Worlde Ks49a Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

Worlde's Ks49a is a fantastically adaptable midi keyboard 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 show you the whole process of how to operate the Worlde Ks49a with Ableton Live. It will cover the steps of connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Ks49a.

Article Contents

1. Does the Worlde Ks49a work with Ableton Live?
2. Does the Worlde Ks49a come with ableton Live included?
3. How to connect the Ks49a to ableton
4. How to midi map the Worlde Ks49a in Ableton Live
5. The Limitations of midi mapping the Ks49a
   1. Saving your Ks49a 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 Ks49a work with Ableton Live?

To sum it up, the Worlde Ks49a is fully compatible with Ableton Live.

The lack of a MIDI remote script in Ableton Live does not restrict users from midi mapping the Ks49a to multiple functions inside the program.

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 Ks49a is a MIDI enabled tool, it will be completely compatible with Ableton Live.

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 Ks49a.

Does the Worlde Ks49a come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite is not provided with the Ks49a, so it needs to be purchased separately.

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.

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 Ks49a to ableton

Connecting and setting up the Worlde Ks49a 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 Ks49a to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Ks49a 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 Ks49a from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Ks49a 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 Ks49a (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Ks49a will now be setup and ready to use with Ableton Live.

How to midi map the akai mpk mini in Ableton Live

After successfully connecting the Worlde Ks49a to Ableton live following the steps above, you can now MIDI map the physical knobs, pads, keys etc on the device to functionality within 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 Ks49a, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Ks49a.
5. Moving the physical control on your Ks49a 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 Ks49a

Ableton’s midi mapping system provides a great way to quickly map your Ks49a, there are however, some limitations to be aware of...

Saving your Ks49a 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 control on your Ks49a 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 Ks49a, 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 Ks49a's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Ks49a,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Ks49a, 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 Ks49a in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Ks49a is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Ks49a is selected as your audio input and output device in your audio settings.
3. Make sure that the correct driver is installed for the Ks49a.
4. Make sure that the Ks49a is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.