Denon Sc6000 Prime Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

The Sc6000 Prime from Denon is an incredibly versatile midi DJ controller and is a powerful tool when used in combination with Ableton Live. The Akai MPK Mini has a wealth of features that make it perfect for use with Ableton Live.

In this tutorial you will learn everything you need to know about using the Denon Sc6000 Prime with Ableton Live. including how to connect, setup and midi map the Sc6000 Prime.

Article Contents

Does the Denon Sc6000 Prime work with Ableton Live?
Does the Denon Sc6000 Prime come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the Sc6000 Prime to ableton
How to midi map the Denon Sc6000 Prime in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the Sc6000 Prime
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Denon Sc6000 Prime work with Ableton Live?

To put it briefly, the Denon Sc6000 Prime is compatible with Ableton Live.

The lack of a MIDI remote script in Ableton Live does not restrict users from midi mapping the Sc6000 Prime to multiple functions inside the program.

All editions of Ableton Live, from Intro to Suite, can be used with any device that sends out MIDI data. This is the case for all versions of Live, 9, 10, or 11. Seeing as the Sc6000 Prime is a MIDI capable device, it is fully suited to function with Ableton Live.

You can easily create midi mappings for Ableton, allowing you to access many functions of Ableton Live with your Sc6000 Prime.

Does the Denon Sc6000 Prime come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite is not provided with the Sc6000 Prime, so it needs to be purchased separately.

There are three main versions of Ableton Live: Intro, Standard and Suite. Although Intro and Standard are both powerful, Suite offers extra features, such as 70GB of library sounds, in contrast 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 Sc6000 Prime to ableton

Linking and configuring the Denon Sc6000 Prime to Ableton Live is not too complicated, and once you have them paired together you can control the software's settings from your midi DJ controller.

1. Connect the Sc6000 Prime to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Sc6000 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 Sc6000 Prime from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Sc6000 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 Sc6000 Prime (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Sc6000 Prime will now be setup and ready to use with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After successfully connecting the Denon Sc6000 Prime to Ableton live following the steps above, you can now MIDI map the physical knobs, pads, keys etc on the device to functionality within 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 Sc6000 Prime, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Sc6000 Prime.
5. Moving the physical control on your Sc6000 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 Sc6000 Prime

Ableton's midi mapping system is a great solution for quickly mapping your Sc6000 Prime, however, you must take into account some potential limitations...

Saving your Sc6000 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

Through a one-to-one MIDI mapping, each control on your Sc6000 Prime can only be assigned to 1 parameter in Ableton Live.

Limited Ableton parameter options to map to

Unfortunately, Ableton's internal midi mapping mode does not include every control options, options such as selected track control and selected device control unfortunately aren't possible. You can view a comprehensive list of all Ableton midi mapping options here.

We have a great solution to these problems

If you're looking to get the most out of your Sc6000 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 Sc6000 Prime's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Sc6000 Prime,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Sc6000 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 Sc6000 Prime in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Sc6000 Prime is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Sc6000 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 Sc6000 Prime.
4. Make sure that the Sc6000 Prime is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.