How to Use Your TRAKTOR KONTROL Device as a MIDI Controller with Ableton Live

This article explains how to set up your Native Instruments TRAKTOR KONTROL device as a MIDI controller for Ableton Live. Make sure your TRAKTOR KONTROL drivers are correctly installed and the device is properly connected to the computer.

Activating MIDI Mode on your TRAKTOR KONTROL Device

All of our TRAKTOR KONTROL devices communicate with TRAKTOR using our own proprietary NHL protocol. In order to use your TRAKTOR KONTROL device as a standard MIDI controller with other applications, you need to switch your device to MIDI mode via a specific button combination on your controller. Please consult the list from this article to find out which button combination activates MIDI mode on your controller.

Note: The TRAKTOR KONTROL F1 and Z1 automatically enter MIDI mode when TRAKTOR is not running. Find out more about using the Z1 as a MIDI controller here in the Knowledge Base.

MIDI Settings in Ableton Live

These steps establish the connection between Ableton Live and your TRAKTOR KONTROL device.

  1. Open the Live Preferences and go to the MIDI / Sync tab.
  2. Activate the Remote button for both the Input and Output of your TRAKTOR KONTROL device. In this example, we are using the TRAKTOR KONTROL F1.
    MIDI Settings

Mapping the MIDI Controls

The following steps describe how to map the controls of your TRAKTOR KONTROL device to parameters in your Ableton Live Set:

  1. Enter the MIDI Mapping mode by clicking on the MIDI button in the upper right corner.
    MIDI Button
  2. Click on a function you want to assign, for example the volume fader of the first Audio track. It is highlighted around it's corners.
    MIDI Assignment Mode
  3. Move the control element of your choice on your TRAKTOR KONTROL device. In our example, we use the leftmost fader of the TRAKTOR KONTROL F1.
  4. The controller number of the chosen control element shows up above the function in Ableton Live when the mapping has been successfully set in place.
    Assign Control
  5. Repeat the above steps for all functions you want to assign. In our example, we are assigning all four faders of the TRAKTOR KONTROL F1 to four Audio tracks in our Live Set.
    Finished Assignment
  6. While MIDI Mapping mode is active, you can see a list of all mappings in the Browser area on the left side of the screen.

    Note: You can adjust the control ranges with the Min and Max settings in order to customize the response of the parameters. In our example, we changed the Max value for the Track Volume mappings to 0.0 dB. This way, the fader on the TRAKTOR KONTROL F1 will match 0 dB in it's topmost position.

    MIDI Mappings
  7. When you are done with the mappings, click the MIDI button again to leave the MIDI Assignment mode.

You can now control your Live Set with your TRAKTOR KONTROL device.