Roland Fantom X7 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Roland's Fantom X7 is a fantastically adaptable midi enabled synthesizer 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 guide will provide you with all the knowledge necessary to utilize the Roland Fantom X7 with Ableton Live, which includes how to connect, configure and midi map the Fantom X7.

Article Contents

Does the Roland Fantom X7 work with Ableton Live?
Does the Roland Fantom X7 come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the Fantom X7 to ableton
How to midi map the Roland Fantom X7 in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the Fantom X7
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Roland Fantom X7 work with Ableton Live?

In summary, the Roland Fantom X7 is usable with Ableton Live.

Ableton live provides a default midi remote script for the Fantom X7, meaning it will work with Ableton Live as soon as you connect it (see the section below on how to connect to ableton).

All versions of Ableton Live, from Intro to Suite, are able to be utilized in collaboration with any equipment that sends MIDI data. This is applicable to all releases of Live, such as 9, 10, and 11. As the Fantom X7 is a MIDI enabled tool, it will be completely compatible with Ableton Live.

You can easily create midi mappings for Ableton, allowing you to access many functions of Ableton Live with your Fantom X7.

Does the Roland Fantom X7 come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite is not provided with the Fantom X7, 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 Fantom X7 to ableton

Linking the Roland Fantom X7 to Ableton Live is a simple process, and when you have them connected you can control the software's parameters from your midi enabled synthesizer.

1. Connect the Fantom X7 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Fantom X7 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 X7 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Fantom X7 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 X7 (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Fantom X7 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 Roland Fantom X7 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 Fantom X7, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Fantom X7.
5. Moving the physical control on your Fantom X7 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 X7

With Ableton's midi mapping system, you can swiftly map your Fantom X7, however, you must be aware of a few restrictions...

Saving your Fantom X7 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 Fantom X7 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 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 Fantom X7, 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 X7's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Fantom X7,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Fantom X7, 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 X7 in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Fantom X7 is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Fantom X7 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 X7.
4. Make sure that the Fantom X7 is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.