Codex composes and revises an Ableton Live track
bschoepke reports using Codex through an Ableton MCP bridge to create a song, then revise MIDI instruments, vocal timing, fills and mix dynamics.
news.ycombinator.com
Original prompt
Shared by the source author. See source notes for context.
i want midi for everything but vocals please, with ableton devices. not prerendered audio for instruments
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See placements →Evidence at a glance
Sourced account- Source author
- bschoepke
- Original account
- Read the source ↗
- Published
- 3 May 2026
- Source link checked
- 15 Oct 2026
- Reported result
- The author links a recording of a Live set made with Codex and documents multiple follow-up edits, including an empty new part and muddy instrumentation.
- Human involvement
- The author listens and gives successive creative corrections. The bridge edits the set directly, and its documentation recommends backing up the Live set.
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How the agent did it
- Ask Codex to create a song in Ableton using vocals and specified electronic instruments.
- Request MIDI instrumental tracks and revise fills, vocal timing and the drop.
- Listen to the arrangement and request changes to dynamics and a muddy new element.
bschoepke built an MCP bridge so Codex could operate Ableton Live while the author was occupied holding a sleeping baby. The published example starts with a request for a self reflective electronic song using spoken vocals, chiptune sounds and drum machines. The repository links a recording of the resulting Live set and preserves the author's successive corrections.
The work continued beyond the first arrangement. The author asked for MIDI instruments instead of prerendered instrumental audio, more fills, a stronger drop, slower vocals and changing dynamics. Later requests corrected a new element with no notes and a muddy sound. These revisions give a more useful picture of the workflow than a claim that one instruction produced a finished song.
The bridge lets the agent inspect and change the Live set using Ableton's object model. The author's tested setup was Ableton Live Suite 12.3.8 on macOS. Listening and musical judgment remained human responsibilities. The project warns that direct edits can corrupt a set and recommends a backup; cross-platform compatibility is not established by this example.
Prompt
Original prompt
Source: Hacker News · bschoepke
Frequently asked questions
Was the song finished in one instruction?
No. The author records several follow-up requests about MIDI, timing, fills, dynamics and instrumentation.
Which setup did the author actually test?
Ableton Live Suite 12.3.8 on macOS Tahoe; other advertised platforms were not established by this run.
Why back up the Live set?
The bridge can edit the set directly, and its author warns that those edits could corrupt it.
More details
About this account
Codex uses the MCP bridge to inspect and edit Ableton tracks, clips and devices, then implements the author’s arrangement and mixing revisions.
Firsthand account opened and read. Firsthand HN story API timestamp 1777831528 gives 2026-05-03; repository by the same author supplies the demo and limitations. Outcomes are author-reported and were not independently reproduced. The resulting audio was linked but not independently judged or reproduced. Original prompt box contains a short excerpt of the author's published instructions.
Credit: bschoepke
Source published 3 May 2026
Source checked 15 Oct 2026
Tools and topics
Ableton Live Suite 12.3.8 · ableton-live-mcp · macOS say
Content · Codex CLI
Editorial completeness: 100/100. Measures documented fields, not agent performance or verified outcomes.