Arturia Keylab 61 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Arturia's Keylab 61 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.

This tutorial will teach you everything needed in order to use the Arturia Keylab 61 with Ableton Live, including the processes of linking, setting up and midi mapping the Keylab 61.

Article Contents

1. Does the Arturia Keylab 61 work with Ableton Live?
2. Does the Arturia Keylab 61 come with ableton Live included?
3. How to connect the Keylab 61 to ableton
4. How to midi map the Arturia Keylab 61 in Ableton Live
5. The Limitations of midi mapping the Keylab 61
   1. Saving your Keylab 61 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 Keylab 61 work with Ableton Live?

In a nutshell, the Arturia Keylab 61 is able to work fully with Ableton Live.

The Keylab 61 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 Keylab 61 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 61.

Does the Arturia Keylab 61 come with ableton Live included?

You get a complimentary version of Ableton Live Lite with the Keylab 61, but its worth noting that the features of Ableton Live Lite are not as full as those of Ableton Live Standard or Suite.

There are three main versions with Ableton Live: Intro, Standard and Suite. Though Intro and Standard are both comprehensive, Suite offers much more, such as 70GB of library sounds, in comparison 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 61 to ableton

Linking and configuring the Arturia Keylab 61 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 61 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Keylab 61 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 61 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Keylab 61 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 61 (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Keylab 61 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 Keylab 61 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 Keylab 61, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Keylab 61.
5. Moving the physical control on your Keylab 61 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 61

Ableton's midi mapping system is a great solution for quickly mapping your Keylab 61, however, you must take into account some potential limitations...

Saving your Keylab 61 Midi Mappings is cumbersome

Saving your mappings can be a problem as mappings are saved with an Ableton session, so if you start a new session you will need to re-map your controls again.

Ableton MIDI mappings are one-to-one

A one-to-one MIDI mapping indicates that each control on your Keylab 61 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 Keylab 61, 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 61's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Keylab 61,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Keylab 61, 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 61 in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Keylab 61 is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Keylab 61 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 61.
4. Make sure that the Keylab 61 is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.