Vestax Pad One Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Vestax's Pad One is a fantastically adaptable midi controller 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 tutorial will explain all you need to know on using the Vestax Pad One with Ableton Live. This includes connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Pad One.

Article Contents

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

In a nutshell, the Vestax Pad One is able to work fully with Ableton Live.

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

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 Pad One is a MIDI enabled tool, it will be completely compatible with Ableton Live.

You can create your own custom Ableton midi mappings easily, which allows you to control much of the functionality in Ableton Live with your Pad One.

Does the Vestax Pad One come with ableton Live included?

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

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 Pad One to ableton

Connecting and setting up the Vestax Pad One with Ableton Live is a simple task, after they're connected you'll be able to adjust the software's parameters from your midi controller.

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

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

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

Saving your Pad One 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

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

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