Roland Fantom 06 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map
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The Fantom 06 from Roland is an incredibly versatile midi enabled synthesizer and is a powerful tool when used in combination with Ableton Live. The Akai MPK Mini has a wealth of features that make it perfect for use with Ableton Live.
This tutorial will teach you everything needed in order to use the Roland Fantom 06 with Ableton Live, including the processes of linking, setting up and midi mapping the Fantom 06.
Article Contents
- Does the Roland Fantom 06 work with Ableton Live?
- Does the Roland Fantom 06 come with ableton Live included?
- How to connect the Fantom 06 to ableton
- How to midi map the Roland Fantom 06 in Ableton Live
- The Limitations of midi mapping the Fantom 06
- Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?
Does the Roland Fantom 06 work with Ableton Live?
In a nutshell, the Roland Fantom 06 is able to work fully with Ableton Live.
The Fantom 06 is equipped with a standard midi remote script in Ableton Live, so you just need to connect it (see instructions below) to get it working.
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 Fantom 06 will be usable with Ableton Live.
You can create your own Ableton midi mappings with ease, giving you the power to control many of the features of Ableton Live with your Fantom 06.
Does the Roland Fantom 06 come with ableton Live included?
The Fantom 06 doesn’t come with a copy of Ableton Live Lite, so this would need 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 Fantom 06 to ableton
Connecting and setting up the Roland Fantom 06 with Ableton Live is a simple task, after they're connected you'll be able to adjust the software's parameters from your midi enabled synthesizer.
1. Connect the Fantom 06 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Fantom 06 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 Fantom 06 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Fantom 06 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 Fantom 06 (Sync can also be optionally checked).
The Fantom 06 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 Roland Fantom 06 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 Fantom 06, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Fantom 06.
5. Moving the physical control on your Fantom 06 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 Fantom 06
For the fastest way to map your Fantom 06, you can't go wrong with Ableton's midi mapping system, but make sure you take into account these limitations...
Saving your Fantom 06 Midi Mappings is cumbersome
It is important to note that your mappings are stored with the Ableton session when saving. Consequently, when you create a new session, you will have to remap your controls again.
Ableton MIDI mappings are one-to-one
A one-to-one MIDI mapping indicates that each control on your Fantom 06 is capable of controlling only one 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 Fantom 06, 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 Fantom 06's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Fantom 06,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Fantom 06, 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 Fantom 06 in Ableton Live?
There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Fantom 06 is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Fantom 06 is selected as your audio input and output device in your audio settings.
3. Make sure that the correct driver is installed for the Fantom 06.
4. Make sure that the Fantom 06 is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.