I've been searching for a solution for this irritating problem, seems like this has been an Ableton bug since version 7.x.

I have a Behringer X-touch, and the sliders seem to go to +5db whenever the slider is set to 0db in Ableton. I took me a while to notice because I wasn't looking at Ableton, and I was making sure my channels were set to 0db on the X-Touch.

I fired up Studio one, and this plays very nicely with the Mackie control so I am sure this is not a problem with the X-Touch.

Has anyone else noticed this, or have a decent solution?

 

I'd suggest writing a bug report to Ableton.

 

I only have the trial of Ableton, support won't touch the likes of me

 

Hi Haliax,

Have you the newest Firmware updated ?
Have you ask the Behringer Hotline !

https://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=238177
https://gearspace.com/board/music-c...nger-x-touch-compact-amp-push-2-problems.html

User say:
It seems like something is wrong with sending and receiving the fader values. It's not Logic X, because Logic 9 and Reaper behave the same way on the same machine. So it must either be due to MacOS 10.9 or to the hardware of my Mac Mini. Since it is not clear where the problem comes from and I don't have a Mackie Control for comparison, I can't fault the X-Touch in that regard. The funny thing is that all the other MIDI devices in my setup work without a problem.

 

Last edited: Apr 16, 2021

I have the latest firmware, and as far as the interface goes I have no problems at all (apart from the dB issue). Moving to S1 for the final mix could be an option, but it's ignoring the root issue.

I have submitted a fault report with Behringer, I'll see what they come back with.

Thanks

 

A bit more searching just now shows this is an issue with Ableton.


Q: I've noticed that Unity gain in the Live UI maps to +5db on Mackie MCU control surfaces. (Mackie's Unity 0 = -4.0 in Live)

Yes, this is true. As you already might have noticed, the maximum gain on the MCU scale is +10db, whereas Live's maximum is +6db. If a fader is at +6 in Live, it will send out the maximum controller value and thus drives the motorfader to +10db (or respectively 0db in Live goes to +4db on the MCU). It would in theory be possible to simply subtract 4 db and then send out the corresponding controller value, but this would be wrong as well (as it does not take the exponential volume curve into account and the fader would not respond at lower values). The only proper solution is to rescale the range internally. However, at the time when we implemented support for the Mackie Control, there was no way to rescale the controller messages and this is still not possible. Btw, you will run into similar problems if you map an ordinary MIDI controller to a volume fader: it is impossible to reach exactly 0db. We are working on a solution which rescales exponential volume curves to MIDI controller values and this should also provide the necessary functions to eventually change the MCU script.





https://forum.ableton.com/viewtopic.php?t=94192

 

I read it - that's a sad thing.

Spoiler: Alternatives

Alternatives
The full-size X-Touch is unique in offering MCU-powered DAW control alongside X-Air integration, but if it’s just the DAW side you’re interested in then there are some alternatives to check out. The second generation of Icon’s QCon Pro surface, the Pro X, is due to be shipping by the time you read this. This has a similar spec to the X-Touch, with an attractive low profile and a full meter bridge (the latter could be a pro or con depending on your preference).

Based on some pre-order listings it will cost around £100 more than the X-Touch. Mackie’s own Control Universal Pro is, of course, also still available. If you need something more customisable, with fader recall groups and Pro Tools support, then look at Avid’s own Artist controllers. On a smaller budget, if you just need a MIDI controller with motorised faders and can live without MCU mode, Behringer have the BCF2000 for around £250.

 

Last edited: Apr 16, 2021

On Ableton midi mapping you can set the min / max of a value received from a controller, I use this feature a lot with my controller sliders. The 0db in midi value correspond approximately to 108 in a 0-127 scale

On Ableton manual search for:
Mapping to Absolute MIDI Controllers

This is the midi mapping menu in Ableton: