Hercules Dj Control Air Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

The Dj Control Air from Hercules 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 Hercules Dj Control Air with Ableton Live. including how to connect, setup and midi map the Dj Control Air.

Article Contents

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

Does the Hercules Dj Control Air work with Ableton Live?

In summary, the Hercules Dj Control Air is usable with Ableton Live.

Despite the lack of a default MIDI remote script existing within Ableton Live, it is still possible to midi map the Dj Control Air to a variety of 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 Dj Control Air 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 Dj Control Air.

Does the Hercules Dj Control Air come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite isn't included with the Dj Control Air, so this 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 seeking the full range of Audio and MIDI effects, we highly suggest purchasing Ableton Live Suite, as it offers significantly more than the Standard edition.

How to connect the Dj Control Air to ableton

Connecting and setting up the Hercules Dj Control Air with Ableton Live is a simple task, after they're connected you'll be able to adjust the software's parameters from your midi DJ controller.

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

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

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

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

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