Worlde Panda200 Ableton tutorial - connect, setup & midi map

The Worlde Panda200 is a versatile midi controller and when used alongside Ableton Live, it's an incredible tool filled with potential. This midi controller is equipped with plenty of features that make it the perfect companion to Ableton Live.

This tutorial will show you the whole process of how to operate the Worlde Panda200 with Ableton Live. It will cover the steps of connecting, setting up and midi mapping the Panda200.

Article Contents

Does the Worlde Panda200 work with Ableton Live?
Does the Worlde Panda200 come with ableton Live included?
How to connect the Panda200 to ableton
How to midi map the Worlde Panda200 in Ableton Live
The Limitations of midi mapping the Panda200
Why can’t I hear my Push in Ableton Live?

Does the Worlde Panda200 work with Ableton Live?

To sum it up, the Worlde Panda200 is fully compatible with Ableton Live.

The lack of a MIDI remote script in Ableton Live does not restrict users from midi mapping the Panda200 to multiple functions inside the program.

All forms of Ableton Live, Intro, Lite, Standard and Suite, can work with practically any instrument that sends out MIDI data, and it will be compatible with all versions of Live such as 9, 10 and 11. Due to this, the Panda200 will be usable with Ableton Live.

You can create your own Ableton midi mappings with ease, giving you the power to control many of the features of Ableton Live with your Panda200.

Does the Worlde Panda200 come with ableton Live included?

Ableton Live Lite is not provided with the Panda200, 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 Panda200 to ableton

Connecting and setting up the Worlde Panda200 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 Panda200 to your computer via USB.
First, connect the USB cable to both the Panda200 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 Panda200 from the list of available devices.
Click the the MIDI Sync tab, make sure that Input and Output for the Panda200 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 Panda200 (Sync can also be optionally checked).

The Panda200 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 Panda200 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 Panda200, such as a knob or fader.
4. The parameter you selected is now mapped to the physical control which you moved on the Panda200.
5. Moving the physical control on your Panda200 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 Panda200

For the fastest way to map your Panda200, you can't go wrong with Ableton's midi mapping system, but make sure you take into account these limitations...

Saving your Panda200 Midi Mappings is cumbersome

Mappings are saved along with your Ableton session. Therefore, if a new session is created, you must re-map all of your controls.

Ableton MIDI mappings are one-to-one

Through a one-to-one MIDI mapping, each control on your Panda200 can only be assigned to 1 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 Panda200, 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 Panda200's mappings across all of your Ableton Live sessions,
- map multiple Ableton parameters to a single control on your Panda200,
- access many more Ableton parameter controls for your Panda200, 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 Panda200 in Ableton Live?

There are several possible causes:
1. Make sure that the Panda200 is connected properly to your computer via USB and that the cable is not damaged.
2. Make sure that the Panda200 is selected as your audio input and output device in your audio settings.
3. Make sure that the correct driver is installed for the Panda200.
4. Make sure that the Panda200 is selected as the input device in Ableton's MIDI Preferences.