Puxi

A free, open-source 8-track drum step sequencer for Ableton Live 12 with deep Push 3 integration. Inspired by the OXI One's multi-track view — all of your drum tracks on one grid at once. All the sequencing logic lives in version-controlled JavaScript; the Max patch is just plumbing.

Download

Grab the latest Puxi.amxd from the Releases page, move it into your Live User Library (so your Sets can always find it), and drag it from there onto a MIDI track, before your Drum Rack. That's it — see the manual for everything else.

Status: v1.0.1, feature-complete. Tested with Live 12.4 and Push 3; Push 2 confirmed working by a Push 2 owner.

Features

• 8×8 grid view into a 64-step, 32-note pattern — scroll note banks and step blocks; piano-roll orientation (lowest note at the bottom).
• Transport-synced playback derived from Live's song position (loops/jumps stay in sync), MIDI out to a Drum Rack (dynamic pad names + colors).
• Per-step velocity (brightness), with a global velocity offset.
• Probability per step (statistical playback) + a non-destructive global offset.
• Gate / length per step: staccato to multi-step ties that spill over into the next pages/loops (up to 64 steps), + a global offset.
• Ratcheting per step (2–8 evenly-spaced sub-hits).
• Groove / swing that follows Live's global Groove Amount and Swing Amount.
• Mute / solo, polyrhythm (per-note loop lengths, independent playheads), double-loop (×2), block duplicate, delete.
• Parameter locks (p-locks): lock two of a drum pad's device parameters per step, plus a per-row offset that shifts the whole row.
• Export → MIDI clip (bakes length, probability, ratchet and swing) and import an existing MIDI clip back into the pattern.
• Pattern persistence + native undo/redo (the pattern is a Live parameter).
• Full Push 3 integration (tethered and standalone): pads with velocity, LED mirroring and per-note playheads, dedicated buttons for nav / accent / convert / double / duplicate / delete / repeat, and eight encoders shown on the Push display.

See docs/MANUAL.md for the full user manual.

How Puxi was made

I'm a producer, not a Max developer. Puxi was built with Claude Code, Anthropic's AI coding assistant, which wrote most of the code. My part was deciding what Puxi should be and making sure it actually works:

• Design. What the sequencer does and how it feels in use: the Push gestures, how the pads show velocity, probability and ratchets, and the pad colors and brightness levels, picked by eye on the hardware.
• Testing. Each feature was played in Live, and on a Push 3 where it has a Push side, before work on the next one began. When something didn't work or didn't feel right, it went back for another round.

The design log, CLAUDE.md, records the decisions, pitfalls and dead ends along the way. It's also the file Claude Code reads at the start of every session, so it doubles as the project's working memory.

The code is open source, so you can read it and judge it for yourself.

Architecture

• device/puxi-shell.maxpat — minimal Max patch shell (clock, MIDI I/O, hosting, the exposed Live parameters, and the pattern-persistence sub-patcher).
• device/puxi-engine.js — sequencer engine (v8 object): pattern state, step logic, Live API, Push control-surface integration, persistence.
• device/puxi-gui.js — GUI (v8ui object): the grid rendering and mouse interaction (mgraphics).

The .maxpat + .js files are the source of truth. The distributable frozen .amxd is generated locally (never committed — it's a binary).

Getting started

See docs/SETUP.md for installation and the test checklist. In short: the device loads from your Ableton User Library, which links the .js files back to this repo (a single source of truth), and the .amxd is rebuilt from the patch with:

python3 tools/build-amxd.py

Requires Ableton Live 12 with Max 8.6+ (bundled). Push 3 or Push 2 is optional but supported.

FAQ

What do I need? Ableton Live 12 with Max for Live (included in Suite; available as an add-on for Standard). Puxi is a single .amxd: keep it in your User Library and drop it on the track with your Drum Rack.

Do I need a Push? No. The mouse GUI does everything. A Push 3 or Push 2 adds hands-on pads, encoders and dedicated buttons.

Does it work on Push 3 standalone? Yes — transfer the device to the Push and it runs without a computer.

And on Push 2? Yes, since v1.0.1 (confirmed by a Push 2 owner). Puxi was built on Push 3, so a few indicator lights stay Push 2's own (see the manual). Push 1 is not supported.

How much? Free. No pro version, no unlock, no email wall.

License? GPLv3 — use it, study it, modify it, share it; derivatives must stay open source.

Melodic sequencing? It's drum-focused (rows = Drum Rack pads). Export to a MIDI clip if you want to keep editing in Live.

Was it made with AI? Yes, with Claude Code. See How Puxi was made.

License

Puxi is free software, licensed under the GNU General Public License v3.0 — see LICENSE. You may use, study, share and modify it; redistributed versions must stay open under the same license.

Copyright © 2026 mefecit.