Akai Mpc One Ableton tutorial – connect, setup & midi map

Akai’s Mpc One is a fantastically adaptable midi controller that is extremely useful when coupled with Ableton Live. This device has a great range of features, making it ideal as an Ableton Live controller.

This tutorial will teach you everything needed in order to use the Akai Mpc One with Ableton Live, including the processes of linking, setting up and midi mapping the Mpc One.

Article Contents

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

Does the Akai Mpc One work with Ableton Live?

To put it briefly, the Akai Mpc One is compatible with Ableton Live.

The lack of a MIDI remote script in Ableton Live does not restrict users from midi mapping the Mpc One to multiple functions inside the program.

All versions of Ableton Live, from Intro to Suite, are able to be utilized in collaboration with any equipment that sends MIDI data. This is applicable to all releases of Live, such as 9, 10, and 11. As the Mpc One is a MIDI enabled tool, it will be completely compatible with Ableton Live.

Creating your own midi mappings in Ableton is simple, and gives you the ability to control a variety of Ableton Live’s components with your Mpc One.

Does the Akai Mpc One come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite is not provided with the Mpc One, so it needs to be purchased separately.

Ableton Live has 3 main versions, Intro, Standard and Suite. Whilst Intro and Standard are very capable pieces of software, the Suite version packs more in, such as over 70GB of library sounds compared 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 Mpc One to ableton

Linking the Akai Mpc One to Ableton Live is a simple process, and when you have them connected you can control the software’s parameters from your midi controller.

1. Connect the Mpc One to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Mpc One 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 Mpc One from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Mpc One 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 Mpc One (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Mpc One will now be setup and ready to use with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After successfully connecting the Akai Mpc One to Ableton live following the steps above, you can now MIDI map the physical knobs, pads, keys etc on the device to functionality within 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 Mpc One, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Mpc One.
5. Moving the physical control on your Mpc One 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 Mpc One

For the fastest way to map your Mpc One, you can’t go wrong with Ableton’s midi mapping system, but make sure you take into account these limitations…

Saving your Mpc One 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

With a one-to-one MIDI mapping, each control on your Mpc One can only be assigned to a single parameter in Ableton Live.

Limited Ableton parameter options to map to

Unfortunately, Ableton’s internal midi mapping mode does not include every control options, options such as selected track control and selected device control unfortunately aren’t possible. You can view a comprehensive list of all Ableton midi mapping options here.

We have a great solution to these problems

If you’re looking to get the most out of your Mpc One, 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 Mpc One’s mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
– map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Mpc One,
– access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Mpc One, 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 Mpc One in Ableton Live?

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