Behringer X Touch Mini Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Behringer's X Touch Mini is an exceptionally flexible midi controller and is a powerful tool when is used with Ableton Live. This midi controller has a plethora of features, making it perfect for Ableton Live.

In this tutorial you will learn everything you need to know about using the Behringer X Touch Mini with Ableton Live. including how to connect, setup and midi map the X Touch Mini.

Article Contents

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

Does the Behringer X Touch Mini work with Ableton Live?

In a nutshell, the Behringer X Touch Mini is able to work fully with Ableton Live.

Although Ableton Live does not come with a MIDI remote script, the X Touch Mini can still be mapped to many of the software's functions.

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 X Touch Mini is a MIDI enabled device it will be fully compatible with Ableton.

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 X Touch Mini.

Does the Behringer X Touch Mini come with ableton Live included?

The X Touch Mini doesn’t come with a copy of Ableton Live Lite, so this would need to be purchased 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.

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 X Touch Mini to ableton

Linking and configuring the Behringer X Touch Mini to Ableton Live is not too complicated, and once you have them paired together you can control the software's settings from your midi controller.

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

Set up of the X Touch Mini with Ableton Live is now complete.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After linking up the Behringer X Touch Mini to Ableton Live using the steps provided, you can now assign the physical buttons, pads, keys etc on the device to specific functions within Ableton Live via MIDI mapping as follows:

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

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

Saving your X Touch Mini 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

A one-to-one MIDI mapping means that each control on your X Touch Mini can only be assigned to a single Ableton Live parameter.

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

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the X Touch Mini is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the X Touch Mini is selected as your audio input and output device in your audio settings.
3. Make sure that the correct driver is installed for the X Touch Mini.
4. Make sure that the X Touch Mini is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.