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

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

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

Article Contents

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

Does the Arturia Keystep Pro work with Ableton Live?

In summary, the Arturia Keystep Pro is usable with Ableton Live.

Despite the absence of a built-in MIDI remote script within Ableton Live, users can still use the Keystep Pro to midi map to numerous functions in the software.

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 Keystep Pro 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 Keystep Pro.

Does the Arturia Keystep Pro come with ableton Live included?

With the Keystep Pro you get a free copy of Ableton Live Lite, but its features are not nearly as comprehensive 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.

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 Keystep Pro to ableton

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

The Keystep Pro has been configured and is now ready for use with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

Once you have connected the Arturia Keystep Pro to Ableton Live by following the steps above, you can now MIDI map the physical buttons, pads, keys etc on the device to the corresponding functions in 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 Keystep Pro, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Keystep Pro.
5. Moving the physical control on your Keystep 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 Keystep Pro

For the fastest way to map your Keystep Pro, you can't go wrong with Ableton's midi mapping system, but make sure you take into account these limitations...

Saving your Keystep Pro Midi Mappings is cumbersome

Be aware that when saving your mappings, they will be stored with the Ableton session. Therefore, starting a new session will require you to re-map your controls.

Ableton MIDI mappings are one-to-one

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

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