Alesis V49 Mkii Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Alesis's V49 Mkii 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.

This tutorial will explain all you need to know on using the Alesis V49 Mkii with Ableton Live. This includes connecting, setting up and midi mapping the V49 Mkii.

Article Contents

Does the Alesis V49 Mkii work with Ableton Live?
Does the Alesis V49 Mkii come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the V49 Mkii to ableton
How to midi map the Alesis V49 Mkii in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the V49 Mkii
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Alesis V49 Mkii work with Ableton Live?

In short, yes, the Alesis V49 Mkii is compatible with Ableton Live.

The V49 Mkii comes with a midi remote script to ensure it functions with Ableton Live, so just plug it in (see the instructions below to see how) and you're good to go.

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 V49 Mkii is a MIDI enabled device it will be fully compatible with Ableton.

You can easily create midi mappings for Ableton, allowing you to access many functions of Ableton Live with your V49 Mkii.

Does the Alesis V49 Mkii come with ableton Live included?

You get a complimentary version of Ableton Live Lite with the V49 Mkii, but its worth noting that the features of Ableton Live Lite are not as full as those of Ableton Live Standard or Suite.

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.

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 V49 Mkii to ableton

Connecting the Alesis V49 Mkii with Ableton Live is pretty simple, and when the two are linked you'll be able to adjust the software's parameters from your midi keyboard.

1. Connect the V49 Mkii to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the V49 Mkii 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 V49 Mkii from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the V49 Mkii are checked.
4. Ensure that the ‘Track’, ‘Remote’ and ‘Sync’ boxes are all checked.
In the ‘MIDI’ section of this tab, make sure the ‘Track’ and ‘Remote’ boxes are checked for both the Input and Output of the V49 Mkii (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The V49 Mkii 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 Alesis V49 Mkii 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 V49 Mkii, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the V49 Mkii.
5. Moving the physical control on your V49 Mkii 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 V49 Mkii

For the fastest way to map your V49 Mkii, you can't go wrong with Ableton's midi mapping system, but make sure you take into account these limitations...

Saving your V49 Mkii 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 V49 Mkii 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 V49 Mkii, 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 V49 Mkii's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your V49 Mkii,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your V49 Mkii, 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 V49 Mkii in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the V49 Mkii is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the V49 Mkii is selected as your audio input and output device in your audio settings.
3. Make sure that the correct driver is installed for the V49 Mkii.
4. Make sure that the V49 Mkii is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.