ableton-sound-design

name	ableton-sound-design
description	Design sounds and program native Live instruments and audio effects via the abletonsdk MCP tools — pick/insert built-in devices, set their parameters (read with ableton_get_device), build Instrument/Drum/Effect Racks and macros. Use when shaping timbre or processing sound in Live (NOT for writing MIDI notes — that's ableton-midi).

Ableton sound design & devices

The what-makes-sound layer: insert and program native Live instruments and effects through the abletonsdk MCP tools. ableton-midi writes the notes; this skill makes them into a sound. Mixing-specific use of effects lives in ableton-mixing.

Workflow

1. Perceive — ableton_get_context for the track/device tree; ableton_get_device on a device addr for its live parameters (names, current values, min/max, valueItems).
2. Choose — pick a built-in device (instrument or effect) by exact Live name.
3. Act — ableton_run_code: await track.insertDevice(name, index), then set params via await param.setValue(v) (find params by .name).
4. Verify — ableton_get_device to confirm the new values.

Setting parameters — the one rule that matters

DeviceParameter.setValue(v) takes a numeric value in the parameter's own [min,max] (from get_device), NOT a percentage. Critically, many continuous params are normalized 0–1 in the SDK (e.g. Reverb Dry/Wet, Operator Volume, filter Frequency) even though the Live UI shows %, Hz, or dB — while others are in real units (EQ Gain ±15 dB, Glue Comp Threshold −40..0). Always go by the captured min/max. Quantized params (isQuantized:true) take the index into valueItems (e.g. EQ Filter Type 0–7 → ["High Pass 48dB",…]). Helper:

async function setParam(dev, name, v) {
  const p = dev.parameters.find(x => x.name === name);
  if (!p) throw new Error("no param: " + name);
  await p.setValue(v);
  return await p.getValue();
}

Reference (read on demand)

File	When
reference/devices-and-params.md	The param model, the introspection procedure, normalized-vs-real units, built-in-only
reference/racks-and-macros.md	Instrument/Audio-Effect Racks, chains, macros (+ the macro-mapping limit)
reference/drum-racks.md	Drum Racks, pad↔note (receivingNote), building/inspecting kits, Simpler samples
devices/<name>.md	Curated per-device param tables + tips + a run_code snippet

Curated devices (devices/): instruments — operator, wavetable, simpler, drum-rack, drift; effects — eq-eight, compressor, reverb, delay, auto-filter, saturator, glue-compressor, utility, echo, chorus-ensemble. Any other device (Roar, Collision, Hybrid Reverb, …) is usable too — insert it and read its params with ableton_get_device (see devices-and-params.md).

Hard limits

• Built-in Live devices only — insertDevice cannot load VST/AU or presets (.adv/.adg); you build sounds by setting parameters, not loading presets.
• No automation/modulation authoring — you set a parameter's current value; you cannot draw automation or macro→param mappings via the SDK (see racks-and-macros.md).
• Exact device names matter ("EQ Eight", "Glue Compressor", "Chorus-Ensemble").
• For making notes → ableton-midi; for balance/routing → ableton-mixing.
• Before deleteDevice or replacing a device on the user's track: confirm first — see ableton-safety.