Livid Minim Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

The Livid Minim 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 show you the whole process of how to operate the Livid Minim with Ableton Live. It will cover the steps of connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Minim.

Article Contents

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

To put it briefly, the Livid Minim is compatible with Ableton Live.

The lack of a MIDI remote script in Ableton Live does not restrict users from midi mapping the Minim to multiple functions inside the program.

All versions of Ableton Live, from Intro to Suite, are able to be utilized in collaboration with any equipment that sends MIDI data. This is applicable to all releases of Live, such as 9, 10, and 11. As the Minim is a MIDI enabled tool, it will be completely compatible with Ableton Live.

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

Does the Livid Minim come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite is not provided with the Minim, so it needs to be purchased 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.

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 Minim to ableton

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

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

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

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

Saving your Minim 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 Minim 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 Minim, 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 Minim's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Minim,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Minim, 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 Minim in Ableton Live?

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