Rane Sixty-four Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Rane's Sixty-four is an exceptionally flexible midi DJ controller and is a powerful tool when is used with Ableton Live. This midi DJ 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 Rane Sixty-four with Ableton Live. including how to connect, setup and midi map the Sixty-four.

Article Contents

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

To put it briefly, the Rane Sixty-four is compatible with Ableton Live.

Despite the lack of a default MIDI remote script existing within Ableton Live, it is still possible to midi map the Sixty-four to a variety of functions.

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

Creating your own midi mappings in Ableton is simple, and gives you the ability to control a variety of Ableton Live's components with your Sixty-four.

Does the Rane Sixty-four come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite isn't included with the Sixty-four, so this must be bought separately.

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 Sixty-four to ableton

Connecting the Rane Sixty-four 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 DJ controller.

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

The Sixty-four has been configured and is now ready for use with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

Once you have connected the Rane Sixty-four to Ableton Live by following the steps above, you can now MIDI map the physical buttons, pads, keys etc on the device to the corresponding functions in Ableton Live by doing the following:

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

Ableton’s midi mapping system provides a great way to quickly map your Sixty-four, there are however, some limitations to be aware of...

Saving your Sixty-four 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

With a one-to-one MIDI mapping, each control on your Sixty-four can only be assigned to a single parameter in Ableton Live.

Limited Ableton parameter options to map to

Unfortunately, Ableton's internal midi mapping mode does not include every control options, options such as selected track control and selected device control unfortunately aren't possible. You can view a comprehensive list of all Ableton midi mapping options here.

We have a great solution to these problems

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

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