Omnitronic Pad 12 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Omnitronic's Pad 12 is a fantastically adaptable midi controller that is extremely useful when coupled with Ableton Live. This device has a great range of features, making it ideal as an Ableton Live controller.

This guide will provide you with all the knowledge necessary to utilize the Omnitronic Pad 12 with Ableton Live, which includes how to connect, configure and midi map the Pad 12.

Article Contents

1. Does the Omnitronic Pad 12 work with Ableton Live?
2. Does the Omnitronic Pad 12 come with ableton Live included?
3. How to connect the Pad 12 to ableton
4. How to midi map the Omnitronic Pad 12 in Ableton Live
5. The Limitations of midi mapping the Pad 12
   1. Saving your Pad 12 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 Omnitronic Pad 12 work with Ableton Live?

In a nutshell, the Omnitronic Pad 12 is able to work fully with Ableton Live.

Although Ableton Live doesn’t provide a default MIDI remote script within its software for it, the Pad 12 can still be midi mapped to many functions within the software.

All versions of Ableton Live, Intro, Lite, standard and suite can be used in conjunction with pretty much any device which sends MIDI data, and it will work with all versions of Live such as 9, 10 and 11. As the Pad 12 is a MIDI enabled device it will be fully compatible with Ableton.

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 Pad 12.

Does the Omnitronic Pad 12 come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite is not included with the Pad 12, therefore it must be bought 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.

Ableton Live Suite includes many more Audio and MIDI effects compared to Standard, so if you want to ensure you have everything, we recommend going with Ableton Live Suite.

How to connect the Pad 12 to ableton

Connecting and setting up the Omnitronic Pad 12 with Ableton Live is a simple task, after they're connected you'll be able to adjust the software's parameters from your midi controller.

1. Connect the Pad 12 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Pad 12 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 Pad 12 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Pad 12 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 Pad 12 (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Pad 12 is now ready for use with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After you have connected the Omnitronic Pad 12 to Ableton Live with the aforementioned steps, you can now use MIDI mapping to link up the physical knobs, pads, keys etc on the device to their corresponding features in Ableton Live:

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 Pad 12, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Pad 12.
5. Moving the physical control on your Pad 12 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 Pad 12

For the fastest way to map your Pad 12, you can't go wrong with Ableton's midi mapping system, but make sure you take into account these limitations...

Saving your Pad 12 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 button or knob on your Pad 12 can only be assigned to control a single 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 Pad 12, 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 Pad 12's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Pad 12,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Pad 12, 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 Pad 12 in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Pad 12 is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Pad 12 is selected as your audio input and output device in your audio settings.
3. Make sure that the correct driver is installed for the Pad 12.
4. Make sure that the Pad 12 is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.