Roland Roland Sp 404 OG Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Roland's Roland Sp 404 OG is an exceptionally flexible midi and is a powerful tool when is used with Ableton Live. This midi has a plethora of features, making it perfect for Ableton Live.

This tutorial will explain all you need to know on using the Roland Roland Sp 404 OG with Ableton Live. This includes connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Roland Sp 404 OG.

Article Contents

Does the Roland Roland Sp 404 OG work with Ableton Live?
Does the Roland Roland Sp 404 OG come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the Roland Sp 404 OG to ableton
How to midi map the Roland Roland Sp 404 OG in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the Roland Sp 404 OG
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Roland Roland Sp 404 OG work with Ableton Live?

In summary, the Roland Roland Sp 404 OG is usable with Ableton Live.

Although Ableton Live does not come with a MIDI remote script, the Roland Sp 404 OG can still be mapped to many of the software's functions.

All versions of Ableton Live, Intro, Lite, standard and suite can be used in conjunction with pretty much any device which sends MIDI data, and it will work with all versions of Live such as 9, 10 and 11. As the Roland Sp 404 OG is a MIDI enabled device it will be fully compatible with Ableton.

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 Roland Sp 404 OG.

Does the Roland Roland Sp 404 OG come with ableton Live included?

The Roland Sp 404 OG 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 Roland Sp 404 OG to ableton

Connecting the Roland Roland Sp 404 OG with Ableton Live is pretty simple, and when the two are linked you'll be able to adjust the software's parameters from your midi .

1. Connect the Roland Sp 404 OG to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Roland Sp 404 OG 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 Roland Sp 404 OG from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Roland Sp 404 OG 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 Roland Sp 404 OG (Sync can also be optionally checked).

Set up of the Roland Sp 404 OG with Ableton Live is now complete.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After linking up the Roland Roland Sp 404 OG to Ableton Live using the steps provided, you can now assign the physical buttons, pads, keys etc on the device to specific functions within Ableton Live via MIDI mapping as follows:

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 Roland Sp 404 OG, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Roland Sp 404 OG.
5. Moving the physical control on your Roland Sp 404 OG 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 Roland Sp 404 OG

Ableton's midi mapping system is a great solution for quickly mapping your Roland Sp 404 OG, however, you must take into account some potential limitations...

Saving your Roland Sp 404 OG Midi Mappings is cumbersome

When saving an Ableton session, your mappings will be saved as part of that session. Therefore, if you create a new session, you will need to remap your controls.

Ableton MIDI mappings are one-to-one

A one-to-one MIDI mapping indicates that each control on your Roland Sp 404 OG 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 Roland Sp 404 OG, 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 Roland Sp 404 OG's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Roland Sp 404 OG,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Roland Sp 404 OG, 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 Roland Sp 404 OG in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Roland Sp 404 OG is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Roland Sp 404 OG is selected as your audio input and output device in your audio settings.
3. Make sure that the correct driver is installed for the Roland Sp 404 OG.
4. Make sure that the Roland Sp 404 OG is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.