Behringer Motor 61 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Behringer's Motor 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 guide will provide you with all the knowledge necessary to utilize the Behringer Motor 61 with Ableton Live, which includes how to connect, configure and midi map the Motor 61.

Article Contents

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

Does the Behringer Motor 61 work with Ableton Live?

In summary, the Behringer Motor 61 is usable with Ableton Live.

Although Ableton Live doesn’t provide a default MIDI remote script within its software for it, the Motor 61 can still be midi mapped to many functions within the software.

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 Motor 61 will be usable with Ableton Live.

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 Motor 61.

Does the Behringer Motor 61 come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite is not included with the Motor 61, therefore it must be bought separately.

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 Motor 61 to ableton

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

The Motor 61 is now ready for use with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After you have connected the Behringer Motor 61 to Ableton Live with the aforementioned steps, you can now use MIDI mapping to link up the physical knobs, pads, keys etc on the device to their corresponding features in Ableton Live:

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

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

Saving your Motor 61 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 Motor 61 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 Motor 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 Motor 61's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Motor 61,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Motor 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 Motor 61 in Ableton Live?

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