American Audio 14 Mxr Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

The American Audio 14 Mxr is a highly versatile midi controller and is a powerful instrument when used in combination with Ableton Live. This midi DJ controller has a great selection of features that make it perfect for your Ableton Live setup.

This tutorial will show you the whole process of how to operate the American Audio 14 Mxr with Ableton Live. It will cover the steps of connecting, setting up and midi mapping the 14 Mxr.

Article Contents

Does the American Audio 14 Mxr work with Ableton Live?
Does the American Audio 14 Mxr come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the 14 Mxr to ableton
How to midi map the American Audio 14 Mxr in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the 14 Mxr
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the American Audio 14 Mxr work with Ableton Live?

To put it briefly, the American Audio 14 Mxr is compatible with Ableton Live.

Although Ableton Live doesn’t provide a default MIDI remote script within its software for it, the 14 Mxr can still be midi mapped to many functions within the software.

Any edition of Ableton Live, from Intro to Suite, will be compatible with any device that transmits MIDI data. This works for all editions of Live, for instance 9, 10, and 11. As the 14 Mxr is a MIDI enabled device, it will work with Ableton Live.

You can create your own custom Ableton midi mappings easily, which allows you to control much of the functionality in Ableton Live with your 14 Mxr.

Does the American Audio 14 Mxr come with ableton Live included?

The 14 Mxr does not have Ableton Live Lite, it must be purchased independently.

There are three main versions of Ableton Live: Intro, Standard and Suite. Whilst Intro and Standard are highly functional, Suite includes an additional 70GB library of sounds, in comparison to Standard's 10GB.

If you're looking to make sure you have the full range of Audio and MIDI effects, we suggest you go with Ableton Live Suite, as it has far more than the Standard edition.

How to connect the 14 Mxr to ableton

Linking and configuring the American Audio 14 Mxr to Ableton Live is not too complicated, and once you have them paired together you can control the software's settings from your midi DJ controller.

1. Connect the 14 Mxr to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the 14 Mxr 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 14 Mxr from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the 14 Mxr 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 14 Mxr (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The 14 Mxr is now ready for use with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After you have connected the American Audio 14 Mxr 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 14 Mxr, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the 14 Mxr.
5. Moving the physical control on your 14 Mxr 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 14 Mxr

For the fastest way to map your 14 Mxr, you can't go wrong with Ableton's midi mapping system, but make sure you take into account these limitations...

Saving your 14 Mxr 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

A one-to-one MIDI mapping means that each control on your 14 Mxr can only be assigned to a single Ableton Live parameter.

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 14 Mxr, 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 14 Mxr's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your 14 Mxr,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your 14 Mxr, 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 14 Mxr in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the 14 Mxr is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the 14 Mxr is selected as your audio input and output device in your audio settings.
3. Make sure that the correct driver is installed for the 14 Mxr.
4. Make sure that the 14 Mxr is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.