Meyer Devices MIDI Tools Volume 2

With some of Philip Meyer’s MIDI Tools being included in the official release of Ableton Live 12, we’re happy to feature his sequel, designed to supercharge your creative workflow even further, directly in Live 12’s MIDI editor.

What's Included? 8 in total

• Bass + Lead

• Chord Inverter

• Even Seed

• Mask Pattern

• Micro Stretch

• Phrase Shuffler Pro

• Range

• Reduce

The Devices

Generators

Even Seed

Even Seed was developed to address the limitations of Ableton’s native Seed MIDI Tool. While Seed generates a random cloud of notes—useful for sparking ideas—its distribution can often be uneven, with many notes clustered at the beginning of a clip and little activity at the end. Even Seed resolves this by slicing the clip into segments and generating notes within each one, ensuring a more balanced distribution.

Mask Pattern

An unconventional rhythm generator that builds patterns from negative space. Initially inspired by the goal of replicating the evenly distributed rhythms of the Euclidean algorithm while also enabling more irregular, clustered patterns, Mask Pattern evolved into a one-to-four-track rhythm generator capable of producing a wide range of interlocking polymetric patterns. Ideal for percussion but equally effective in melodic contexts through the interaction of patterns at varying pitches.

Transformers

Bass + Lead

Extracts the lowest note from a chord progression to create a bass line. Simply copy the chord progression into a clip on the bass track and run the transformation. Uses the same chord detection logic as Chord Inverter, with an Attractioncontrol for adjusting the sensitivity of the chord detector.

Chord Inverter

Automates the creation of alternate chord voicings in a progression. Detects chords in a MIDI clip by analysing overlapping notes, then applies inversion and stretching processes to create variations.

Micro Stretch

Allows for fine stretching or compression of loops in a MIDI clip to produce phase shift effects. Inspired by techniques found in Steve Reich’s Drumming, Come Out, and It’s Gonna Rain.

Phrase Shuffler Pro

Effortlessly rearranges note groupings within a MIDI clip. Especially powerful for resequencing classic breakbeats. This advanced version builds on the original Phrase Shuffler with expanded features for granular control.

Range

Provides stretch, compression, shifting, wrapping, folding, and clipping of pitch, velocity, and chance ranges. Useful for tailoring note attributes to suit drum racks or introducing clip variations. Includes a shaper function similar to that in Phase Pattern for added versatility.

Reduce

A simple and effective tool for decreasing note density in a clip. Mutes notes to create space and simplify patterns. Although similar functionality is available in Pattern Transform, Reduce offers a streamlined interface for this specific task.

Where should I install my MIDI Tools?

Your Live 12 User Library should include a folder called MIDI Tools, and that’s the best spot to store them. If you don’t see that folder there by default, no worries — you can manually add it yourself. 

Once the MIDI Tools are in there, give Live a minute or so to detect them. After a minute or so, they should appear in the corresponding MIDI Tool panel of Live’s MIDI clip note editor.

Please note: MIDI Tools are not the same as devices: they work directly in the note editor and cannot be dragged onto tracks like devices can.

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