Arturia Keylab 88 Mk3 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Arturia's Keylab 88 Mk3 is a fantastically adaptable midi keyboard that is extremely useful when coupled with Ableton Live. This device has a great range of features, making it ideal as an Ableton Live controller.

This tutorial will explain all you need to know on using the Arturia Keylab 88 Mk3 with Ableton Live. This includes connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Keylab 88 Mk3.

Article Contents

Does the Arturia Keylab 88 Mk3 work with Ableton Live?
Does the Arturia Keylab 88 Mk3 come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the Keylab 88 Mk3 to ableton
How to midi map the Arturia Keylab 88 Mk3 in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the Keylab 88 Mk3
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Arturia Keylab 88 Mk3 work with Ableton Live?

To sum it up, the Arturia Keylab 88 Mk3 is fully compatible with Ableton Live.

The Keylab 88 Mk3 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.

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 Keylab 88 Mk3 is a MIDI enabled device, it will work with Ableton Live.

You can create your own custom Ableton midi mappings easily, which allows you to control much of the functionality in Ableton Live with your Keylab 88 Mk3.

Does the Arturia Keylab 88 Mk3 come with ableton Live included?

You get a complimentary version of Ableton Live Lite with the Keylab 88 Mk3, 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.

For those seeking the full range of Audio and MIDI effects, we highly suggest purchasing Ableton Live Suite, as it offers significantly more than the Standard edition.

How to connect the Keylab 88 Mk3 to ableton

Connecting and setting up the Arturia Keylab 88 Mk3 with Ableton Live is a simple task, after they're connected you'll be able to adjust the software's parameters from your midi keyboard.

1. Connect the Keylab 88 Mk3 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Keylab 88 Mk3 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 88 Mk3 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Keylab 88 Mk3 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 88 Mk3 (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Keylab 88 Mk3 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 88 Mk3 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 88 Mk3, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Keylab 88 Mk3.
5. Moving the physical control on your Keylab 88 Mk3 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 88 Mk3

With Ableton's midi mapping system, you can swiftly map your Keylab 88 Mk3, however, you must be aware of a few restrictions...

Saving your Keylab 88 Mk3 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

With a one-to-one MIDI mapping, each control on your Keylab 88 Mk3 can only be assigned to a single 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 Keylab 88 Mk3, 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 88 Mk3's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Keylab 88 Mk3,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Keylab 88 Mk3, 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 88 Mk3 in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Keylab 88 Mk3 is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Keylab 88 Mk3 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 88 Mk3.
4. Make sure that the Keylab 88 Mk3 is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.