Roland A 49 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Roland's A 49 is an incredibly multi-faceted midi controller and is a powerful addition to any Ableton Live setup. This midi keyboard has a wealth of features that make it ideal for use with Ableton Live.

This tutorial will teach you everything needed in order to use the Roland A 49 with Ableton Live, including the processes of linking, setting up and midi mapping the A 49.

Article Contents

1. Does the Roland A 49 work with Ableton Live?
2. Does the Roland A 49 come with ableton Live included?
3. How to connect the A 49 to ableton
4. How to midi map the Roland A 49 in Ableton Live
5. The Limitations of midi mapping the A 49
   1. Saving your A 49 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 Roland A 49 work with Ableton Live?

To sum it up, the Roland A 49 is fully compatible with Ableton Live.

Although Ableton Live doesn’t provide a default MIDI remote script within its software for it, the A 49 can still be midi mapped to many functions within the software.

All forms of Ableton Live, Intro, Lite, Standard and Suite, can work with practically any instrument that sends out MIDI data, and it will be compatible with all versions of Live such as 9, 10 and 11. Due to this, the A 49 will be usable 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 A 49.

Does the Roland A 49 come with ableton Live included?

The A 49 does not have Ableton Live Lite, it must be purchased independently.

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.

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 A 49 to ableton

Linking the Roland A 49 to Ableton Live is a simple process, and when you have them connected you can control the software's parameters from your midi keyboard.

1. Connect the A 49 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the A 49 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 A 49 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the A 49 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 A 49 (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The A 49 is now ready for use with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After you have connected the Roland A 49 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 A 49, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the A 49.
5. Moving the physical control on your A 49 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 A 49

Ableton’s midi mapping system provides a great way to quickly map your A 49, there are however, some limitations to be aware of...

Saving your A 49 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 A 49 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 A 49, 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 A 49's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your A 49,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your A 49, 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 A 49 in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the A 49 is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the A 49 is selected as your audio input and output device in your audio settings.
3. Make sure that the correct driver is installed for the A 49.
4. Make sure that the A 49 is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.