Arturia Keylab 61 Mk2 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

The Keylab 61 Mk2 from Arturia is an incredibly versatile midi keyboard and is a powerful tool when used in combination with Ableton Live. The Akai MPK Mini has a wealth of features that make it perfect for use with Ableton Live.

This tutorial will show you the whole process of how to operate the Arturia Keylab 61 Mk2 with Ableton Live. It will cover the steps of connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Keylab 61 Mk2.

Article Contents

Does the Arturia Keylab 61 Mk2 work with Ableton Live?
Does the Arturia Keylab 61 Mk2 come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the Keylab 61 Mk2 to ableton
How to midi map the Arturia Keylab 61 Mk2 in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the Keylab 61 Mk2
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Arturia Keylab 61 Mk2 work with Ableton Live?

In summary, the Arturia Keylab 61 Mk2 is usable with Ableton Live.

Ableton live provides a default midi remote script for the Keylab 61 Mk2, meaning it will work with Ableton Live as soon as you connect it (see the section below on how to connect to ableton).

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 Keylab 61 Mk2 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 Keylab 61 Mk2.

Does the Arturia Keylab 61 Mk2 come with ableton Live included?

Yes the Keylab 61 Mk2 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. Although Intro and Standard are both powerful, Suite offers extra features, such as 70GB of library sounds, in contrast 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 Keylab 61 Mk2 to ableton

Linking and configuring the Arturia Keylab 61 Mk2 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 Mk2 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Keylab 61 Mk2 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 Mk2 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Keylab 61 Mk2 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 Mk2 (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Keylab 61 Mk2 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 61 Mk2 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 61 Mk2, 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 Mk2.
5. Moving the physical control on your Keylab 61 Mk2 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 Mk2

With Ableton's midi mapping system, you can swiftly map your Keylab 61 Mk2, however, you must be aware of a few restrictions...

Saving your Keylab 61 Mk2 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

With a one-to-one MIDI mapping, each control on your Keylab 61 Mk2 can only be assigned to a single 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 Mk2, 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 Mk2's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Keylab 61 Mk2,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Keylab 61 Mk2, 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 Mk2 in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Keylab 61 Mk2 is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Keylab 61 Mk2 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 Mk2.
4. Make sure that the Keylab 61 Mk2 is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.