Nektar Pacer Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

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

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

Article Contents

1. Does the Nektar Pacer work with Ableton Live?
2. Does the Nektar Pacer come with ableton Live included?
3. How to connect the Pacer to ableton
4. How to midi map the Nektar Pacer in Ableton Live
5. The Limitations of midi mapping the Pacer
   1. Saving your Pacer Midi Mappings is cumbersome
   2. Ableton MIDI mappings are one-to-one
   3. Limited Ableton parameter options to map to
   4. A great solution to these problems
6. Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Nektar Pacer work with Ableton Live?

In summary, the Nektar Pacer is usable with Ableton Live.

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

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 Pacer will be usable 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 Pacer.

Does the Nektar Pacer come with ableton Live included?

The Pacer 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. Even though Intro and Standard are both effective, Suite offers a lot more, including 70GB of library sounds, compared 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 Pacer to ableton

Linking and configuring the Nektar Pacer to Ableton Live is not too complicated, and once you have them paired together you can control the software's settings from your midi foot controller.

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

Set up of the Pacer with Ableton Live is now complete.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

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

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

Saving your Pacer Midi Mappings is cumbersome

Mappings are saved along with your Ableton session. Therefore, if a new session is created, you must re-map all of your controls.

Ableton MIDI mappings are one-to-one

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

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