| 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)
- Perceive —
ableton_get_context: read the Set's tempo and scale
(rootNote/scaleIntervals); note existing tracks so you don't clobber them.
- Plan — pick the musical content with
music-strategies (progression, beat,
bassline, melody) and pass one key + one tempo through every part for coherence.
- Confirm — preview the plan with
ui.confirm before building (every change is
confirmed — see ableton-safety); proceed only on Approve.
- 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.
- Mix — rough static levels/pan (+ a send if a return exists) with
ableton-mixing.
- Verify —
ableton_get_context / ableton_get_clip_notes: tracks + instruments
present, notes in key.
- 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.
