Worlde Blue Whale88 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

The Worlde Blue Whale88 is a versatile midi keyboard and when used alongside Ableton Live, it's an incredible tool filled with potential. This midi keyboard is equipped with plenty of features that make it the perfect companion to Ableton Live.

In this tutorial you will learn everything you need to know about using the Worlde Blue Whale88 with Ableton Live. including how to connect, setup and midi map the Blue Whale88.

Article Contents

1. Does the Worlde Blue Whale88 work with Ableton Live?
2. Does the Worlde Blue Whale88 come with ableton Live included?
3. How to connect the Blue Whale88 to ableton
4. How to midi map the Worlde Blue Whale88 in Ableton Live
5. The Limitations of midi mapping the Blue Whale88
   1. Saving your Blue Whale88 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 Worlde Blue Whale88 work with Ableton Live?

To put it briefly, the Worlde Blue Whale88 is compatible with Ableton Live.

Despite the absence of a built-in MIDI remote script within Ableton Live, users can still use the Blue Whale88 to midi map to numerous functions in 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 Whale88 is a MIDI enabled device it will be fully compatible with Ableton.

Making your own midi mappings is a breeze with Ableton Live, which gives you the ability to control a lot of components of the software with your Blue Whale88.

Does the Worlde Blue Whale88 come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite is not provided with the Blue Whale88, so it needs 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're looking to make sure you have the full range of Audio and MIDI effects, we suggest you go with Ableton Live Suite, as it has far more than the Standard edition.

How to connect the Blue Whale88 to ableton

Connecting and setting up the Worlde Blue Whale88 with Ableton Live is a relatively simple process, once you have the 2 linked together you will be able to control parameters of the software from your midi keyboard.

1. Connect the Blue Whale88 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Blue Whale88 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 Whale88 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Blue Whale88 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 Whale88 (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Blue Whale88 is all set and can now be used with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

Upon making a successful connection between the Worlde Blue Whale88 and Ableton Live using the instructions above, you can now use MIDI mapping to allocate the physical knobs, pads, keys etc on the device to their respective functions in Ableton Live like this:

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 Whale88, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Blue Whale88.
5. Moving the physical control on your Blue Whale88 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 Whale88

Ableton's midi mapping system provides a great way to quickly customize your Blue Whale88, though it does have a few limitations to be mindful of...

Saving your Blue Whale88 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

A one-to-one MIDI mapping means that each control on your Blue Whale88 can only be assigned to a single Ableton Live parameter.

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 Blue Whale88, 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 Whale88's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Blue Whale88,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Blue Whale88, 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 Whale88 in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Blue Whale88 is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Blue Whale88 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 Whale88.
4. Make sure that the Blue Whale88 is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.