Hercules Dj Control Inpulse 500 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Hercules's Dj Control Inpulse 500 is an exceptionally flexible midi DJ controller and is a powerful tool when is used with Ableton Live. This midi DJ controller has a plethora of features, making it perfect for Ableton Live.

This tutorial will teach you everything needed in order to use the Hercules Dj Control Inpulse 500 with Ableton Live, including the processes of linking, setting up and midi mapping the Dj Control Inpulse 500.

Article Contents

Does the Hercules Dj Control Inpulse 500 work with Ableton Live?
Does the Hercules Dj Control Inpulse 500 come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the Dj Control Inpulse 500 to ableton
How to midi map the Hercules Dj Control Inpulse 500 in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the Dj Control Inpulse 500
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Hercules Dj Control Inpulse 500 work with Ableton Live?

To put it briefly, the Hercules Dj Control Inpulse 500 is compatible with Ableton Live.

Although Ableton Live doesn’t provide a default MIDI remote script within its software for it, the Dj Control Inpulse 500 can still be midi mapped to many functions within 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 Dj Control Inpulse 500 is a MIDI enabled device, it will work with Ableton Live.

You can easily create midi mappings for Ableton, allowing you to access many functions of Ableton Live with your Dj Control Inpulse 500.

Does the Hercules Dj Control Inpulse 500 come with ableton Live included?

The Dj Control Inpulse 500 does not have Ableton Live Lite, it must be purchased independently.

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 Dj Control Inpulse 500 to ableton

Linking the Hercules Dj Control Inpulse 500 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 Dj Control Inpulse 500 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Dj Control Inpulse 500 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 Inpulse 500 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Dj Control Inpulse 500 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 Inpulse 500 (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Dj Control Inpulse 500 is now ready for use with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After you have connected the Hercules Dj Control Inpulse 500 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 Dj Control Inpulse 500, 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 Inpulse 500.
5. Moving the physical control on your Dj Control Inpulse 500 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 Inpulse 500

Ableton's midi mapping system provides a great way to quickly customize your Dj Control Inpulse 500, though it does have a few limitations to be mindful of...

Saving your Dj Control Inpulse 500 Midi Mappings is cumbersome

When saving an Ableton session, your mappings will be saved as part of that session. Therefore, if you create a new session, you will need to remap your controls.

Ableton MIDI mappings are one-to-one

Through a one-to-one MIDI mapping, each control on your Dj Control Inpulse 500 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 Inpulse 500, 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 Inpulse 500's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Dj Control Inpulse 500,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Dj Control Inpulse 500, 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 Inpulse 500 in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Dj Control Inpulse 500 is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Dj Control Inpulse 500 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 Inpulse 500.
4. Make sure that the Dj Control Inpulse 500 is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.