Behold The Highly Specific Powers Of The Mapulator

Before leaving the soundproofed underground hovel that we collectively live and create in, I told the world’s other music production nerds that I’d throw them a bone from the outside world—a little shout out to let them know that there is still something for our kind on the surface world. I was ready to throw in the towel until I found this, a neat little tool for Ableton that allows you to map the automation of knobs in more dynamic ways.

What the Mapulator does, aside from bear an awesome name, is allow you to pre-map the movements of a parameter, and then control the implementation of that map using the knob. For example, you can add distortion to a track and, using the Mapulator, pre-map it in a zig zag pattern so that it varies in intensity. Now, there is a knob that controls this parameter. With the map in place, if you leave that knob at zero, there will be no distortion. But as you turn the knob up, it will begin applying the map you made previously. Make sense?

This simple tool, that fits in between an effect and the knob that controls it, allows you to map several parameters on one map, meaning several controls can be included on a single map, and subsequently controlled with a single knob.

Though that explanation is somewhat simplified, I’ll bet a pair of 20ft RCA cables I lost you with it. But if you’re even the least bit interested in audio production, you should know that it’s a constantly evolving world, and ingenious little tools like this one, that can augment the way you make and manipulate sounds, pop up all the time. It’s a community thing, and DJ Tech Tools facilitates the creation and dissemination of lots of these treats. This is the first in their series of Smart Tools, which an exciting prospect for Live users everywhere.