Reloop Digital Jockey 2 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Reloop's Digital Jockey 2 is a fantastically adaptable midi DJ 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 tutorial will explain all you need to know on using the Reloop Digital Jockey 2 with Ableton Live. This includes connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Digital Jockey 2.

Article Contents

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

To put it briefly, the Reloop Digital Jockey 2 is compatible with Ableton Live.

Despite the absence of a built-in MIDI remote script within Ableton Live, users can still use the Digital Jockey 2 to midi map to numerous functions in 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 Digital Jockey 2 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 Digital Jockey 2.

Does the Reloop Digital Jockey 2 come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite is not provided with the Digital Jockey 2, so it needs to be purchased separately.

There are three main versions of Ableton Live: Intro, Standard and Suite. Even though Intro and Standard are both effective, Suite offers a lot more, including 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 Digital Jockey 2 to ableton

Connecting and setting up the Reloop Digital Jockey 2 with Ableton Live is a simple task, after they're connected you'll be able to adjust the software's parameters from your midi DJ controller.

1. Connect the Digital Jockey 2 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Digital Jockey 2 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 Digital Jockey 2 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Digital Jockey 2 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 Digital Jockey 2 (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Digital Jockey 2 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 Reloop Digital Jockey 2 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 Digital Jockey 2, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Digital Jockey 2.
5. Moving the physical control on your Digital Jockey 2 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 Digital Jockey 2

With Ableton's midi mapping system, you can swiftly map your Digital Jockey 2, however, you must be aware of a few restrictions...

Saving your Digital Jockey 2 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

A one-to-one MIDI mapping means that each control on your Digital Jockey 2 can only be assigned to a single Ableton Live parameter.

Limited Ableton parameter options to map to

Unfortunately, Ableton's internal midi mapping mode does not provide every control option, so options such as controlling the selected track or selected device aren't possible. A full list of Ableton midi mapping options can be found here.

We have a great solution to these problems

If you're looking to get the most out of your Digital Jockey 2, 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 Digital Jockey 2's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Digital Jockey 2,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Digital Jockey 2, 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 Digital Jockey 2 in Ableton Live?

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