# Blue Hand

**URL:** <https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/blue-hand/42833>\
**Category:** Ableton\
**Tags:** ableton, mapping, controller-mapping\
**Created:** [May 30, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/blue-hand/42833 "2012-05-30T20:35:25Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 4\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![ghztomash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@ghztomash](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/ghztomash)\
**Post date:** [May 30, 2012, 8:35pm UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/blue-hand/42833/1 "2012-05-30T20:35:25Z")

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**Blue Hand**

Hello there everyone,

I am developing some of my own controllers and trying to put together a couple MIDI scripts for those. I’m fairly new to Ableton Live but I saw in videos and screenshot’s a blue hand icon over some devices. Can somebody please explain me how does that exactly work? Is it a User MIDI script for specific controller that maps automatically the selected track to the controller?

Basically what i want to do is, use my led rotary encoder device (youtu.be/PiRoBO5y4XY) to control an effect rack of the currently selected track (pretty much like the device control encoders on the APC-40). Is there a specific way to map that? or should I write a MIDI script for that?

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**Author:** ![gordonstrange](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/49beb7/32.png) [@gordonstrange](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/gordonstrange)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 1:13pm UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/blue-hand/42833/2 "2012-06-24T13:13:07Z")

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you may have worked this out already but the blue hand is for midi devices that abes recognises as control surfaces. So say you use an APC40, as that’s an ableton native controller, you’ll get the blue hand.

I hope that’s helpful

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**Author:** ![RockingClub](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/user_avatar/forum.djtechtools.com/rockingclub/32/14721_2.png) [@RockingClub](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/RockingClub)\
**Post date:** [June 24, 2012, 2:21pm UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/blue-hand/42833/3 "2012-06-24T14:21:12Z")

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> [@ghztomash](#):
>
> Basically what i want to do is, use my led rotary encoder device (youtu.be/PiRoBO5y4XY) to control an effect rack of the currently selected track (pretty much like the device control encoders on the APC-40). Is there a specific way to map that? or should I write a MIDI script for that?

Any news about this? Keep us up-to-date!

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<div class="post-metadata">

**Author:** ![ghztomash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/bcef8e/32.png) [@ghztomash](https://forum.djtechtools.com/u/ghztomash)\
**Post date:** [June 25, 2012, 8:40am UTC](https://forum.djtechtools.com/t/blue-hand/42833/4 "2012-06-25T08:40:46Z")

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Thanks! yeah I figured it all out! I’m using D.I.Y midi controllers so the factory control surface scripts don’t work.

Though I found out that there are 2 different ways to make control surface scripts:  
First through **MIDI Remote Scripts** , which requires Python programming but much more flexible (more info: [http://remotescripts.blogspot.com/](http://remotescripts.blogspot.com/)).  
And second, **User Remote Scripts** , making those is very easy and simple, it just requires modifying an existing configuration file. Located under \*C:\Users\xxxx\AppData\Roaming\Ableton\Live x.x\Preferences\User Remote Scripts\* in Windows or _Applications/Ableton Live x.x/Contents/App-Resources/MIDI Remote Scripts_ on Mac. There are easy to follow instructions in that folder.

For the encoders I used the second method which proved to be simple and effective, though I have some issues with the LEDs ring refresh rate. They don’t update only until I stop turning the encoder, while in Traktor they light up in real time. You can see it in the following video at 0:41

[![](https://us1.discourse-cdn.com/flex001/uploads/techtools/original/3X/1/b/1beea9805cdad9aaafdcc653221d723f86d7905d.jpeg "DIY controllerism routine - D&B Set") ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CluFTtNGmHc&t=17s)