Keith Mcmillen K Board Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

The K Board from Keith Mcmillen is an incredibly versatile midi keyboard 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 Keith Mcmillen K Board with Ableton Live. including how to connect, setup and midi map the K Board.

Article Contents

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

Does the Keith Mcmillen K Board work with Ableton Live?

In short, yes, the Keith Mcmillen K Board is compatible with Ableton Live.

Despite the absence of a built-in MIDI remote script within Ableton Live, users can still use the K Board to midi map to numerous functions in the software.

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 K Board is a MIDI enabled device it will be fully compatible with Ableton.

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

Does the Keith Mcmillen K Board come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite isn't included with the K Board, 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 K Board to ableton

Connecting the Keith Mcmillen K Board with Ableton Live is pretty simple, and when the two are linked you'll be able to adjust the software's parameters from your midi keyboard.

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

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

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

Saving your K Board Midi Mappings is cumbersome

It is important to note that your mappings are stored with the Ableton session when saving. Consequently, when you create a new session, you will have to remap your controls again.

Ableton MIDI mappings are one-to-one

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

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