Mask Pattern is designed specifically for Ableton Live 12 and requires Max for Live, so you’ll need either Live 12 Suite or Live 12 Standard with the Max for Live add-on.
Mask Pattern by Philip Meyer
PHILIP MEYER MIDI TOOLS FOR LIVE 12
Idiosyncratic polyrhythmic pattern generator
Mask Pattern is a Max for Live device that enables advanced rhythmic manipulation by selectively masking notes in your sequences, offering a new layer of creative control for your patterns in Ableton Live.
USER GUIDE: Meyer Devices MIDI Tools Manual
Mask Pattern by Philip Meyer
PHILIP MEYER MIDI TOOLS FOR LIVE 12
Idiosyncratic polyrhythmic pattern generator
Mask Pattern is a Max for Live device that enables advanced rhythmic manipulation by selectively masking notes in your sequences, offering a new layer of creative control for your patterns in Ableton Live.
USER GUIDE: Meyer Devices MIDI Tools Manual
Additional information
| MaxforLive | Live 12 MIDI Tool Generators |
|---|---|
| OS | Mac, Windows |
| Ableton Live Compatibility | Ableton Live 12 Standard with MaxforLive, Ableton Live 12 Suite |
PRICE: £7.00
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Mask Pattern by Philip Meyer
An idiosyncratic rhythm generator that builds patterns from negative space. The initial inspiration for this device was my desire to create a rhythm generation algorithm that would be able to produce the regular, evenly-distributed patterns that the Euclidean algorithm is known for, as well as lopsided patterns that are unevenly distributed, with clusters of notes in a short amount of time. What ended up coming out was an algorithm that could do exactly what I hoped AND way more: a one-to-four track rhythm generator that can produce a range of interlocking polymetric patterns. It works great for percussion, obviously, but also Mask Pattern 2 delivers surprising melodic discoveries through the interplay of patterns running at different pitches.
I strongly recommend pairing this one with the Reduce transformer, which allows you to generate a crazy polyrhythmic pattern, then systematically reduce its density to arrive at something appealing.
Technical Explanation
This is one of those devices that is much easier to grasp through play than through a written explanation, but here’s my attempt at a written explanation:
There are two euclidean patterns: the “underlying pattern” and the “masking pattern”. To be honest, these two names are a bit misnomer-y, but it’s fine… bear with me. The interaction of these two patterns allows us to great four separate resulting patterns A, B, C, and D.
Put as succinctly as possible, these patterns are the following:
- Pattern A is the expression of the underlying pattern, masked by the masking pattern
- Pattern B is the inverse of pattern A
- Pattern C is the expression of the masking pattern, masked by the underlying pattern.
- Pattern D is the inverse of pattern C.
Maybe that makes sense. But I doubt it! If you’re still curious, read on. Of course, you might want to stop reading now and just go use the device. Or you could keep reading! Up to you…
Underlying Pattern
The underlying pattern is a euclidean pattern whose number of steps is equal to the length of the clip selection divided by the grid interval. The number of events in the underlying pattern is set by the Distribution parameter of the device.
Masking Pattern
The masking pattern has two parameters: Masks and Mask Length . Masks sets the number of steps in the pattern. These steps will be stretched such that the masking pattern’s length is the same as the underlying pattern. The Mask Length sets what proportion of each step is “filled in”. In the example above, Masks is 4 and Mask Length is 50%
With the underlying and masking patterns, we can create four output patterns using boolean logic as follows:
- Pattern A: Underlying and Masking are both TRUE
- Pattern B: Underlying is TRUE, Masking is FALSE
- Pattern C: Underlying is FALSE, Masking is TRUE
- Pattern D: Underlying and Masking are both FALSE.
The result is a set of four patterns, each of which fills the negative space left by the other patterns. Another way to think about it is that the device is distributing the available events across the four voices. The Distribution , Masks , and Mask Length parameters can be used to modify this distribution.
The Rotation parameter rotates Pattern A in increments of +1, Pattern B in increments of -1, Pattern C in increments of +1.5, and Pattern D in increments of Mask Pattern 4 -1.5, which allows notes in different patterns to overlap and makes lopsided patterns possible.
Each of these 4 patterns can be assigned to a separate MIDI note, can be enabled or disabled, and can have an independent velocity.
Frequently Asked Questions
Rather than placing notes directly, Mask Pattern builds rhythms from negative space by selectively masking out notes within a sequence. This means patterns emerge from what’s removed rather than what’s added, which produces results that feel organic and less mechanical than traditional step sequencers.
Yes, that’s the whole point. The algorithm was specifically designed to cover both evenly distributed patterns similar to what a Euclidean generator would produce, and lopsided patterns with note clusters bunched tightly together, giving you a much wider rhythmic palette from a single device.
Mask Pattern runs up to four tracks at once, and they can operate as interlocking polymetric patterns, meaning each track can run at a different length or metre. This creates evolving, shifting rhythmic relationships between the layers over time.
It works brilliantly for percussion, but Philip Meyer specifically highlights its melodic potential. By running patterns at different pitches across the four tracks, you can uncover unexpected melodic phrases and harmonic movement that would be very difficult to programme manually.
Full documentation is available in the Meyer Devices MIDI Tools Manual, which covers Mask Pattern alongside Philip Meyer’s other MIDI tools for Live 12.
After purchasing, you’ll download the device file and drag it into your Ableton Live library or directly onto a MIDI track. As a Max for Live device, no separate software installation is required beyond having Max for Live active in your Live setup.
Important Information
V1.0.0 – Initial Release – November 2024
To install MIDI Tools, first double-click to decompress the ZIP archive it arrived in. !
In Live’s Browser, navigate to the User Library in Places
Then find the MIDI Tools folder located there. If you don’t see a folder called MIDI Tools in your User Library, simply create it yourself.
We’d advice adding two subfolders for Generators and Transformers for neatness.
Finally, drag our Generators to the Generators subfolder and our Transformers to the Transformers subfolder
Live should automatically detect them and within the next few minutes, they should appear in the dropdown chooser of Live’s Generators or Transformers in the corresponding tab of any MIDI Clip’s Note Editor.
PLEASE NOTE: Once installed MIDI Tools, since they are not Max MIDI Effects, cannot be dragged and dropped onto MIDI tracks: they can only be loaded by the Generator and Transformer tabs of the MIDI clip editor.
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