Icon G Board Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Icon's G Board is an exceptionally flexible midi foot controller and is a powerful tool when is used with Ableton Live. This midi foot controller has a plethora of features, making it perfect for Ableton Live.

This tutorial will teach you everything needed in order to use the Icon G Board with Ableton Live, including the processes of linking, setting up and midi mapping the G Board.

Article Contents

1. Does the Icon G Board work with Ableton Live?
2. Does the Icon G Board come with ableton Live included?
3. How to connect the G Board to ableton
4. How to midi map the Icon G Board in Ableton Live
5. The Limitations of midi mapping the G Board
   1. Saving your G Board Midi Mappings is cumbersome
   2. Ableton MIDI mappings are one-to-one
   3. Limited Ableton parameter options to map to
   4. A great solution to these problems
6. Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Icon G Board work with Ableton Live?

To put it briefly, the Icon G Board is compatible with Ableton Live.

The lack of a MIDI remote script in Ableton Live does not restrict users from midi mapping the G Board 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 G Board is a MIDI capable device, it is fully suited to function with Ableton Live.

You can create your own custom Ableton midi mappings easily, which allows you to control much of the functionality in Ableton Live with your G Board.

Does the Icon G Board come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite is not provided with the G Board, so it needs 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.

If you're looking to make sure you have the full range of Audio and MIDI effects, we suggest you go with Ableton Live Suite, as it has far more than the Standard edition.

How to connect the G Board to ableton

Linking the Icon G Board to Ableton Live is a simple process, and when you have them connected you can control the software's parameters from your midi foot controller.

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

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

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

Saving your G Board 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

With a one-to-one MIDI mapping, each control on your G Board can only be assigned to a single 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 G Board, 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 G Board's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your G Board,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your G Board, 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 G Board in Ableton Live?

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