Liine Lemur Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

The Liine Lemur is a versatile midi controller and when used alongside Ableton Live, it's an incredible tool filled with potential. This midi controller is equipped with plenty of features that make it the perfect companion to Ableton Live.

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

Article Contents

1. Does the Liine Lemur work with Ableton Live?
2. Does the Liine Lemur come with ableton Live included?
3. How to connect the Lemur to ableton
4. How to midi map the Liine Lemur in Ableton Live
5. The Limitations of midi mapping the Lemur
   1. Saving your Lemur 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 Liine Lemur work with Ableton Live?

In summary, the Liine Lemur is usable with Ableton Live.

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

All forms of Ableton Live, Intro, Lite, Standard and Suite, can work with practically any instrument that sends out MIDI data, and it will be compatible with all versions of Live such as 9, 10 and 11. Due to this, the Lemur will be usable with Ableton Live.

You can create your own Ableton midi mappings with ease, giving you the power to control many of the features of Ableton Live with your Lemur.

Does the Liine Lemur come with ableton Live included?

The Lemur 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. Although Intro and Standard are both powerful, Suite offers extra features, such as 70GB of library sounds, in contrast 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 Lemur to ableton

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

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

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

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

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

Saving your Lemur 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

With a one-to-one MIDI mapping, each control on your Lemur 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 include every control options, options such as selected track control and selected device control unfortunately aren't possible. You can view a comprehensive list of all Ableton midi mapping options here.

We have a great solution to these problems

If you're looking to get the most out of your Lemur, 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 Lemur's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Lemur,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Lemur, 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 Lemur in Ableton Live?

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