Presonus Faderport 8 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Presonus's Faderport 8 is an incredibly multi-faceted midi controller and is a powerful addition to any Ableton Live setup. This midi controller has a wealth of features that make it ideal for use with Ableton Live.

This tutorial will explain all you need to know on using the Presonus Faderport 8 with Ableton Live. This includes connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Faderport 8.

Article Contents

Does the Presonus Faderport 8 work with Ableton Live?
Does the Presonus Faderport 8 come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the Faderport 8 to ableton
How to midi map the Presonus Faderport 8 in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the Faderport 8
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Presonus Faderport 8 work with Ableton Live?

To put it briefly, the Presonus Faderport 8 is compatible with Ableton Live.

Ableton live provides a default midi remote script for the Faderport 8, meaning it will work with Ableton Live as soon as you connect it (see the section below on how to connect to ableton).

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 Faderport 8 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 Faderport 8.

Does the Presonus Faderport 8 come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite is not provided with the Faderport 8, 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.

If you're looking to make sure you have the full range of Audio and MIDI effects, we suggest you go with Ableton Live Suite, as it has far more than the Standard edition.

How to connect the Faderport 8 to ableton

Connecting the Presonus Faderport 8 with Ableton Live is pretty simple, and when the two are linked you'll be able to adjust the software's parameters from your midi controller.

1. Connect the Faderport 8 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Faderport 8 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 Faderport 8 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Faderport 8 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 Faderport 8 (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Faderport 8 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 Faderport 8 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 Faderport 8, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Faderport 8.
5. Moving the physical control on your Faderport 8 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 Faderport 8

Ableton's midi mapping system is a great solution for quickly mapping your Faderport 8, however, you must take into account some potential limitations...

Saving your Faderport 8 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 Faderport 8 can only be assigned to control a single 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 Faderport 8, 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 Faderport 8's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Faderport 8,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Faderport 8, 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 Faderport 8 in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Faderport 8 is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Faderport 8 is selected as your audio input and output device in your audio settings.
3. Make sure that the correct driver is installed for the Faderport 8.
4. Make sure that the Faderport 8 is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.