Alesis V61 Mkii Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Alesis's V61 Mkii is an incredibly multi-faceted midi controller and is a powerful addition to any Ableton Live setup. This midi keyboard has a wealth of features that make it ideal for use with Ableton Live.

This tutorial will show you the whole process of how to operate the Alesis V61 Mkii with Ableton Live. It will cover the steps of connecting, setting up and midi mapping the V61 Mkii.

Article Contents

Does the Alesis V61 Mkii work with Ableton Live?
Does the Alesis V61 Mkii come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the V61 Mkii to ableton
How to midi map the Alesis V61 Mkii in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the V61 Mkii
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Alesis V61 Mkii work with Ableton Live?

In short, yes, the Alesis V61 Mkii is compatible with Ableton Live.

The V61 Mkii is equipped with a standard midi remote script in Ableton Live, so you just need to connect it (see instructions below) to get it working.

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 V61 Mkii will be usable with Ableton Live.

Making your own midi mappings is a breeze with Ableton Live, which gives you the ability to control a lot of components of the software with your V61 Mkii.

Does the Alesis V61 Mkii come with ableton Live included?

The V61 Mkii offers a complimentary copy of Ableton Live Lite, but its features are limited in comparison to Ableton Live Standard or Suite.

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.

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 V61 Mkii to ableton

Connecting and setting up the Alesis V61 Mkii 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 V61 Mkii to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the V61 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 V61 Mkii from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the V61 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 V61 Mkii (Sync can also be optionally checked).

Set up of the V61 Mkii with Ableton Live is now complete.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After linking up the Alesis V61 Mkii to Ableton Live using the steps provided, you can now assign the physical buttons, pads, keys etc on the device to specific functions within Ableton Live via MIDI mapping as follows:

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 V61 Mkii, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the V61 Mkii.
5. Moving the physical control on your V61 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 V61 Mkii

Ableton's midi mapping system is a great solution for quickly mapping your V61 Mkii, however, you must take into account some potential limitations...

Saving your V61 Mkii Midi Mappings is cumbersome

Saving your mappings can be a problem as mappings are saved with an Ableton session, so if you start a new session you will need to re-map your controls again.

Ableton MIDI mappings are one-to-one

With a one-to-one MIDI mapping, each control on your V61 Mkii 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 V61 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 V61 Mkii's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your V61 Mkii,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your V61 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 V61 Mkii in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the V61 Mkii is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the V61 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 V61 Mkii.
4. Make sure that the V61 Mkii is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.