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X-PONDER

Generative Performance Transformer

Jam with your DAW and get instant musical feedback, or trade phrases with any synth — in real-time…
$29
+ applicable taxes
BUY NOW


A uniquely responsive MIDI device, X-Ponder is our generative performance transformer designed by Ableton Certified Trainer Noah Pred to easily produce compelling musical call-and-response. While it doesn't use conventional machine learning, it's useful to think of it like a musical AI chat bot: feed it a “prompt” in the form of MIDI notes and chords, and it replies in kind with a response based on the pitches, chords, velocities, and note lengths played into it.

Manual mode works something like a loop pedal with a mind of its own: punch in for it to listen, then punch out for it to riff back indefinitely based on what you played into it. Fixed mode sets an interval in bars for it to automatically toggle from listening to playback for improvisational call-and-response phrase trading. Listen mode simply waits for a user-defined period of silence before the device responds — and as soon as you begin playing, it automatically listens again, like the musical conversation partner you never had (but probably wish you did). 

Short memory lets X-Ponder generate fresh responses every time it listens, while Long memory builds an expanding vocabulary of notes and chords it can draw from to create richer, more varied musical replies. Import mode instantly repurposes the contents of one or more MIDI files, letting you remix existing material as generative source data. Output controls allow X-Ponder to develop a distinct musical character: it can be transposed to any register, routed to trigger other instruments, and constrained to the active scale via local settings or Live 12’s scale system. The built-in Viewer option clarifies how incoming material is reinterpreted, and full Info View support and Push optimization ensure smooth integration into production and performance workflows.


KEY FEATURES
  • Generative MIDI accompaniment, call-and-response, and phrase transformation
  • Multiple capture modes, including Manual, Interval, Listen, and MIDI file import
  • Flexible playback directions and sequential pattern modes
  • BPM-synced timing with multipliers and divisions for rhythmic variation
  • Scale-aware output with octave and semitone transposition
  • Expressive polyrhythmic timing controls
  • Overdub and Hold options for evolving or sustained phrases
  • Short- or Long-term memory modes for output lexicon
  • Multiple playback algorithms with optional autonomy
  • Fixed-mode countdown for predictable phrase cycling


Info View Annotated
Learn all you need to know directly in Live - just open the Info View and hover your mouse over any parameter.
Scale Aware
Natively integrated with Live 12's scale and key for seamless workflow.
Theme Adaptive
Device colors automatically adapt to your preferred Live theme.
Optimized for Push
All parameters ready and available in Push.

Requires: Ableton Live 10.1.x running Max for Live 8.5.x on Mac or PC.

Includes: X-Ponder device, Utility Boost, manual.

Included with: Max Musician Bundle.