Sub Zero Minikey Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Sub Zero's Minikey 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 explain all you need to know on using the Sub Zero Minikey with Ableton Live. This includes connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Minikey.

Article Contents

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

To put it briefly, the Sub Zero Minikey is compatible with Ableton Live.

Despite the lack of a default MIDI remote script existing within Ableton Live, it is still possible to midi map the Minikey to a variety of functions.

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 Minikey is a MIDI enabled device, it will work with Ableton Live.

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

Does the Sub Zero Minikey come with ableton Live included?

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

There are three main versions with Ableton Live: Intro, Standard and Suite. Though Intro and Standard are both comprehensive, Suite offers much more, such as 70GB of library sounds, in comparison to Standard's 10GB.

Ableton Live Suite includes many more Audio and MIDI effects compared to Standard, so if you want to ensure you have everything, we recommend going with Ableton Live Suite.

How to connect the Minikey to ableton

Connecting and setting up the Sub Zero Minikey with Ableton Live is a simple task, after they're connected you'll be able to adjust the software's parameters from your midi keyboard.

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

The Minikey has been configured and is now ready for use with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

Once you have connected the Sub Zero Minikey to Ableton Live by following the steps above, you can now MIDI map the physical buttons, pads, keys etc on the device to the corresponding functions in 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 Minikey, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Minikey.
5. Moving the physical control on your Minikey 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 Minikey

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

Saving your Minikey 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

With a one-to-one MIDI mapping, each control on your Minikey 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 Minikey, 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 Minikey's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Minikey,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Minikey, 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 Minikey in Ableton Live?

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