Enable your Orchid as an Input in Ableton. With your Orchid physically connected to your computer, we can now enable it for use in Ableton Live.
- Open Ableton Live, and in the top menu, navigate to
Live -> Preferences(orOptions -> Preferenceson Windows) and click on theLink/MIDItab on the left-hand sidebar. - Look at the "MIDI Ports" section at the bottom of that window. Find the input named "Orchid" (if using USB-C) or your MIDI interface's name (if using the 5-pin cable). Click the checkbox under the "Track" column so that it is enabled. You can now close the Preferences window.
- Open Ableton Live, and in the top menu, navigate to
Create a MIDI Track. In your Ableton session, right-click an empty space and select "Insert MIDI Track".
- Route the Correct Channel. To prevent a messy, overlapping sound, the Orchid separates its MIDI data into three distinct streams. On your MIDI track, look for the "MIDI From" dropdown menu. Set the top box to "Orchid" (or your interface). Set the second box to the specific channel you want to record:
- Channel 1: Records your Performance notes, like Arpeggios, Strums, and Voicing dial melodies.
- Channel 2: Records the single Bass notes.
- Channel 3: Records the raw, sustained Chords.
(Tip: Capturing "All Channels" on one track will result in duplicate, muddy notes, so always pick just one specific channel per track!).
- Arm and Record. Click the small "Arm Session Recording" button at the bottom of the track (it has a circle icon and will turn red or pink). You should now see a little meter flashing when you press keys on the Orchid. Hit the main Record button at the very top of Ableton to begin capturing your performance!