Nektar Impact Lx49 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Nektar's Impact Lx49 is an exceptionally flexible midi keyboard and is a powerful tool when is used with Ableton Live. This midi keyboard has a plethora of features, making it perfect for Ableton Live.

This tutorial will show you the whole process of how to operate the Nektar Impact Lx49 with Ableton Live. It will cover the steps of connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Impact Lx49.

Article Contents

Does the Nektar Impact Lx49 work with Ableton Live?
Does the Nektar Impact Lx49 come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the Impact Lx49 to ableton
How to midi map the Nektar Impact Lx49 in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the Impact Lx49
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Nektar Impact Lx49 work with Ableton Live?

In a nutshell, the Nektar Impact Lx49 is able to work fully with Ableton Live.

The lack of a MIDI remote script in Ableton Live does not restrict users from midi mapping the Impact Lx49 to multiple functions inside the program.

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 Lx49 will be usable with Ableton Live.

You can create your own custom Ableton midi mappings easily, which allows you to control much of the functionality in Ableton Live with your Impact Lx49.

Does the Nektar Impact Lx49 come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite is not provided with the Impact Lx49, so it needs to be purchased 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.

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 Impact Lx49 to ableton

Linking the Nektar Impact Lx49 to Ableton Live is a simple process, and when you have them connected you can control the software's parameters from your midi keyboard.

1. Connect the Impact Lx49 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Impact Lx49 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 Lx49 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Impact Lx49 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 Lx49 (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Impact Lx49 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 Nektar Impact Lx49 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 Impact Lx49, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Impact Lx49.
5. Moving the physical control on your Impact Lx49 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 Lx49

Ableton’s midi mapping system provides a great way to quickly map your Impact Lx49, there are however, some limitations to be aware of...

Saving your Impact Lx49 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 means that each control on your Impact Lx49 can only be assigned to a single Ableton Live parameter.

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 Lx49, 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 Lx49's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Impact Lx49,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Impact Lx49, 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 Lx49 in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Impact Lx49 is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Impact Lx49 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 Lx49.
4. Make sure that the Impact Lx49 is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.