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

The Nektar Impact Lx Mini is a highly versatile midi controller and is a powerful instrument when used in combination with Ableton Live. This midi keyboard has a great selection of features that make it perfect for your Ableton Live setup.

This tutorial will explain all you need to know on using the Nektar Impact Lx Mini with Ableton Live. This includes connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Impact Lx Mini.

Article Contents

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

Does the Nektar Impact Lx Mini work with Ableton Live?

In a nutshell, the Nektar Impact Lx Mini is able to work fully with Ableton Live.

Despite the lack of a default MIDI remote script existing within Ableton Live, it is still possible to midi map the Impact Lx Mini to a variety of functions.

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 Impact Lx Mini is a MIDI enabled tool, it will be completely compatible 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 Impact Lx Mini.

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

The Impact Lx Mini does not have Ableton Live Lite, it must be purchased independently.

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.

For those who want to guarantee they have access to the largest selection of Audio and MIDI effects, we suggest investing in Ableton Live Suite, as it has a much larger selection than the Standard edition.

How to connect the Impact Lx Mini to ableton

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

The Impact Lx Mini has been configured and is now ready for use with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

Once you have connected the Nektar Impact Lx Mini to Ableton Live by following the steps above, you can now MIDI map the physical buttons, pads, keys etc on the device to the corresponding functions in 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 Impact Lx 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 Lx Mini.
5. Moving the physical control on your Impact Lx 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 Lx Mini

With Ableton's midi mapping system, you can swiftly map your Impact Lx Mini, however, you must be aware of a few restrictions...

Saving your Impact Lx Mini 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

A one-to-one MIDI mapping indicates that each control on your Impact Lx Mini is capable of controlling only one parameter in Ableton Live.

Limited Ableton parameter options to map to

When using Ableton's internal midi mapping mode, unfortunately now all options are available, controls such as selected track and selected device control aren't currently possible. View a full list of 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 Lx 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 Lx Mini's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Impact Lx Mini,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Impact Lx 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 Lx Mini in Ableton Live?

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