Presonus Atom Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Presonus's Atom is an exceptionally flexible midi controller and is a powerful tool when is used with Ableton Live. This midi controller has a plethora of features, making it perfect for Ableton Live.

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

Article Contents

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

In summary, the Presonus Atom is usable with Ableton Live.

The Atom comes with a midi remote script to ensure it functions with Ableton Live, so just plug it in (see the instructions below to see how) and you're good to go.

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 Atom is a MIDI enabled device it will be fully compatible with Ableton.

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 Atom.

Does the Presonus Atom come with ableton Live included?

You get a complimentary version of Ableton Live Lite with the Atom, but its worth noting that the features of Ableton Live Lite are not as full as those of Ableton Live Standard or Suite.

Ableton Live has 3 main versions, Intro, Standard and Suite. Whilst Intro and Standard are very capable pieces of software, the Suite version packs more in, such as over 70GB of library sounds compared 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 Atom to ableton

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

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

The Atom is all set and can now be used with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

Upon making a successful connection between the Presonus Atom and Ableton Live using the instructions above, you can now use MIDI mapping to allocate the physical knobs, pads, keys etc on the device to their respective functions in Ableton Live like this:

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

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

Saving your Atom 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

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

Limited Ableton parameter options to map to

Ableton’s internal midi mapping mode is unfortunately missing many control options. Options such as selected track and selected device control aren’t possible using this method. You can see a list of all available Ableton midi mapping options here.

We have a great solution to these problems

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

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