Reloop Neon Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Reloop's Neon 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 Reloop Neon with Ableton Live. including how to connect, setup and midi map the Neon.

Article Contents

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

To sum it up, the Reloop Neon is fully compatible with Ableton Live.

The lack of a MIDI remote script in Ableton Live does not restrict users from midi mapping the Neon to multiple functions inside the program.

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 Neon 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 Neon.

Does the Reloop Neon come with ableton Live included?

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

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 who want to guarantee they have access to the largest selection of Audio and MIDI effects, we suggest investing in Ableton Live Suite, as it has a much larger selection than the Standard edition.

How to connect the Neon to ableton

Linking the Reloop Neon to Ableton Live is a simple process, and when you have them connected you can control the software's parameters from your midi controller.

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

The Neon will now be setup and ready to use with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After successfully connecting the Reloop Neon to Ableton live following the steps above, you can now MIDI map the physical knobs, pads, keys etc on the device to functionality within 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 Neon, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Neon.
5. Moving the physical control on your Neon 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 Neon

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

Saving your Neon 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 means that each control on your Neon can only be assigned to a single Ableton Live parameter.

Limited Ableton parameter options to map to

When using Ableton's internal midi mapping mode, unfortunately now all options are available, controls such as selected track and selected device control aren't currently possible. View a full list of Ableton midi mapping options here.

We have a great solution to these problems

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

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