Nektar Impact Gx Mini Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

The Impact Gx Mini from Nektar is an incredibly versatile midi keyboard and is a powerful tool when used in combination with Ableton Live. The Akai MPK Mini has a wealth of features that make it perfect for use with Ableton Live.

This tutorial will show you the whole process of how to operate the Nektar Impact Gx Mini with Ableton Live. It will cover the steps of connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Impact Gx Mini.

Article Contents

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

Does the Nektar Impact Gx Mini work with Ableton Live?

To sum it up, the Nektar Impact Gx Mini is fully compatible with Ableton Live.

Despite the absence of a built-in MIDI remote script within Ableton Live, users can still use the Impact Gx Mini to midi map to numerous functions in the software.

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 Impact Gx Mini will be usable with Ableton Live.

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

Does the Nektar Impact Gx Mini come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite isn't included with the Impact Gx Mini, so this must be bought separately.

There are three main versions with Ableton Live: Intro, Standard and Suite. Though Intro and Standard are both comprehensive, Suite offers much more, such as 70GB of library sounds, in comparison to Standard's 10GB.

If you prefer to have all the Audio and MIDI effects, we recommend getting Ableton Live Suite, because it comes with much more of them than the Standard edition.

How to connect the Impact Gx Mini to ableton

Connecting and setting up the Nektar Impact Gx Mini 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 keyboard.

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

The Impact Gx Mini is all set and can now be used with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

Upon making a successful connection between the Nektar Impact Gx Mini and Ableton Live using the instructions above, you can now use MIDI mapping to allocate the physical knobs, pads, keys etc on the device to their respective functions in Ableton Live like this:

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

For the fastest way to map your Impact Gx Mini, you can't go wrong with Ableton's midi mapping system, but make sure you take into account these limitations...

Saving your Impact Gx Mini 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

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

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