Keith Mcmillen Quneo Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Keith Mcmillen's Quneo is a fantastically adaptable midi controller that is extremely useful when coupled with Ableton Live. This device has a great range of features, making it ideal as an Ableton Live controller.

This tutorial will show you the whole process of how to operate the Keith Mcmillen Quneo with Ableton Live. It will cover the steps of connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Quneo.

Article Contents

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

Does the Keith Mcmillen Quneo work with Ableton Live?

In a nutshell, the Keith Mcmillen Quneo is able to work fully with Ableton Live.

Although Ableton Live does not come with a MIDI remote script, the Quneo can still be mapped to many of the software's functions.

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 Quneo 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 Quneo.

Does the Keith Mcmillen Quneo come with ableton Live included?

The Quneo doesn’t come with a copy of Ableton Live Lite, so this would need 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.

Ableton Live Suite includes many more Audio and MIDI effects compared to Standard, so if you want to ensure you have everything, we recommend going with Ableton Live Suite.

How to connect the Quneo to ableton

Connecting and setting up the Keith Mcmillen Quneo with Ableton Live is a relatively simple process, once you have the 2 linked together you will be able to control parameters of the software from your midi controller.

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

Set up of the Quneo with Ableton Live is now complete.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After linking up the Keith Mcmillen Quneo to Ableton Live using the steps provided, you can now assign the physical buttons, pads, keys etc on the device to specific functions within Ableton Live via MIDI mapping as follows:

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

Ableton’s midi mapping system provides a great way to quickly map your Quneo, there are however, some limitations to be aware of...

Saving your Quneo Midi Mappings is cumbersome

Saving your mappings can be a problem as mappings are saved with an Ableton session, so if you start a new session you will need to re-map your controls again.

Ableton MIDI mappings are one-to-one

A one-to-one MIDI mapping indicates that each control on your Quneo is capable of controlling only one 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 Quneo, 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 Quneo's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Quneo,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Quneo, 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 Quneo in Ableton Live?

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