Alesis Vortex Wireless 2 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Alesis's Vortex Wireless 2 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 Vortex Wireless 2 with Ableton Live. This includes connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Vortex Wireless 2.

Article Contents

Does the Alesis Vortex Wireless 2 work with Ableton Live?
Does the Alesis Vortex Wireless 2 come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the Vortex Wireless 2 to ableton
How to midi map the Alesis Vortex Wireless 2 in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the Vortex Wireless 2
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Alesis Vortex Wireless 2 work with Ableton Live?

In a nutshell, the Alesis Vortex Wireless 2 is able to work fully with Ableton Live.

Despite the lack of a default MIDI remote script existing within Ableton Live, it is still possible to midi map the Vortex Wireless 2 to a variety of functions.

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 Vortex Wireless 2 is a MIDI enabled device it will be fully compatible with Ableton.

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 Vortex Wireless 2.

Does the Alesis Vortex Wireless 2 come with ableton Live included?

The Vortex Wireless 2 includes a complimentary version of Ableton Live Lite, but its available features are not as extensive as those in Ableton Live Standard or Suite.

There are three main versions with Ableton Live: Intro, Standard and Suite. Though Intro and Standard are both comprehensive, Suite offers much more, such as 70GB of library sounds, in comparison to Standard's 10GB.

Ableton Live Suite includes many more Audio and MIDI effects compared to Standard, so if you want to ensure you have everything, we recommend going with Ableton Live Suite.

How to connect the Vortex Wireless 2 to ableton

Linking the Alesis Vortex Wireless 2 to Ableton Live is a simple process, and when you have them connected you can control the software's parameters from your midi keyboard.

1. Connect the Vortex Wireless 2 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Vortex Wireless 2 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 Vortex Wireless 2 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Vortex Wireless 2 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 Vortex Wireless 2 (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Vortex Wireless 2 is now ready for use with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After you have connected the Alesis Vortex Wireless 2 to Ableton Live with the aforementioned steps, you can now use MIDI mapping to link up the physical knobs, pads, keys etc on the device to their corresponding features in Ableton Live:

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 Vortex Wireless 2, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Vortex Wireless 2.
5. Moving the physical control on your Vortex Wireless 2 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 Vortex Wireless 2

Ableton's midi mapping system provides a great way to quickly customize your Vortex Wireless 2, though it does have a few limitations to be mindful of...

Saving your Vortex Wireless 2 Midi Mappings is cumbersome

Mappings are saved along with your Ableton session. Therefore, if a new session is created, you must re-map all of your controls.

Ableton MIDI mappings are one-to-one

Through a one-to-one MIDI mapping, each control on your Vortex Wireless 2 can only be assigned to 1 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 Vortex Wireless 2, 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 Vortex Wireless 2's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Vortex Wireless 2,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Vortex Wireless 2, 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 Vortex Wireless 2 in Ableton Live?

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