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

The Alesis Vortex Wireless is a versatile midi keyboard and when used alongside Ableton Live, it's an incredible tool filled with potential. This midi keyboard is equipped with plenty of features that make it the perfect companion to Ableton Live.

This guide will provide you with all the knowledge necessary to utilize the Alesis Vortex Wireless with Ableton Live, which includes how to connect, configure and midi map the Vortex Wireless.

Article Contents

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

Does the Alesis Vortex Wireless work with Ableton Live?

In summary, the Alesis Vortex Wireless is usable with Ableton Live.

Although Ableton Live doesn’t provide a default MIDI remote script within its software for it, the Vortex Wireless can still be midi mapped to many functions within the software.

All editions of Ableton Live, from Intro to Suite, can be used with any device that sends out MIDI data. This is the case for all versions of Live, 9, 10, or 11. Seeing as the Vortex Wireless is a MIDI capable device, it is fully suited to function 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 Vortex Wireless.

Does the Alesis Vortex Wireless come with ableton Live included?

The Vortex Wireless offers a complimentary copy of Ableton Live Lite, but its features are limited in comparison to 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.

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 Vortex Wireless to ableton

Connecting and setting up the Alesis Vortex Wireless with Ableton Live is a relatively simple process, once you have the 2 linked together you will be able to control parameters of the software from your midi keyboard.

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

Set up of the Vortex Wireless with Ableton Live is now complete.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After linking up the Alesis Vortex Wireless 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 Vortex Wireless, 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.
5. Moving the physical control on your Vortex Wireless 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

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

Saving your Vortex Wireless 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 Vortex Wireless 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 provide every control option, so options such as controlling the selected track or selected device aren't possible. A full list of Ableton midi mapping options can be found here.

We have a great solution to these problems

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

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