Arturia Beatstep Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

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

In this tutorial you will learn everything you need to know about using the Arturia Beatstep with Ableton Live. including how to connect, setup and midi map the Beatstep.

Article Contents

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

Does the Arturia Beatstep work with Ableton Live?

In short, yes, the Arturia Beatstep is compatible with Ableton Live.

The Beatstep comes with a midi remote script to ensure it functions with Ableton Live, so just plug it in (see the instructions below to see how) and you're good to go.

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 Beatstep is a MIDI enabled device it will be fully compatible with Ableton.

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 Beatstep.

Does the Arturia Beatstep come with ableton Live included?

You get a complimentary version of Ableton Live Lite with the Beatstep, but its worth noting that the features of Ableton Live Lite are not as full as those of 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'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 Beatstep to ableton

Linking the Arturia Beatstep to Ableton Live is a simple process, and when you have them connected you can control the software's parameters from your midi controller.

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

The Beatstep is all set and can now be used with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

Upon making a successful connection between the Arturia Beatstep and Ableton Live using the instructions above, you can now use MIDI mapping to allocate the physical knobs, pads, keys etc on the device to their respective functions in Ableton Live like this:

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

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

Saving your Beatstep 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 indicates that each control on your Beatstep is capable of controlling only one 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 Beatstep, 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 Beatstep's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Beatstep,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Beatstep, 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 Beatstep in Ableton Live?

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