LivePilot

An agentic production system for Ableton Live 12.
178 tools. Device atlas. Spectral perception. Technique memory.

[!NOTE]
LivePilot works with any MCP client — Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf.
All tools execute on Ableton's main thread through the official Live Object Model API.
Everything is reversible with undo.

Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                                                             │
│   KNOWLEDGE            PERCEPTION           MEMORY          │
│   ───────────          ──────────           ──────          │
│                                                             │
│   280+ devices         8-band FFT           recall by       │
│   139 drum kits        RMS / peak           mood, genre,    │
│   350+ impulse         pitch tracking       texture         │
│   responses            key detection                        │
│                                                             │
│   ┌────────────┐      ┌────────────┐      ┌────────────┐   │
│   │   Device   │─────▶│    M4L     │─────▶│ Technique  │   │
│   │   Atlas    │      │  Analyzer  │      │   Store    │   │
│   └─────┬──────┘      └─────┬──────┘      └─────┬──────┘   │
│         └───────────────────┼───────────────────┘           │
│                             ▼                               │
│                    ┌─────────────────┐                      │
│                    │   178 MCP Tools  │                      │
│                    │   17 domains     │                      │
│                    └────────┬────────┘                      │
│                             │                               │
│             Remote Script ──┤── TCP 9878                    │
│             M4L Bridge ─────┤── UDP 9880 / OSC 9881         │
│                             │                               │
│                    ┌────────────────┐                       │
│                    │  Ableton Live  │                       │
│                    └────────────────┘                       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

The atlas gives the AI knowledge of every device in Ableton's library —
real names, real URIs, real parameters.

The analyzer gives it ears — spectral data from the master bus
via a Max for Live device.

The memory gives it history — a searchable library of production decisions
that persists across sessions.

All three feed into 178 deterministic tools that execute on Ableton's main thread.

Tools

178 tools across 17 domains. Highlights below — full catalog here.

Core

Perception — 32 tools [M4L]

The M4L Analyzer sits on the master track. UDP 9880 carries spectral data
from Max to the server. OSC 9881 sends commands back.

[!TIP]
All 146 core tools work without the analyzer — it adds 32 more and closes the feedback loop.

SPECTRAL ─────── 8-band frequency decomposition (sub → air)
                 true RMS / peak metering
                 Krumhansl-Schmuckler key detection

DEEP LOM ─────── hidden parameters beyond ControlSurface API
                 automation state per parameter
                 recursive device tree (6 levels into nested racks)
                 human-readable display values as shown in Live's UI

SIMPLER ──────── replace / load samples
                 get slice points, crop, reverse
                 warp to N beats, get audio file paths

WARP ─────────── get / add / move / remove markers
                 tempo manipulation at the sample level

Intelligence

Krumhansl-Schmuckler key detection with 7 mode profiles:
major, minor, dorian, phrygian, lydian, mixolydian, locrian.

Roman numeral analysis via scale-degree chord matching
on a 1/32 note quantization grid.

Voice leading checks — parallel fifths, parallel octaves,
voice crossing, unresolved dominants.

Species counterpoint generation (1st and 2nd species).
SATB harmonization with smooth voice leading.
Diatonic transposition that preserves scale relationships.

analyze_harmony         suggest_next_chord      detect_theory_issues
identify_scale          harmonize_melody         generate_countermelody
transpose_smart

Neo-Riemannian PRL transforms on the Tonnetz.

P  flips the third ─────── Cm ↔ C
L  shifts by semitone ──── C  ↔ Em
R  shifts by whole tone ── C  ↔ Am

All three are involutions — apply twice, return to origin.

BFS through PRL space finds the shortest voice-leading path
between any two triads. Cm to E major? That's PLP — the hexatonic pole.
Three steps, each moving one voice by a semitone.
The Hitchcock chord change.

Chromatic mediants for film-score harmony: chords a major/minor third away
sharing 0-1 common tones. Maximum color shift, minimal voice movement.

navigate_tonnetz        find_voice_leading_path
classify_progression    suggest_chromatic_mediants

Euclidean Rhythm — Bjorklund distributes N pulses across M steps.
Bresenham's line algorithm applied to rhythm.

E(3,8)  = tresillo          ×··×··×·
E(5,8)  = cinquillo          ×·××·××·
E(7,16) = Brazilian necklace ×·×·×××·×·×·×××·

Layer multiple patterns at different pitches for polyrhythmic textures.

Tintinnabuli (Arvo Pärt) — for each melody note, find the nearest tone
of a specified triad. Two voices, one rule, infinite music.

Phase Shifting (Steve Reich) — identical voices with accumulating timing drift.
They start in unison, gradually separate, and eventually realign.

Additive Process (Philip Glass) — melody unfolds note by note.
The structure is the composition.

generate_euclidean_rhythm    layer_euclidean_rhythms
generate_tintinnabuli        generate_phase_shift
generate_additive_process

16 curve types in 4 categories:

BASIC ──────────── linear · exponential · logarithmic · s_curve
                   sine · sawtooth · spike · square · steps

ORGANIC ─────────── perlin · brownian · spring

SHAPE ──────────── bezier · easing
                   (bounce, elastic, back, quad, cubic,
                    quart, quint, expo)

GENERATIVE ─────── euclidean · stochastic

15 built-in recipes:

filter_sweep_up     filter_sweep_down    dub_throw
tape_stop           build_rise           sidechain_pump
fade_in             fade_out             tremolo
auto_pan            stutter              breathing
washout             vinyl_crackle        stereo_narrow

Perception-action loop: analyze_for_automation reads the spectrum
and device chain, suggests what to automate, and maps each suggestion
to a recipe.

get_clip_automation      set_clip_automation       clear_clip_automation
apply_automation_shape   apply_automation_recipe   get_automation_recipes
generate_automation_curve                          analyze_for_automation

Persistent technique library across sessions.

Five types: beat_pattern · device_chain · mix_template · preference · browser_pin

Each stores:

• Identity — name, tags, timestamps
• Qualities — mood, genre, texture, production notes
• Payload — raw MIDI, device params, tempo, URIs

Recall by text query matching mood, genre, texture — not just names.

memory_learn     memory_recall     memory_list       memory_get
memory_update    memory_delete     memory_favorite   memory_replay

Export session clips to standard .mid files.
Import .mid into session clips — auto-creates the clip, tempo-aware timing.

Offline analysis without Ableton: note count, duration, tempo,
pitch range, velocity stats, density curve, key estimate.

Piano roll extraction: 2D velocity matrix at configurable resolution
(default 1/32 note).

export_clip_midi     import_midi_to_clip
analyze_midi_file    extract_piano_roll

Offline audio analysis — no M4L required.

analyze_loudness        Integrated LUFS, true peak, LRA, streaming compliance
analyze_spectrum_offline  Spectral centroid, rolloff, flatness, 5-band balance
compare_to_reference    Mix vs reference: loudness + spectral delta
read_audio_metadata     Format, duration, sample rate, tags

View all 178 tools →

Install

1. Remote Script

npx livepilot --install

Restart Ableton → Preferences → Link, Tempo & MIDI → Control Surface → LivePilot

2. MCP Client

claude mcp add LivePilot -- npx livepilot

Plugin (adds skills, slash commands, producer agent):

claude plugin add github:dreamrec/LivePilot/plugin

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "LivePilot": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["livepilot"]
    }
  }
}

npm install -g livepilot
livepilot --install

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "LivePilot": {
      "command": "livepilot"
    }
  }
}

.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "LivePilot": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["livepilot"]
    }
  }
}

VS Code — .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "LivePilot": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["livepilot"]
    }
  }
}

Windsurf — ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "LivePilot": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["livepilot"]
    }
  }
}

3. M4L Analyzer (optional)

Drag LivePilot_Analyzer.amxd onto the master track.

Unlocks 32 additional tools: spectral analysis, key detection,
sample manipulation, deep device introspection, plugin parameter mapping.

[!IMPORTANT]
All core tools work without the analyzer. It adds perception, not dependency.

4. Verify

npx livepilot --status

Plugin

claude plugin add github:dreamrec/LivePilot/plugin

Producer Agent — autonomous multi-step production.
Consults memory for style context, searches the atlas for instruments,
creates tracks, programs MIDI, chains effects, reads the spectrum to verify.

Core Skill — operational discipline connecting all three layers.
Consult atlas before loading. Read analyzer after mixing.
Check memory before creative decisions. Verify every mutation.

CLI

npx livepilot              # Start MCP server (stdio)
npx livepilot --install    # Install Remote Script
npx livepilot --uninstall  # Remove Remote Script
npx livepilot --status     # Check Ableton connection
npx livepilot --doctor     # Full diagnostic check
npx livepilot --version    # Show version

Compatibility

• Ableton Live 12 — all editions. Suite required for Max for Live and stock instruments (Drift, Meld, Wavetable).
• Python 3.9+
• Node.js 18+
• macOS / Windows

Development

git clone https://github.com/dreamrec/LivePilot.git
cd LivePilot
python3 -m venv .venv && .venv/bin/pip install -r requirements.txt
.venv/bin/pytest tests/ -v

See CONTRIBUTING.md for architecture details, code guidelines, and how to add tools.

Community

• Discussions — questions, ideas, show & tell
• Bug reports
• Feature requests
• Contributing guide
• Security policy

MIT — Pilot Studio

Sister projects: TDPilot (TouchDesigner) · ComfyPilot (ComfyUI)