Nektar Impact Lx61 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Nektar's Impact Lx61 is an incredibly multi-faceted midi controller and is a powerful addition to any Ableton Live setup. This midi keyboard has a wealth of features that make it ideal for use with Ableton Live.

In this tutorial you will learn everything you need to know about using the Nektar Impact Lx61 with Ableton Live. including how to connect, setup and midi map the Impact Lx61.

Article Contents

Does the Nektar Impact Lx61 work with Ableton Live?
Does the Nektar Impact Lx61 come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the Impact Lx61 to ableton
How to midi map the Nektar Impact Lx61 in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the Impact Lx61
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Nektar Impact Lx61 work with Ableton Live?

To put it briefly, the Nektar Impact Lx61 is compatible with Ableton Live.

Although Ableton Live does not come with a MIDI remote script, the Impact Lx61 can still be mapped to many of the software's functions.

Any edition of Ableton Live, from Intro to Suite, will be compatible with any device that transmits MIDI data. This works for all editions of Live, for instance 9, 10, and 11. As the Impact Lx61 is a MIDI enabled device, it will work with Ableton Live.

You can easily create midi mappings for Ableton, allowing you to access many functions of Ableton Live with your Impact Lx61.

Does the Nektar Impact Lx61 come with ableton Live included?

The Impact Lx61 doesn’t come with a copy of Ableton Live Lite, so this would need to be purchased 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.

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 Lx61 to ableton

Connecting and setting up the Nektar Impact Lx61 with Ableton Live is a simple task, after they're connected you'll be able to adjust the software's parameters from your midi keyboard.

1. Connect the Impact Lx61 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Impact Lx61 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 Lx61 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Impact Lx61 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 Lx61 (Sync can also be optionally checked).

Set up of the Impact Lx61 with Ableton Live is now complete.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After linking up the Nektar Impact Lx61 to Ableton Live using the steps provided, you can now assign the physical buttons, pads, keys etc on the device to specific functions within Ableton Live via MIDI mapping as follows:

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 Lx61, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Impact Lx61.
5. Moving the physical control on your Impact Lx61 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 Lx61

Ableton's midi mapping system is a great solution for quickly mapping your Impact Lx61, however, you must take into account some potential limitations...

Saving your Impact Lx61 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

With a one-to-one MIDI mapping, each control on your Impact Lx61 can only be assigned to a single parameter in Ableton Live.

Limited Ableton parameter options to map to

Unfortunately, Ableton's internal midi mapping mode does not provide every control option, so options such as controlling the selected track or selected device aren't possible. A full list of Ableton midi mapping options can be found here.

We have a great solution to these problems

If you're looking to get the most out of your Impact Lx61, 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 Lx61's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Impact Lx61,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Impact Lx61, 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 Lx61 in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Impact Lx61 is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Impact Lx61 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 Lx61.
4. Make sure that the Impact Lx61 is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.