ableton-playbooks

name

ableton-playbooks

description

End-to-end procedures that build complete musical results in Ableton Live — e.g. "make an 8-bar loop", "sketch a track idea", "build a beat with bass and chords". Use when the user wants a whole multi-part deliverable (loop / groove / track section with drums + bass + chords + lead + a rough mix), not a single atomic edit. Orchestrates the ableton-midi / music-strategies / ableton-sound-design / ableton-arrangement / ableton-mixing skills.

Ableton playbooks

Playbooks are goal-oriented procedures that compose the knowledge skills into a complete, in-key, tempo-coherent deliverable with a rough mix. Use a playbook when the ask is a whole thing ("make me a loop / a beat with bass and chords / a track sketch"). For a single atomic edit ("write a Cm chord", "add a reverb"), use the WP4 skills directly (ableton-midi, ableton-sound-design, …).

Shared workflow (every playbook follows this)

1. Perceive — ableton_get_context: read the Set's tempo and scale (rootNote/scaleIntervals); note existing tracks so you don't clobber them.
2. Plan — pick the musical content with music-strategies (progression, beat, bassline, melody) and pass one key + one tempo through every part for coherence.
3. Confirm — preview the plan with ui.confirm before building (every change is confirmed — see ableton-safety); proceed only on Approve.
4. Build — create tracks + instruments (ableton-sound-design), then write MIDI (ableton-midi, in key via degreeToPitch) — wrap the mutations in one withinTransaction(() => Promise.all([...])) so the whole build is a single undo.
5. Mix — rough static levels/pan (+ a send if a return exists) with ableton-mixing.
6. Verify — ableton_get_context / ableton_get_clip_notes: tracks + instruments present, notes in key.
7. Report — what was built, the key/tempo, caveats ("load drum samples to hear the kit"), and "press Cmd-Z to undo" (one entry if grouped). See ableton-safety.

Playbook library (playbooks/)

Playbook	Builds	Status
eight-bar-loop.md	Drums + Bass + Chords + Lead → one launchable 8-bar Session scene, in key, instruments + light mix	ready
drum-beat	genre drum patterns on a Drum Rack	pending (WP5b)
chords-and-pad	a progression with a pad sound	pending (WP5b)
bassline	bass+kick-composite bass with a synth	pending (WP5b)
arrange-loop	turn a loop into an arranged track (sections)	pending (WP5b)
mix-balance	levels / EQ carve / sends pass	pending (WP5b)

Playbook structure (how each file is written)

Goal/when → Parameters + defaults (runs with zero input) → Procedure (perceive→plan→build→mix→verify→report, each step naming the skill) → Consolidated run_code (the centerpiece) → Definition of done → Variations/knobs → Caveats. Playbooks reference the WP4 skills; they don't restate device params or theory.

Cross-cutting caveats (SDK limits that shape every playbook)

• Drums need samples — a fresh Drum Rack has no pads loaded and the SDK can't load factory kits; write the pattern + tell the user to drop samples, or use a synth-drum variation. Melodic parts (synths) always sound.
• No automation — static parameter values only (no risers/sweeps/sidechain pumping).
• Built-in devices only, clip length fixed at creation, re-perceive after structural edits.