Native Instruments Maschine Mk2 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map
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Native Instruments's Maschine Mk2 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 Native Instruments Maschine Mk2 with Ableton Live. It will cover the steps of connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Maschine Mk2.
Article Contents
- Does the Native Instruments Maschine Mk2 work with Ableton Live?
- Does the Native Instruments Maschine Mk2 come with ableton Live included?
- How to connect the Maschine Mk2 to ableton
- How to midi map the Native Instruments Maschine Mk2 in Ableton Live
- The Limitations of midi mapping the Maschine Mk2
- Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?
Does the Native Instruments Maschine Mk2 work with Ableton Live?
To put it briefly, the Native Instruments Maschine Mk2 is compatible with Ableton Live.
The lack of a MIDI remote script in Ableton Live does not restrict users from midi mapping the Maschine Mk2 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 Maschine Mk2 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 Maschine Mk2.
Does the Native Instruments Maschine Mk2 come with ableton Live included?
Ableton Live Lite is not provided with the Maschine Mk2, 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.
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 Maschine Mk2 to ableton
Linking the Native Instruments Maschine Mk2 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 Maschine Mk2 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Maschine Mk2 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 Maschine Mk2 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Maschine Mk2 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 Maschine Mk2 (Sync can also be optionally checked).
The Maschine Mk2 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 Native Instruments Maschine Mk2 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 Maschine Mk2, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Maschine Mk2.
5. Moving the physical control on your Maschine Mk2 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 Maschine Mk2
For the fastest way to map your Maschine Mk2, you can't go wrong with Ableton's midi mapping system, but make sure you take into account these limitations...
Saving your Maschine Mk2 Midi Mappings is cumbersome
When saving an Ableton session, your mappings will be saved as part of that session. Therefore, if you create a new session, you will need to remap your controls.
Ableton MIDI mappings are one-to-one
A one-to-one MIDI mapping indicates that each control on your Maschine Mk2 is capable of controlling only one 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 Maschine Mk2, 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 Maschine Mk2's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Maschine Mk2,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Maschine Mk2, 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 Maschine Mk2 in Ableton Live?
There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Maschine Mk2 is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Maschine Mk2 is selected as your audio input and output device in your audio settings.
3. Make sure that the correct driver is installed for the Maschine Mk2.
4. Make sure that the Maschine Mk2 is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.