Novation Impulse 61 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Novation's Impulse 61 is an exceptionally flexible midi keyboard and is a powerful tool when is used with Ableton Live. This midi keyboard has a plethora of features, making it perfect for Ableton Live.

In this tutorial you will learn everything you need to know about using the Novation Impulse 61 with Ableton Live. including how to connect, setup and midi map the Impulse 61.

Article Contents

Does the Novation Impulse 61 work with Ableton Live?
Does the Novation Impulse 61 come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the Impulse 61 to ableton
How to midi map the Novation Impulse 61 in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the Impulse 61
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Novation Impulse 61 work with Ableton Live?

To sum it up, the Novation Impulse 61 is fully compatible with Ableton Live.

Ableton live provides a default midi remote script for the Impulse 61, meaning it will work with Ableton Live as soon as you connect it (see the section below on how to connect to ableton).

All versions of Ableton Live, Intro, Lite, standard and suite can be used in conjunction with pretty much any device which sends MIDI data, and it will work with all versions of Live such as 9, 10 and 11. As the Impulse 61 is a MIDI enabled device it will be fully compatible with Ableton.

You can create your own Ableton midi mappings with ease, giving you the power to control many of the features of Ableton Live with your Impulse 61.

Does the Novation Impulse 61 come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite is not provided with the Impulse 61, so it needs to be purchased separately.

There are three main versions of Ableton Live: Intro, Standard and Suite. Even though Intro and Standard are both effective, Suite offers a lot more, including 70GB of library sounds, compared to Standard's 10GB.

If you prefer to have all the Audio and MIDI effects, we recommend getting Ableton Live Suite, because it comes with much more of them than the Standard edition.

How to connect the Impulse 61 to ableton

Connecting and setting up the Novation Impulse 61 with Ableton Live is a simple task, after they're connected you'll be able to adjust the software's parameters from your midi keyboard.

1. Connect the Impulse 61 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Impulse 61 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 Impulse 61 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Impulse 61 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 Impulse 61 (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Impulse 61 is all set and can now be used with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

Upon making a successful connection between the Novation Impulse 61 and Ableton Live using the instructions above, you can now use MIDI mapping to allocate the physical knobs, pads, keys etc on the device to their respective functions in Ableton Live like this:

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 Impulse 61, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Impulse 61.
5. Moving the physical control on your Impulse 61 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 Impulse 61

Ableton's midi mapping system is a great solution for quickly mapping your Impulse 61, however, you must take into account some potential limitations...

Saving your Impulse 61 Midi Mappings is cumbersome

When saving an Ableton session, your mappings will be saved as part of that session. Therefore, if you create a new session, you will need to remap your controls.

Ableton MIDI mappings are one-to-one

A one-to-one MIDI mapping indicates that each control on your Impulse 61 is capable of controlling only one parameter in Ableton Live.

Limited Ableton parameter options to map to

Ableton’s internal midi mapping mode is unfortunately missing many control options. Options such as selected track and selected device control aren’t possible using this method. You can see a list of all available Ableton midi mapping options here.

We have a great solution to these problems

If you're looking to get the most out of your Impulse 61, 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 Impulse 61's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Impulse 61,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Impulse 61, 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 Impulse 61 in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Impulse 61 is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Impulse 61 is selected as your audio input and output device in your audio settings.
3. Make sure that the correct driver is installed for the Impulse 61.
4. Make sure that the Impulse 61 is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.