Roland Fantom X8 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

The Fantom X8 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 explain all you need to know on using the Roland Fantom X8 with Ableton Live. This includes connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Fantom X8.

Article Contents

Does the Roland Fantom X8 work with Ableton Live?
Does the Roland Fantom X8 come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the Fantom X8 to ableton
How to midi map the Roland Fantom X8 in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the Fantom X8
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Roland Fantom X8 work with Ableton Live?

In summary, the Roland Fantom X8 is usable with Ableton Live.

The Fantom X8 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.

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 Fantom X8 is a MIDI enabled device, it will work 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 Fantom X8.

Does the Roland Fantom X8 come with ableton Live included?

The Fantom X8 doesn’t come with a copy of Ableton Live Lite, so this would need to be purchased separately.

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.

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 X8 to ableton

Linking and configuring the Roland Fantom X8 to Ableton Live is not too complicated, and once you have them paired together you can control the software's settings from your midi enabled synthesizer.

1. Connect the Fantom X8 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Fantom X8 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 X8 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Fantom X8 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 X8 (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Fantom X8 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 X8 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 X8, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Fantom X8.
5. Moving the physical control on your Fantom X8 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 X8

Ableton's midi mapping system is a great solution for quickly mapping your Fantom X8, however, you must take into account some potential limitations...

Saving your Fantom X8 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 X8 can only be assigned to a single parameter in Ableton Live.

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 Fantom X8, 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 X8's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Fantom X8,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Fantom X8, 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 X8 in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Fantom X8 is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Fantom X8 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 X8.
4. Make sure that the Fantom X8 is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.