Making my Ableton Push 2 standalone with a Teensy

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Hi guys,

I have an Ableton Push 2 and it's a really cool device, but it only works when hooked up to a computer with Ableton running at the moment.
I had an idea for a cool melodic sequencer and wanted to build the entire thing but then I found out about push-interface.
Ableton has apparently opened up the Push so you can use it for your own projects using midi commands, including the screen!

https://github.com/Ableton/push-interface/blob/master/doc/AbletonPush2MIDIDisplayInterface.asc

Now I want to use a Teensy 4.0 to get my prototype running on the Push 2.
I have a female USB connector which I could use in USB host mode. It has a micro usb connector on the other side so I could maybe solder a receptacle onto the bottom of the teensy, or just cut off the connector and solder on the cable directly? What would I need to connect? More than D-/D+?
Or can I prototype it using standard ports? In the USBHost_Viewer example I see a few ports mentioned:

```
// Teensy 4.0 Beta Pins
// 23 = RST (Marked MCLK on T4 beta breakout)
// 10 = CS (Marked CS)
// 9 = DC (Marked MEMCS)
```

Next, I'll need to compile the code as USB_MIDI_SERIAL? Will that work on the other usb port as well?

Thanks!
 
If you want to use the host function of T4, you may just solder the wires directly to the host pads on the underside of the T4. You can use the cut female end of a USB extension. Just watch the pinout https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB
+5V (red) goes to VUSB/VIN on the T4, GND (black) to the GND pin, as well as the shield, D- (white) and D+ (green) to their corresponding pads.
Just beware the port has no ESD protection if you wire it that way! So, no hot-plugging recommeded!
You could also buy a cheap USB2.0 hub, take it apart and wire the host side directly to the Teensy with very short wires of equal length, to use the protection built into the hub, or just connect it by cable and keep it so. That way you can hot plug and do not risk the Teensy to latch up and burn out.
The micro USB connector ot the T4 can then be connected to a power bank or USB charger to power all the setup.
 
Thanks for the tips!

Is there any way to connect my Push and Teensy to my Macbook and send usb midi commands to the push from the teensy?
This way I can prototype a bit without soldering for now.
 
Teensy can act as a USB host for MIDI, so does it act as a MIDI over USB to the Mac. All you have to write up is a MIDI passthrough sketch. The Teensy will not be seen as Push by the computer, but if you write a real passthrough, it will respond to MIDI SysEx ID handing over the identification of the Push. I have no Ableton, so I can not help with that.
 
Teensy can act as a USB host for MIDI, so does it act as a MIDI over USB to the Mac. All you have to write up is a MIDI passthrough sketch. The Teensy will not be seen as Push by the computer, but if you write a real passthrough, it will respond to MIDI SysEx ID handing over the identification of the Push. I have no Ableton, so I can not help with that.

Sorry, I don't really understand what you mean. Do I need to do something with the usb host lib or with usb midi?

I've hooked up my Teensy and Push to my Mac. On my Teensy there's already a sketch running with usbMidi, listening to a midi clock running in ableton on my mac.
The teensy listens to the clock and sends out its own notes.

I tried using "Audio MIDI setup" on OSX to link the Ableton Live and User in/out ports to the teensy out/in. Would that count as a passthrough?

Thanks again,
Tim
 
I think you need a pass-through sketch to test once you have the USB host set up on Teensy... to do your MIDI testing with both as USB devices you will need the computer to echo MIDI between both devices -- so a DAW or utility program would have to do that part.

On my decade-old version of Abelton Live there is a 'MIDI Sync' tab in preferences that looks like it will do this easily.

If you are trying to get a MIDI controller as a device for Teensy as host maybe start testing with a simple keyboard to test in case the PUSH being 'open' doesn't mean it's a fully complaint MIDI controller.
 
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