FROM to the interface or the Subsequent 37 and select the channel that the Subsequent or your interface are sending MIDI data on and set MONITOR to OFF.

Set AUDIO TO to an available audio track. On that audio track, select the interface and input channel that you have the Subsequent 37 connected to and set MONITOR to IN.

On another available MIDI track, select the Subsequent 37 Editor VI as the MIDI FROM device. Set MONITOR to IN and set MIDI TO to your interface or Subsequent 37 and select the MIDI channel accordingly.