Worlde Blue Whale49 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

The Blue Whale49 from Worlde is an incredibly versatile midi keyboard 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 show you the whole process of how to operate the Worlde Blue Whale49 with Ableton Live. It will cover the steps of connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Blue Whale49.

Article Contents

Does the Worlde Blue Whale49 work with Ableton Live?
Does the Worlde Blue Whale49 come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the Blue Whale49 to ableton
How to midi map the Worlde Blue Whale49 in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the Blue Whale49
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Worlde Blue Whale49 work with Ableton Live?

To put it briefly, the Worlde Blue Whale49 is compatible with Ableton Live.

Although Ableton Live doesn’t provide a default MIDI remote script within its software for it, the Blue Whale49 can still be midi mapped to many functions within the software.

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 Blue Whale49 is a MIDI enabled device it will be fully compatible with Ableton.

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 Blue Whale49.

Does the Worlde Blue Whale49 come with ableton Live included?

The Blue Whale49 does not have Ableton Live Lite, it must be purchased independently.

There are three main versions of Ableton Live: Intro, Standard and Suite. Although Intro and Standard are both powerful, Suite offers extra features, such as 70GB of library sounds, in contrast 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 Blue Whale49 to ableton

Connecting and setting up the Worlde Blue Whale49 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 Blue Whale49 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Blue Whale49 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 Blue Whale49 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Blue Whale49 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 Blue Whale49 (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Blue Whale49 is now ready for use with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After you have connected the Worlde Blue Whale49 to Ableton Live with the aforementioned steps, you can now use MIDI mapping to link up the physical knobs, pads, keys etc on the device to their corresponding features in Ableton Live:

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 Blue Whale49, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Blue Whale49.
5. Moving the physical control on your Blue Whale49 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 Blue Whale49

With Ableton's midi mapping system, you can swiftly map your Blue Whale49, however, you must be aware of a few restrictions...

Saving your Blue Whale49 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 means that each button or knob on your Blue Whale49 can only be assigned to control a single 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 Blue Whale49, 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 Blue Whale49's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Blue Whale49,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Blue Whale49, 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 Blue Whale49 in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Blue Whale49 is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Blue Whale49 is selected as your audio input and output device in your audio settings.
3. Make sure that the correct driver is installed for the Blue Whale49.
4. Make sure that the Blue Whale49 is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.