Arturia Beatstep Pro Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Arturia's Beatstep Pro is an exceptionally flexible midi controller and is a powerful tool when is used with Ableton Live. This midi controller has a plethora of features, making it perfect for Ableton Live.

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

Article Contents

1. Does the Arturia Beatstep Pro work with Ableton Live?
2. Does the Arturia Beatstep Pro come with ableton Live included?
3. How to connect the Beatstep Pro to ableton
4. How to midi map the Arturia Beatstep Pro in Ableton Live
5. The Limitations of midi mapping the Beatstep Pro
   1. Saving your Beatstep Pro 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 Arturia Beatstep Pro work with Ableton Live?

In a nutshell, the Arturia Beatstep Pro is able to work fully with Ableton Live.

Ableton live provides a default midi remote script for the Beatstep Pro, meaning it will work with Ableton Live as soon as you connect it (see the section below on how to connect to ableton).

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 Beatstep Pro is a MIDI enabled device, it will work with Ableton Live.

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 Beatstep Pro.

Does the Arturia Beatstep Pro come with ableton Live included?

Yes the Beatstep Pro comes with a free copy of Ableton Live Lite. Although it has unlimited usage, the available features are a lot less than what is available in the full versions 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.

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 Beatstep Pro to ableton

Connecting and setting up the Arturia Beatstep Pro 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 controller.

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

The Beatstep Pro will now be setup and ready to use with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After successfully connecting the Arturia Beatstep Pro to Ableton live following the steps above, you can now MIDI map the physical knobs, pads, keys etc on the device to functionality within Ableton Live by doing the following:

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

Ableton’s midi mapping system provides a great way to quickly map your Beatstep Pro, there are however, some limitations to be aware of...

Saving your Beatstep Pro 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

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

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