Arturia Keylab 25 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Arturia's Keylab 25 is an incredibly multi-faceted midi controller and is a powerful addition to any Ableton Live setup. This midi keyboard has a wealth of features that make it ideal for use with Ableton Live.

In this tutorial you will learn everything you need to know about using the Arturia Keylab 25 with Ableton Live. including how to connect, setup and midi map the Keylab 25.

Article Contents

Does the Arturia Keylab 25 work with Ableton Live?
Does the Arturia Keylab 25 come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the Keylab 25 to ableton
How to midi map the Arturia Keylab 25 in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the Keylab 25
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Arturia Keylab 25 work with Ableton Live?

To put it briefly, the Arturia Keylab 25 is compatible with Ableton Live.

Ableton live provides a default midi remote script for the Keylab 25, meaning it will work with Ableton Live as soon as you connect it (see the section below on how to connect to ableton).

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 Keylab 25 is a MIDI enabled device it will be fully compatible with Ableton.

You can create your own Ableton midi mappings with ease, giving you the power to control many of the features of Ableton Live with your Keylab 25.

Does the Arturia Keylab 25 come with ableton Live included?

Yes the Keylab 25 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.

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.

For those who want to guarantee they have access to the largest selection of Audio and MIDI effects, we suggest investing in Ableton Live Suite, as it has a much larger selection than the Standard edition.

How to connect the Keylab 25 to ableton

Linking and configuring the Arturia Keylab 25 to Ableton Live is not too complicated, and once you have them paired together you can control the software's settings from your midi keyboard.

1. Connect the Keylab 25 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Keylab 25 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 Keylab 25 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Keylab 25 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 Keylab 25 (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Keylab 25 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 Keylab 25 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 Keylab 25, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Keylab 25.
5. Moving the physical control on your Keylab 25 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 Keylab 25

Ableton's midi mapping system provides a great way to quickly customize your Keylab 25, though it does have a few limitations to be mindful of...

Saving your Keylab 25 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 means that each button or knob on your Keylab 25 can only be assigned to control a single parameter in Ableton Live.

Limited Ableton parameter options to map to

Ableton’s internal midi mapping mode is unfortunately missing many control options. Options such as selected track and selected device control aren’t possible using this method. You can see a list of all available Ableton midi mapping options here.

We have a great solution to these problems

If you're looking to get the most out of your Keylab 25, 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 Keylab 25's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Keylab 25,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Keylab 25, 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 Keylab 25 in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Keylab 25 is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Keylab 25 is selected as your audio input and output device in your audio settings.
3. Make sure that the correct driver is installed for the Keylab 25.
4. Make sure that the Keylab 25 is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.