Getting started
Choose menu Window=>Live if you are not already in that window. Connect your MIDI keyboard controller with an appropriate interface-cable to the computer and select the MIDI In connection in the Preferences menu. Then play a 3 fingered chord in the lowest octave of your keyboard. Or (if you don't have a MIDI controller) press the "chords & notes" key on the computer keyboard and press a chord. Play for some time and then read the rest of this chapter about auto accompaniment or read about the functions in the Live Window, Sequencer, Style and Voice Editor .
MIDI keyboard configuration.
If you're using an arranger keyboard with One Man Band, then you must switch it from "arranger mode" to "MIDI mode" and set "local off". This will change it from an arranger keyboard to a synthesizer to be used with a computer. Look in the manual of your keyboard how to do this.
First check if your MIDI keyboard is properly connected to the computer. Then select your MIDI In and Midi Out device in the Preferences window. If you have a Yamaha XG keyboard or synthesizer then select "Synthesizer compatibilty" XG, else select GM.
In the "Live control" pane of the Preferences window select the Chord recognition method that you will use. In this pane you can define how to interact with the program. One of the things you might need to change is the size of the chord area. Specify the "Highest chord key" for that. The triggering of variations can be assigned to all kinds of MIDI messages if you have buttons/knobs/sliders/wheel/pedals available for that on your MIDI keyboard controller.
Automatic accompaniment.
In the Live window activities are under control of a connected MIDI keyboard controller and/or the computer keyboard. Which actions will be triggered by which MIDI message can be specified in the Preference window. The keyboard displayed on screen shows which action is assigned to each key. A key can also be a menu that accesses a new set of actions. You can define the action for a key by right-clicking on that key.
The accompaniment will start when you play a chord. Each style usually has several variations like intro, main, fill in and ending. For these variations there may be different levels available: A, B, C and D. The variation triggers can be used to switch from one variation to another.