Native Instruments Maschine Plus Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

The Native Instruments Maschine Plus 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.

In this tutorial you will learn everything you need to know about using the Native Instruments Maschine Plus with Ableton Live. including how to connect, setup and midi map the Maschine Plus.

Article Contents

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

Does the Native Instruments Maschine Plus work with Ableton Live?

To sum it up, the Native Instruments Maschine Plus is fully compatible with Ableton Live.

Although Ableton Live doesn’t provide a default MIDI remote script within its software for it, the Maschine Plus can still be midi mapped to many functions within the software.

All editions of Ableton Live, from Intro to Suite, can be used with any device that sends out MIDI data. This is the case for all versions of Live, 9, 10, or 11. Seeing as the Maschine Plus is a MIDI capable device, it is fully suited to function with Ableton Live.

Making your own midi mappings is a breeze with Ableton Live, which gives you the ability to control a lot of components of the software with your Maschine Plus.

Does the Native Instruments Maschine Plus come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite is not included with the Maschine Plus, therefore it must be bought 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.

For those seeking the full range of Audio and MIDI effects, we highly suggest purchasing Ableton Live Suite, as it offers significantly more than the Standard edition.

How to connect the Maschine Plus to ableton

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

The Maschine Plus is now ready for use with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After you have connected the Native Instruments Maschine Plus to Ableton Live with the aforementioned steps, you can now use MIDI mapping to link up the physical knobs, pads, keys etc on the device to their corresponding features in Ableton Live:

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

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

Saving your Maschine Plus Midi Mappings is cumbersome

Be aware that when saving your mappings, they will be stored with the Ableton session. Therefore, starting a new session will require you to re-map your controls.

Ableton MIDI mappings are one-to-one

Through a one-to-one MIDI mapping, each control on your Maschine Plus can only be assigned to 1 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 Maschine Plus, 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 Plus's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Maschine Plus,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Maschine Plus, 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 Plus in Ableton Live?

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