Presonus Faderport Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Presonus's Faderport 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.

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

Article Contents

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

Does the Presonus Faderport work with Ableton Live?

To sum it up, the Presonus Faderport is fully compatible with Ableton Live.

Out of the box, the Faderport has a midi remote script that is compatible with Ableton Live, so once you connect it (check the section below for more info) it is ready to go.

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 is a MIDI enabled device, it will work with Ableton Live.

You can create your own custom Ableton midi mappings easily, which allows you to control much of the functionality in Ableton Live with your Faderport.

Does the Presonus Faderport come with ableton Live included?

The Faderport does not have Ableton Live Lite, it must be purchased independently.

There are three main versions of Ableton Live: Intro, Standard and Suite. Whilst Intro and Standard are highly functional, Suite includes an additional 70GB library of sounds, in comparison 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 Faderport to ableton

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

The Faderport is now ready for use with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

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

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

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

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