Motus XL — Manual

Overview

Motus XL is a standalone groovebox — an imagined big sibling of the Ableton Move with 8 tracks, an 8×8 pad grid, a 256×128 OLED, its own drum & synth engines, and full AUv3 plugin hosting. Everything runs on the device: sequencer, sounds, effects, and hardware control-surface support.

iPad layout — the full fascia: display with 4+4 encoder wings up top, wheel and mode buttons on the left rail, function cluster on the right, 16 step buttons along the bottom.

iPhone — the "Move Go" layout (landscape) — the 8×8 grid takes the full height on the left; the right control bay stacks the display, 8 encoders (2×4), the function cluster, the 16 steps as two rows of 8 (bar halves), and nav. Wheel, mode buttons, plugin bay, and transport live in the slim left column. All features are identical to the iPad.

Two drum tracks and six synth tracks by default. Each track holds 8 clips (scenes) of up to 16 bars.

Panel Tour

Control	Function
`Wheel`	Browse / set values. Press = confirm. On an AU track, press opens the preset browser; `Shift`+press cycles parameter banks.
`▲▼` (above wheel)	Wheel steps without turning.
`Back`	Exit menus; from Set Overview, return to the previous mode.
`≡ Note`	Toggle Note ↔ Session. Hold to peek at the other mode — release to come back. From Set Overview it opens Session.
`Quantize`	Apply quantize to the selected clip.
8 Encoders	Sound macros or AU parameters (banked). On internal tracks: 1–5 = filter/amp macros, 6–8 = track volume / groove / tempo. Touch one during playback to override its automation.
Volume encoder	Main volume. Context-sensitive: held step = velocity, held track = track volume, held drum pad = sample gain, held Set pad = Set volume.
8 Track buttons	Select track (LED = track color). Hold an unselected one to peek, release to return. Hold + Volume = track volume. Hold Mute + press = mute.
Right cluster	`Capture` `Sample` `Loop` `Mute` `Delete` `Copy` `Undo` `Shift`
16 Steps	The step sequencer row. With `Shift`, a function row (see reference).
`◀▶`	Move between bars (and grid pages). With steps held: nudge notes.
`−+`	Octave (melodic). With steps held: transpose ±1 semitone (hold = ±octave).
`⏻`	Power. Press, then press the wheel to confirm off. Press again to wake.
Plugin bay	Glass window shows the loaded AU's icon; the button under it opens the plugin's own UI.

Sample — reserved for a future update; the button is present but sampling is not available yet.

Shift lock: double-tap Shift to lock it on; tap once to unlock.

Playing

Melodic tracks

64 pads. In-Key layout (default): each row is an octave walking the scale; root notes glow in the track color, other scale notes light gray. Chromatic layout: fretboard style — right = +1 semitone, up = a fourth; out-of-scale pads are unlit but still play. Switch layouts in Shift+Step 9 Key & Scale (first row).

Drum tracks

The classic 4×4 cell layout sits on the bottom-left of the grid. Pads with a loaded sample are dimly lit; the selected cell is white; cells with notes glow in the track color. Hold a pad + turn Volume for per-cell sample gain. Hold Mute + pad mutes a cell.

Playing a pad on an empty clip while stopped starts the transport automatically.

Recording & Capture

Record

Record while stopped: one-bar count-in (if on), then recording starts.
Record while playing: toggles overdub recording.
Recording into an empty clip keeps extending it (whole bars, up to 16) until you stop.
Switching tracks stops the recording pass. Notes are pulled 50% toward the grid by default (see Workflow).

Capture

The XL is always listening. Play freely, then press Capture:

While playing — the last loop of everything you played lands in the playing clips.
While stopped — the last ~16 seconds are analyzed, a tempo is detected from your playing, clips are created, and the transport starts.
Shift+Capture clears the buffer.

Step Editing

Steps show the selected track's notes (drum tracks: the selected cell only). White = note, dim color = empty, green = playhead. Press an empty step to add a note; briefly press a lit step to remove it.

Hold a step (or several), then…

Gesture	Edit
+ turn Volume	Velocity
+ turn Wheel	Note length (10% of a step per click)
+ `−`/`+`	Transpose ±1 semitone (long-press = ±1 octave)
+ `◀`/`▶`	Nudge 10% (with `Shift`: 1%; long-press: a full step)
+ press pads	Add those pitches to the held steps ("step-then-pad")
+ turn an encoder	Write per-step automation for that parameter

Holding a step also lights the pads for the notes it contains. Navigating one bar past the end shows an empty "+" bar — add notes to keep it.

Loop Mode

Press Loop: steps become bars (max 16). White = selected bar, track color = in the loop, dim = outside.

Press two steps (or hold one, press another) = loop region start/end.
Double-press a step = loop just that bar. Notes before the loop start stay but don't play.
Turn the wheel = loop length in bars.
Hold a bar + wheel/Volume/±/arrows = bulk-edit every note in it; + a pad = fill the bar with that note.
Delete + bar step = clear the bar's notes. Copy + bar = copy it (press a destination bar to paste — pasting past the end extends the loop).
Shift+Step 15 = Double Loop (notes and automation included).

Shrinking never deletes. Notes past the new end go silent and come right back when you lengthen the loop again. A bare Delete press deletes the whole clip; Delete+step clears a bar.

Copy & Paste

Gesture	Result
`Copy` tap (Note mode)	Duplicate the clip to the next empty scene
Hold `Copy` + step	Copy that step's notes (+ automation)
Hold `Copy` + step A + step B	Copy the range A–B
Then press any step	Paste starting there (extends the loop if needed)
Session: hold `Copy` + pad, then a pad	Copy / paste clips anywhere
Set Overview: hold `Copy` + pad, then a pad	Copy a Set (overwriting asks for a second press)
`Copy` tap with clipboard loaded	Clear the clipboard

Step Grid & Workflow

Shift+Step 3 opens Workflow: Quantize % (default 50), Step Grid, Count-In, Autoload. Wheel-press moves rows; turn to set.

Step Grid: 1/8 · 1/8T · 1/16 · 1/16T · 1/32 · 1/32T · 1/64. Finer grids page within the bar (◀/▶ show "BAR n PAGE m"). Triplet grids deactivate every 4th button to keep the beat honest. Recording quantize pulls to the active grid.

Sounds & AU Plugins

Wheel press on a track opens the browser: drum kits or internal synth presets, followed by every installed AUv3 instrument. With Autoload on, sounds preview as you scroll. Press the wheel to load.

AU tracks

Encoder 1 = track volume; encoders 2–8 = a bank of 7 plugin parameters. Shift+wheel-press cycles banks; the display maps the knobs.
Wheel press opens the preset browser (live preview; Back rolls back; "< CHANGE SOUND" returns to instruments).
The plugin bay button opens the AU's own interface in a sheet.

Hiding plugins

Don't want a plugin cluttering the browser? Highlight it and press Delete + wheel-press — it's hidden (persists). Restore them all from the AU HIDDEN row in Setup.

Automation

Record: while recording, turn any encoder — moves are written into the clip and replay in the loop.
Override: during playback, touch/turn an encoder to take over; release to resume the recorded automation.
Deactivate a lane: hold Mute + tap the encoder (kept but silent; tap again to re-enable).
Delete a lane: hold Delete + tap the encoder.
Per-step: hold step(s) and turn an encoder to write values at exactly those steps.

Works for internal macros and AU parameters alike (automated AU params show a * on the knob map). Capture grabs automation too.

Set Effects & Mixing

Every Set has a master chain: Dynamics → Saturator. In Session mode, turn the wheel to focus one, then encoders 1–3 edit it (Threshold/Ratio/Makeup · Drive/Color/Mix).

Mixing: track-hold + Volume = track level; Mute alone = mute the selected track; Mute + track button = mute any track; encoder 5 = delay send (internal tracks).

Sidechain SHIFT+12

Per-track ducking. Pick a source track (and, for a drum source, the trigger cell), then set amount and release. Wheel-press moves rows; turn to set. Great for pumping a pad or bass against the kick.

Layouts, 16 Pitches & Repeat/Arp

Key & Scale SHIFT+9

Rows: Layout (In-Key / Chromatic), Key, Scale. Wheel-press moves rows. Changing key/scale never moves existing notes. Saved with the Set.

16 Pitches SHIFT+8

Drum tracks: the right 4×4 plays the selected cell across 16 pitches following the active layout (root = track color). Pitched hits record and sequence like any note. −/+ shifts the octave.

Repeat / Arp SHIFT+11

Held pads retrigger at the chosen rate (1/4 … 1/32, incl. triplets). Melodic tracks add styles: Repeat, Arp Up, Arp Down, Arp Random. Repeats record like played notes. Toggle off with the same combo.

Session Mode

Press ≡. The grid becomes rows = 8 tracks × columns = 8 scenes.

Pad = launch that track's clip, quantized to the next bar. Empty slot = stop that track.
Shift + pad = select without launching.
Pulsing green = queued · pulsing color = playing · dim pulse = stopping.
Steps: odd = select track, even = stop track. Delete/Copy + pad = clear / copy clips.

Sets SHIFT+1

64 slots on the grid. Press a pad to select, then:

Play = preview the selected Set.
Track button / Back / ≡ = open it.
Shift + pad = Set color menu.
Hold pad + Volume = Set volume (scales all tracks).
Delete + pad, then again = delete (two-press confirm).

Sets auto-save continuously.

Launchkey Mini 37 MK4

Plug into the iPad over USB-C — it connects automatically ("MOTUS XL" appears on its screen, which then mirrors the XL's display live).

Control	Does
Keys	Play/record/capture the selected track (drums: chromatic cells from C2)
16 pads	3 layers — SESSION (top = tracks, bottom = clip launch), DRUM (16 velocity cells), STEP (live step row)
Pad-mode button	Cycle layers · `Shift`+it = toggle Session ↔ Note mode
8 knobs	Knobs 1–7 = encoders 1–7 (macros / AU banks); the 8th knob is the browse / value wheel · touching overrides automation
◀▶ arrows	AU parameter bank · `Shift` = loop length ±
Track −/+	Select track · `Shift` = scene ± · in STEP layer = bar page
Play / Record	Transport · `Shift`+Record = Capture
Pitch / Mod strips	Pass through to AU tracks

Launchpad Mini MK3

A true 1:1 hardware mirror of the 8×8 grid — every pad layout (melodic, drum, session, Set Overview) appears on it automatically in full RGB, with tempo-synced pulsing.

Control	Does
8×8 grid	Exactly the on-screen pads
Right column	Session: launch scenes 1–8 · Note mode: select tracks 1–8
▲▼◀▶	▲▼ = loop length ± · ◀▶ = previous / next sound (patch)
Session / Drums / Keys / User	Note↔Session · Play · Record · Capture

Dual mode: connect both through a hub — the Launchpad is your grid, the Launchkey covers keys, knobs, transport and screen. Each also works alone.

Dock mode (iPhone): when hardware connects, the Go layout adapts — a Launchpad replaces the on-screen grid with a large display, and a Launchkey hides the on-screen encoders and transport. With both connected the phone becomes the big screen: display, wheel, steps (for the Shift functions), and the edit cluster.

Ableton Move

The closest thing to a hardware panel this app will ever have — step row, encoders, wheel and every transport button line up one-for-one with the XL's own surface.

Setup: put the Move into Ableton Live control mode on the Move itself, then plug USB-C into the iPad. That's all — there is no handshake and nothing is installed on the Move. It stays completely stock.

Control	Does
32 pads	Four rows of the XL's 8×8 grid — see Pad bank below
16 step buttons	Exactly the XL's step row, including every `Shift`+Step function
8 encoders	Encoders 1–8 · the 9th (volume) knob = the XL's volume encoder · touch overrides automation
Wheel	The XL's wheel · press = wheel-press (confirm / open)
▲▼	The XL's + / − (octave, kit page) · `Shift` = pad bank up / down
◀▶	Bar page / navigation, as on the XL
`≡` Menu	Note ↔ Session (hold to preview) · `Shift`+it = `Back`
Track buttons 1–4	Select tracks 1–4 · `Shift` = tracks 5–8
Play / Rec / Loop / Mute / Copy / Delete / Undo / Capture / Sampling / Shift	The XL's own buttons, one-for-one

Pad bank. The Move's grid is 4×8 and the XL's is 8×8, so the Move shows four of the eight rows and Shift+▲▼ pages between them (the screen confirms the half). In Session that's tracks 1–4 or 5–8; in melodic it's the lower or upper two octaves. In Drum mode the bank locks to the bottom four rows, because that is the whole drum layout — there the two instruments are pad-for-pad identical.

Button lights. Every button LED on the Move mirrors the same button on the XL's on-screen panel — both read the same state, so what's lit on the unit is what's lit on screen.

Colours. The Move's pads take a colour from a fixed palette rather than free RGB, and the palette has no dim variants — so pad colours are matched to the nearest hue and anything the XL draws as a faint hint reads as unlit. The step row and buttons are brightness-only on their own fixed colours.

The Move's screen stays Ableton's. Its display can't be written from a USB host, so the XL's screen stays on the iPad. Everything else — pads, LEDs, encoders, buttons — is fully driven.

Shift Function Reference

Combo	Function
`Shift`+`1`	Set Overview
`Shift`+`2`	Setup (theme, chassis color, hidden AUs)
`Shift`+`3`	Workflow (quantize %, step grid, count-in, autoload)
`Shift`+`5`	Tempo
`Shift`+`6`	Metronome
`Shift`+`7`	Groove / swing
`Shift`+`8`	16 Pitches (drum tracks)
`Shift`+`9`	Key & Scale (+ In-Key/Chromatic)
`Shift`+`10`	Full Velocity
`Shift`+`11`	Repeat / Arp
`Shift`+`12`	Sidechain / ducking (per-track: source, drum cell, amount, release)
`Shift`+`14`	Prepare next empty clip slot
`Shift`+`15`	Double Loop
`Shift`+`16`	Quantize clip
`Shift`+`Play`	Restart from the top
`Shift`+`Undo`	Redo
`Shift`+`Capture`	Clear capture buffer
`Shift`+wheel-press	Next AU parameter bank

Setup, Themes & Power

Vintage theme: walnut rails and charcoal deck

The VINTAGE theme — walnut cheeks, charcoal deck, studio-light knob shadows.

Shift+Step 2: THEME (Hardware / Bare / Vintage walnut), COLOR (7 chassis tints), AU HIDDEN (turn to restore hidden plugins), LK SCREEN (Launchkey display orientation). Wheel-press moves rows, turn sets.

Tilt the device — the panel lighting (knob reflections, screen glare, pad sheen) follows the room light via the accelerometer.

⏻ then wheel-press powers down (screen, LEDs, and any connected control surfaces go dark; input is inert). Press ⏻ to boot.