Denon Sc5000 Prime Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

The Denon Sc5000 Prime is a highly versatile midi controller and is a powerful instrument when used in combination with Ableton Live. This midi DJ controller has a great selection of features that make it perfect for your Ableton Live setup.

This tutorial will show you the whole process of how to operate the Denon Sc5000 Prime with Ableton Live. It will cover the steps of connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Sc5000 Prime.

Article Contents

Does the Denon Sc5000 Prime work with Ableton Live?
Does the Denon Sc5000 Prime come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the Sc5000 Prime to ableton
How to midi map the Denon Sc5000 Prime in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the Sc5000 Prime
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Denon Sc5000 Prime work with Ableton Live?

To put it briefly, the Denon Sc5000 Prime is compatible with Ableton Live.

Despite the absence of a built-in MIDI remote script within Ableton Live, users can still use the Sc5000 Prime 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 Sc5000 Prime is a MIDI enabled device, it will work with Ableton Live.

Making your own midi mappings is a breeze with Ableton Live, which gives you the ability to control a lot of components of the software with your Sc5000 Prime.

Does the Denon Sc5000 Prime come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite isn't included with the Sc5000 Prime, so this must be bought separately.

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.

If you prefer to have all the Audio and MIDI effects, we recommend getting Ableton Live Suite, because it comes with much more of them than the Standard edition.

How to connect the Sc5000 Prime to ableton

Linking the Denon Sc5000 Prime to Ableton Live is a simple process, and when you have them connected you can control the software's parameters from your midi DJ controller.

1. Connect the Sc5000 Prime to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Sc5000 Prime 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 Sc5000 Prime from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Sc5000 Prime 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 Sc5000 Prime (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Sc5000 Prime 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 Denon Sc5000 Prime 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 Sc5000 Prime, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Sc5000 Prime.
5. Moving the physical control on your Sc5000 Prime 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 Sc5000 Prime

With Ableton's midi mapping system, you can swiftly map your Sc5000 Prime, however, you must be aware of a few restrictions...

Saving your Sc5000 Prime 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

A one-to-one MIDI mapping indicates that each control on your Sc5000 Prime is capable of controlling only one parameter in Ableton Live.

Limited Ableton parameter options to map to

Ableton’s internal midi mapping mode is unfortunately missing many control options. Options such as selected track and selected device control aren’t possible using this method. You can see a list of all available Ableton midi mapping options here.

We have a great solution to these problems

If you're looking to get the most out of your Sc5000 Prime, 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 Sc5000 Prime's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Sc5000 Prime,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Sc5000 Prime, 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 Sc5000 Prime in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Sc5000 Prime is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Sc5000 Prime is selected as your audio input and output device in your audio settings.
3. Make sure that the correct driver is installed for the Sc5000 Prime.
4. Make sure that the Sc5000 Prime is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.