American Audio Vms5 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

American Audio's Vms5 is an incredibly multi-faceted midi controller and is a powerful addition to any Ableton Live setup. This midi DJ controller has a wealth of features that make it ideal for use with Ableton Live.

This guide will provide you with all the knowledge necessary to utilize the American Audio Vms5 with Ableton Live, which includes how to connect, configure and midi map the Vms5.

Article Contents

1. Does the American Audio Vms5 work with Ableton Live?
2. Does the American Audio Vms5 come with ableton Live included?
3. How to connect the Vms5 to ableton
4. How to midi map the American Audio Vms5 in Ableton Live
5. The Limitations of midi mapping the Vms5
   1. Saving your Vms5 Midi Mappings is cumbersome
   2. Ableton MIDI mappings are one-to-one
   3. Limited Ableton parameter options to map to
   4. A great solution to these problems
6. Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the American Audio Vms5 work with Ableton Live?

In summary, the American Audio Vms5 is usable with Ableton Live.

Although Ableton Live does not come with a MIDI remote script, the Vms5 can still be mapped to many of the software's functions.

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 Vms5 will be usable 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 Vms5.

Does the American Audio Vms5 come with ableton Live included?

The Vms5 doesn’t come with a copy of Ableton Live Lite, so this would need to be purchased separately.

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 Vms5 to ableton

Connecting and setting up the American Audio Vms5 with Ableton Live is a simple task, after they're connected you'll be able to adjust the software's parameters from your midi DJ controller.

1. Connect the Vms5 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Vms5 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 Vms5 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Vms5 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 Vms5 (Sync can also be optionally checked).

Set up of the Vms5 with Ableton Live is now complete.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After linking up the American Audio Vms5 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 Vms5, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Vms5.
5. Moving the physical control on your Vms5 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 Vms5

Ableton's midi mapping system is a great solution for quickly mapping your Vms5, however, you must take into account some potential limitations...

Saving your Vms5 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 means that each control on your Vms5 can only be assigned to a single Ableton Live parameter.

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 Vms5, 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 Vms5's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Vms5,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Vms5, 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 Vms5 in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Vms5 is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Vms5 is selected as your audio input and output device in your audio settings.
3. Make sure that the correct driver is installed for the Vms5.
4. Make sure that the Vms5 is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.