extending-move

Tools for extending the Ableton Move. This project provides a companion webserver that runs alongside the official Move server, accessible at move.local:909.

Demo on YouTube

Features

• Move Set Management

  • Upload and restore Move Sets (.ablbundle)
  • Choose target pad and color

• Sample Reversal

  • Create reversed versions of any WAV file
  • Use reversed file in drum kit or sample presets

• Drum Rack Inspector

  • View all samples in a drum rack preset
  • Download individual samples
  • Create reversed versions directly in the preset
  • Time stretch samples to a target BPM and length with two different algorithms, for melodic or rhythmic content.

• Synth Macros

  • View and edit macro mappings for Drift presets
  • Customize macro names for better organization
  • Add and delete parameter mappings
  • Assign multiple parameters to a single macro control
  • Set custom range values for more precise control

• MIDI Import

  • Upload MIDI files to create new sets
  • Choose between Melodic or Drum presets
  • New Sets will be created with either a default Drift or 808 kit for further customization

• Chord Kit Generation

  • Create chord variations from any WAV file
  • Includes common chord voicings (Cm9, Fm7, AbMaj7, etc.)
  • Automatic pitch-shifting and normalization
  • Download as .ablpresetbundle or place directly on device

• Sliced Kit Creation

  • Use a visual slicer to create drum kits from WAV files with up to 16 slices
  • Create equal slices or use transient detection to autoslice to hits
  • Drag custom slice points for each drum pad
  • Download as .ablpresetbundle or place directly on device
  • Create a choke group configuration for one-shot behavior, or use Gate and Drum kit style presets

• Manual Library Refresh

  • Accessible via move.local:909/refresh
  • Force refresh of Move's library cache
  • Useful after manual file changes
  • Uses Move's D-Bus interface

Installation

Prerequisites

1. SSH access to your Move (see Wiki: Accessing Move). This will be handled by setup-ssh-and-install-on-move.command under "Install Everything"
2. Python environment on your Move (should already be present as python3)

Note: These tools are third-party and require SSH access. That means:

• There’s a real risk (though unlikely) of breaking things, including potentially bricking a device. You are accessing the Move in ways it was not designed to do.
• Ableton can’t offer individual support if something goes wrong.
• If issues do arise, the documented restore procedure is the fallback – you use this at their own risk. Information on this procedure can be found in Center Code under Documentation.

Quick Install (macOS)

Install everything

There is a convenience script to set up an SSH key, install the tools, and set the tools' webserver to autostart.

Simply double-click utility-scripts/setup-ssh-and-install-on-move.command Everything that it does can be found in utility-scritps/setup-ssh-and-install-on-move.sh

Alternatively, you can install just the tools, or see the "Manual Installation" section below to do it all yourself.

Install the tools ONLY

Simply double-click utility-scripts/install-on-move.command Everything that it does can be found in utility-scritps/install-on-move.sh

Updating

To update, you can use the similar utility-scripts/update-on-move.command or utility-scripts/update-on-move.sh to copy over the files and restart the webserver.

Manual Installation

1. Login as the ableton user and install pip:

ssh ableton@move.local
cd /data/UserData
wget -q -O get-pip.py https://bootstrap.pypa.io/get-pip.py

# Ensure that ~/.bash_profile sources ~/.bashrc so that Bash settings persist on login.
if ! grep -q "\.bashrc" ~/.bash_profile; then
    echo 'if [ -f ~/.bashrc ]; then . ~/.bashrc; fi' >> ~/.bash_profile
fi

# Add /data/UserData/.local/bin to PATH for this session.
export PATH="/data/UserData/.local/bin:$PATH"

# Persist the PATH update in ~/.bashrc if it's not already present.
if ! grep -q "/data/UserData/.local/bin" ~/.bashrc; then
    echo 'export PATH="/data/UserData/.local/bin:$PATH"' >> ~/.bashrc
fi

2. Configure temporary directory:

mkdir -p ~/tmp
export TMPDIR=~/tmp

3. Install dependencies:

pip install --no-cache-dir -r requirements.txt

4. Copy files from your computer to your Move at /data/UserData/extending-move via whatever method you want (i.e. SFTP)

5. SSH to the Move and start the server

ssh ableton@move.local
cd /data/UserData/extending-move
cp -r /opt/move/HttpRoot/fonts /data/UserData/extending-move/static/
python3 move-webserver.py

The server will be accessible at http://move.local:909

Utility Scripts

Note: Execute these scripts from your computer, not the Move.

Located in utility-scripts/:

• setup-ssh-and-install-on-move.command: Walks through setting up an ssh key, installing files, and setting auto-start
• install-on-move.sh / .command: Content installation
• update-on-move.sh / .command: Update with latest files
• restart-webserver.sh: Restart the webserver

How to Auto-start on Boot

Note: This does not persist through firmware upgrades. Re-run the command and re-enable the script after upgrading.

When logged in as root (ssh root@move.local), create an init.d script with the following command

cat > /etc/init.d/ableton-startup << 'EOF'
#!/bin/sh
### BEGIN INIT INFO
# Provides:          ableton-startup
# Required-Start:    $local_fs $network
# Required-Stop:     $local_fs
# Default-Start:     2 3 4 5
# Default-Stop:      0 1 6
# Short-Description: Start Ableton Python script at boot
### END INIT INFO

case "$1" in
  start)
    # adjust this to whatever directory your code lives in:
    cd /data/UserData/extending-move
    # run as the 'ableton' user (drops privileges)
    su - ableton -s /bin/sh -c "cd /data/UserData/extending-move ; python3 move-webserver.py >> startup.log 2>&1 &"
    ;;
  stop)
    pkill -u ableton -f move-webserver.py
    ;;
  restart)
    $0 stop
    sleep 1
    $0 start
    ;;
  status)
    if pgrep -u ableton -f move-webserver.py >/dev/null; then
      echo "Running"
    else
      echo "Not running"
      exit 1
    fi
    ;;
  *)
    echo "Usage: $0 {start|stop|restart|status}"
    exit 2
    ;;
esac

exit 0
EOF
chmod +x /etc/init.d/ableton-startup

Enable at boot with

update-rc.d ableton-startup defaults

Documentation

Check the Wiki for:

• Detailed Move documentation
• Hardware insights
• Development tips
• Troubleshooting guides

Contributors

Many thanks to the contributors who have helped discover and document Move's capabilities: bobbyd, void, deets, djhardrich, fedpep, manuz, poga, void, and many more.

Interested in chatting about more Move hacking? Come talk to us on Discord.

Disclaimer

This project is not affiliated with, authorized by, or endorsed by Ableton. Use at your own risk. The authors cannot be held responsible for any damage or issues that may occur. Always refer to official documentation when modifying hardware.

These tools are third-party and require SSH access. That means:

• There’s a real risk (though unlikely) of breaking things, including potentially bricking a device. You are accessing the Move in ways it was not designed to do.
• Ableton can’t offer individual support if something goes wrong.
• If issues do arise, the documented restore procedure is the fallback – you use this at your own risk. Information on this procedure can be found in Center Code under Documentation.