s3g-dsp

Ableton Live and Max for Live

Live does not host CLAP plugins directly. The separate s3g-clap-max project supplies the s3g.clap~ Max object and dedicated Max for Live (.amxd) devices that load s3g-dsp CLAP plugins. Installing a Live device alone does not install its plugin. This guide covers the available devices, their installation, and routing in Live.

What You Need

Install on Mac

  1. Save your work and quit Max and Live. Install the s3g-dsp macOS CLAP release first: unzip it and run Install s3g-dsp CLAPs.command. Follow the Gatekeeper steps if macOS blocks the installer.
  2. Download the current macOS ZIP (0.7.0 or later) from the s3g-clap-max releases page, unzip it, and run Install s3g-clap-max.command inside the extracted folder. If macOS blocks it, use System Settings → Privacy & Security → Open Anyway for that installer. Install only a release asset you trust.
  3. Restart Max and Live. In Live, open User Library → s3g CLAP and add an s3g device. The installed Max package is under ~/Documents/Max 9/Packages/s3g-clap-max; the Live devices are copied to ~/Music/Ableton/User Library/s3g CLAP by default.

If your Live User Library is elsewhere, set the S3G_LIVE_DEVICE_ROOT environment variable to its s3g CLAP folder before running the extracted Mac installer, as described in the s3g-clap-max installation guide. Use the installer's --dry-run option to preview the destinations. Source-build instructions are separate; this page covers release installation. If no current release ZIP is listed, the package has not yet been published.

Windows x64 Status and Installation

The s3g-dsp Windows CLAP prerelease is available, but a matching current s3g-clap-max Windows release with these Live devices has not yet been validated or published. Do not combine the older 0.5.0 Windows Max archive with the current 0.7.0 Live devices. Windows Max for Live support remains experimental.

When a matching Windows x64 s3g-clap-max package is offered on its releases page, quit Live and Max, extract the ZIP, then copy its top-level s3g-clap-max folder into %USERPROFILE%\Documents\Max 9\Packages\. Copy the included devices\*.amxd files into a real s3g CLAP folder inside Live's User Library, not a directory symlink. Install the complete s3g-dsp Windows CLAP collection under %COMMONPROGRAMFILES%\CLAP\s3g-dsp (usually C:\Program Files\Common Files\CLAP\s3g-dsp in Explorer), keeping its .clap files and shared Resources folder together. Windows may ask for administrator permission; if that is unavailable, use the per-user %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Common\CLAP\s3g-dsp location instead, not both. Restart Max and Live and test a device in a disposable Set. There is no Windows installer in the current Mac ZIP.

Avoid Duplicate CLAP Installations

When a device opens a plugin by name, s3g.clap~ searches these folders recursively: on macOS, ~/Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP and /Library/Audio/Plug-Ins/CLAP; on Windows, %COMMONPROGRAMFILES%\CLAP and %LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Common\CLAP. It also searches existing directories in CLAP_PATH (separated by : on macOS or ; on Windows).

Keep only one active copy of each s3g-dsp .clap plugin across those locations. If two copies match the same name, Max reports ambiguous CLAP name and lists the paths rather than choosing one. A saved Live Set may also recall an older copy by its stored path. Quit Live and Max, move old plugin collections to a backup outside all scanned roots, then restart. Renaming a subfolder inside a scanned root is not enough. The s3g-clap-max search-path guide has the same paths and explains how to inspect the active roots in Max.

First Use and Routing

  1. In Live's browser, find User Library → s3g CLAP. Add a stereo Sample or Drum instrument to a MIDI track and click EDITOR. The matching CLAP must be installed for the editor to open.
  2. For a multichannel source, place s3g Bus Send 36 after its wrapper and select INPUT = CHAIN 36, the active CH count, and a BUS number.
  3. On a receiving audio track, place s3g Bus Receive 36 before the effect or decoder and select the same BUS. Head and Stereo decoders can use Live's ordinary stereo output. A multichannel decoder or panner can be followed on the same track by s3g Main Hardware Out 32 for mono-channel remapping and hardware-output assignment.

The explicit Send/Receive transport carries up to 36 channels, enough for fifth-order Ambisonics; Main Hardware Out addresses up to 32 mono channels. These are different limits. A plugin's unsupported channels above a device's limit are not carried by that device. Start with the visual M4L routing guide for same-track MIDI, numbered buses, and hardware output; the full routing reference covers device-specific channel counts and timing. The wrapper list shows which s3g-dsp plugins have a dedicated device.

Sample Storage in a Live Set

Some Sample plugins offer STORE PROJECT, LINK, and EMBED; new instances may show PROJECT. Choose the mode in the plugin editor. The selected mode is saved with the Live Set. Not every Sample plugin has this selector.

For current Live work, choose LINK when you will manage external samples yourself, or EMBED when portability is more important and the plugin can contain the audio. Test a saved Set by closing and reopening it before relying on either mode for a performance or transfer.

If Something Does Not Load