Akai Fire Ableton tutorial – connect, setup & midi map

The Fire from Akai is an incredibly versatile midi controller and is a powerful tool when used in combination with Ableton Live. The Akai MPK Mini has a wealth of features that make it perfect for use with Ableton Live.

This tutorial will explain all you need to know on using the Akai Fire with Ableton Live. This includes connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Fire.

Article Contents

Does the Akai Fire work with Ableton Live?
Does the Akai Fire come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the Fire to ableton
How to midi map the Akai Fire in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the Fire
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Akai Fire work with Ableton Live?

In summary, the Akai Fire is usable with Ableton Live.

Despite the lack of a default MIDI remote script existing within Ableton Live, it is still possible to midi map the Fire to a variety of functions.

All forms of Ableton Live, Intro, Lite, Standard and Suite, can work with practically any instrument that sends out MIDI data, and it will be compatible with all versions of Live such as 9, 10 and 11. Due to this, the Fire will be usable with Ableton Live.

You can easily create midi mappings for Ableton, allowing you to access many functions of Ableton Live with your Fire.

Does the Akai Fire come with ableton Live included?

The Fire does not have Ableton Live Lite, it must be purchased independently.

There are three main versions of Ableton Live: Intro, Standard and Suite. Although Intro and Standard are both powerful, Suite offers extra features, such as 70GB of library sounds, in contrast to Standard’s 10GB.

For those who want to guarantee they have access to the largest selection of Audio and MIDI effects, we suggest investing in Ableton Live Suite, as it has a much larger selection than the Standard edition.

How to connect the Fire to ableton

Linking and configuring the Akai Fire to Ableton Live is not too complicated, and once you have them paired together you can control the software’s settings from your midi controller.

1. Connect the Fire to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Fire and your computer.
2. Launch Ableton Live and open the MIDI preferences.
Double click the Ableton Live icon to launch the software. Then, in the top menu of Ableton, go to the Preferences menu by opening the ‘Live’ menu and clicking ‘Preferences’.
3. Select the Fire from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Fire are checked.
4. Ensure that the proper ‘Track’, ‘Remote’ and ‘Sync’ boxes are checked for both input and output.

Track: When checked, this allows MIDI notes and CC messages to be sent/received.
Sync: This option enables MIDI clock syncing between Ableton live and the external device.
Remote: Allows external MIDI controllers to remotely control parameters within Ableton Live.

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In the ‘MIDI’ section of this tab, make sure the ‘Track’ and ‘Remote’ boxes are checked for both the Input and Output of the Fire (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Fire has been configured and is now ready for use with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

Once you have connected the Akai Fire to Ableton Live by following the steps above, you can now MIDI map the physical buttons, pads, keys etc on the device to the corresponding functions in Ableton Live by doing the following:

1. Select the MIDI Map Mode button in the top right corner of the Live window. The button should turn orange, indicating that the MIDI Map Mode is enabled.
2. Select the parameter you wish to control in Ableton by clicking it with the cursor, the parameter will become highlighted.
3. Move a control on the Fire, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Fire.
5. Moving the physical control on your Fire will now move the position of the corresponding parameter in Ableton.
6. Repeat steps 2 – 4 for any other parameters you wish to map.
7. When you’re finished mapping, press the MIDI Map Mode button again to disable it.

The Limitations of midi mapping the Fire

With Ableton’s midi mapping system, you can swiftly map your Fire, however, you must be aware of a few restrictions…

Saving your Fire Midi Mappings is cumbersome

Be aware that when saving your mappings, they will be stored with the Ableton session. Therefore, starting a new session will require you to re-map your controls.

Ableton MIDI mappings are one-to-one

A one-to-one MIDI mapping indicates that each control on your Fire is capable of controlling only one parameter in Ableton Live.

Limited Ableton parameter options to map to

When using Ableton’s internal midi mapping mode, unfortunately now all options are available, controls such as selected track and selected device control aren’t currently possible. View a full list of Ableton midi mapping options here.

We have a great solution to these problems

If you’re looking to get the most out of your Fire, our Ableton Midi Script Creator tool ‘Control Surface Studio‘ is exactly what you need!
With it, you’ll be able to:
– save and re-use your Fire’s mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
– map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Fire,
– access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Fire, than Live’s internal midi mapping mode allows.

Learn more about Control Surface Studio and see how it can help you by clicking here!

FAQ / Troubleshooting

Why can’t I hear my Fire in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Fire is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Fire is selected as your audio input and output device in your audio settings.
3. Make sure that the correct driver is installed for the Fire.
4. Make sure that the Fire is selected as the input device in Ableton’s MIDI Preferences.