Max for Live Device

The Producer Pal device is a Max for Live MIDI effect that connects Ableton Live to AI by giving it an interface to the Live API.

Main Tab

The Main tab shows the connection status and provides quick access to common actions.

• Version - Current version number
• Status indicator - Shows "Producer Pal Running" (green), "Producer Pal Stopped" (black), or "Producer Pal Error" (red) if something went wrong when trying to start.
• Docs - Link to this documentation site
• Open Chat UI - Opens the built-in Chat UI in your default browser. The UI is also reachable from other devices on your local network (handy for phone access, but be mindful on shared networks).

If you see "Producer Pal Error", click the three-dot menu in the upper right of the device, select "Open Max Window", scroll down if needed, and look for an error message.

Context Tab

Project memory helps AI understand your creative goals and preferences. Memory is saved with your Ableton Live Set file. To stop AI from reading your memory, clear the text area; to stop AI from writing to it, disable the ppal-context tool on the Setup tab.

• Memory text area - Your project-specific instructions and preferences
• Open Editor - Open the memory editor in a larger view in your web browser

Example notes:

• "Always use velocity ranges on drums other than the kick"
• "Use occasional triplet rhythms"
• "Use strong harmonies with one chord per bar"

Setup Tab

Server

• Start/Stop - Control the server that connects AI to Live
• Port - Network port for connections (default: 3350, change only if another app uses this port)
• Timeout - Maximum time for AI operations (default: 30 sec, increase on slow computers if experiencing timeouts during complex operations)
• Small Model Mode - Reduces prompt size for local/smaller models like Ollama and LM Studio
• Direct Live API - Enables the opt-in Direct Live API tool, giving the AI direct access to the Ableton Live Object Model for scripting, debugging, and covering gaps in Producer Pal's specialized tools

Sample Folder

Configure a folder of audio samples to expose to the Library tool. Items from this folder appear before Live's library results in searches.

• Choose - Select your sample folder
• Clear - Remove the configured folder

Debug

For development and diagnostic purposes. Generally not needed for day-to-day use.

• JSON Output - Display raw JSON in tool responses
• Verbose Logs - Enable detailed logging in the Max console