How to Set Faster Encoder Speed

I received this question in an email and think its worth discussing publicly.
“Is there a way to adjust the speed of an encoder?
My Absolute endless encoders are moving so slow to adjust parameters, would love to be able choose a faster setting.”

First I’d recommend understanding the difference between Absolute and Relative controls

Relative Encoders
You can simply use the ‘steps’ option to change the speed or “how many steps” it takes to move through the range of a parameter in Ableton.

Absolute Encoders/Knobs
This one will require a bit of trial and error to get a configuration which suits your needs.
It’s a little bit hacky but if it works, it works 🙂
(A word of warning. You may run into script errors from certain mappings – so keep backups or use a script specifically for testing)

1. Edit the Controller Template
In the controller template > input settings you can change the last value to something higher than 127.
This effectively means that the mapping will fit into a smaller range.
Example: let’s say you set the last value to 150 in the controller template. Then select the input in a track volume mapping. This will cause the range of the volume to fit into a much bigger range, meaning when you turn the knob it will effectively move quicker.
The downside is you won’t be able to get to the very top of the volume, so finding a sweet spot for the last value will require testing.
Note! changing this will effect all mappings which are using this controller input

2. Edit the mapping
There’s a couple of ways within the mapping settings which can be adjusted
– Minimum / Maximum
Many of the range style mapping types (volume, panning, sends, device params etc) have minimum and maximum section.
Although these are designed for focusing in on a specific portion of a range i.e. for track volume – to stop at zero db rather than going all the way to the top.
you can try setting the maximum to a value greater than 100%.
– Input Control Override
This works the same as the ‘Edit the Controller Template’ option above, but it will only change for the specific mapping type that you’re editing.

If you have any thoughts, or other ways that you’ve found to do this, feel free to add them to this discussion.