Overview & Inspiration
Managing locators in Ableton Live shouldn’t feel like navigating a maze. Whether you’re scoring film cues, building intricate DJ sets, or simply organizing complex arrangements, keeping track of timeline markers becomes a workflow bottleneck.
Locator Manager by killihu transforms your locator workflow with a sleek floating window that displays every marker in your project—updated in real-time. No more blind scrolling through the arrangement. No more hidden markers buried in dense timelines. Just instant visibility and precision control over your project structure.
This MaxforLive utility brings professional timeline navigation to Ableton Live, putting your entire project roadmap at your fingertips.
Features & Highlights
Real-Time Floating Locator Browser – A dedicated, resizable floating window displays all your locators, automatically updating as you add, rename, move, or delete markers anywhere in your project.
Instant Navigation & Looping – Click any locator to jump directly to that position in your arrangement. Set loop regions to follow locator positions with three intelligent modes: Off, Follow (fixed length), or Auto (automatically sized to next locator).
MIDI Triggering – Assign MIDI notes or CC messages to trigger locators remotely, perfect for live performance setups and hands-free arrangement navigation during recording sessions.
Locator-to-Clip Conversion – Generate MIDI clips at locator positions (with names preserved in Live 12), making it simple to transfer project structure between sessions. Reverse the process to create locators from clip positions on any track.
Flexible Time Display – View locator positions in multiple formats: bars/beats, minutes/seconds, hours/minutes, or any combination with millisecond precision—whatever matches your workflow.
Customizable Sorting & Organization – Sort locators by time or name (alphabetically). Adjust zoom levels and choose between two window sizes to match your screen real estate needs.
CSV Export & Batch Operations – Export your complete locator list to CSV for documentation or external editing. Delete all locators with one click, or use the actions delay parameter to fine-tune operation timing for complex projects.
Always-On-Top Docking – Keep the locator window visible above other windows, ensuring your timeline roadmap is always accessible without desktop juggling.
Mappable Show/Hide Button – Assign a keyboard shortcut to toggle the floating window instantly, streamlining your navigation workflow even further.
How to Use
Drop Locator Manager onto any track in your Live set. Click the Show/Hide button on the device rack to open the floating locator browser. Your project’s locators will appear in the window, automatically updating as you work.
Click any locator in the list to jump to that timeline position. Use the Loop Mode buttons to control how the arrangement loop behaves when navigating: set it to Auto for automatic loop sizing between markers, Follow to maintain your current loop length, or Off to disable loop movement entirely.
For MIDI control, configure your MIDI input source and choose between Note or CC triggering modes. Assign starting notes or CC numbers to correspond with your locator list order. Use the Actions menu to create clips from locators (perfect for transferring structure to other projects), generate locators from existing clips, delete all markers at once, or export your locator list to CSV format.
Customize the time display format to match your working style, sort by time or name, and adjust zoom levels as needed. The window can be docked on top of other applications for permanent visibility.
Ideal For
- Film composers and sync artists managing complex cue sheets
- DJ/live performers building structured sets with precise transitions
- Producers working on long-form arrangements with multiple sections
- Session musicians who need quick navigation during recording
- Sound designers organizing layered soundscapes and ambient pieces
- Anyone frustrated with Ableton’s native locator visibility limitations
What’s Included
- Locator Manager MaxforLive device (.amxd)
- Complete PDF reference manual
- Real-time floating locator browser with auto-update
- MIDI note and CC triggering capability
- Locator-to-clip and clip-to-locator conversion tools
- CSV export functionality
- Multiple time display formats
- Keyboard-mappable show/hide control
Requirements
- Ableton Live 11 Standard (with MaxforLive) or Ableton Live 11 Suite or higher
- Ableton Live 12 Standard (with MaxforLive) or Ableton Live 12 Suite for full locator naming support
- MaxforLive 8+
- Compatible with both Mac and Windows
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