Here’s a preset and Ableton Live user remote script I made for the Akai LPD8 MIDI Controller. These two files work together nicely and allow you to map the LPD8 pads to Ableton’s drum rack interface. When you mouse through the drum rack pad overview the LPD8 pads will be mapped to the highlighted bottom two rows of drum rack pads.
1. Download and unzip LPD8-user-remote-script. Once unzipped you should end up with a directory named LPD8 that contains a file called “UserConfiguration.txt.”
2. Place the folder and file in ~user/Library/Preferences/Ableton/Live8.1.3/User Remote Scripts/ for Mac (not sure about Windows, sorry).
LPD8 User Configuration txt File Placement
3. When you start Ableton Live, open the Preferences panel and go to the MIDI tab. You should now be able to select LPD8 as a control surface and set the corresponding Input/Output values at right. You can also specify MIDI Ports/Track/Sync/Remote values for the device based on your requirements.
Ableton Live Preferences Pane with LPD8 Settings
4. Download LPD8-preset-ableton-drumrack preset and save it where you like. I chose to save it in the default Presets directory of the Akai LPD8 Editor Application directory (Download the LPD8 Editor if you haven’t done so yet, you’ll need it in order to use this preset).
5. Open the LPD8 Editor application. Click the “Load Preset” button and select the preset txt file that you downloaded in the previous step. Then click the “Commit – Upload” button. You should get the Upload Successful message. If so, you’re all set! If not, make sure your LPD8 controller is connected to your computer and lit up.
LPD8 Editor, Load & Commit Buttons Highlighted
This preset currently only maps the pads of the controller to the bottom two rows of pads in Ableton’s drumrack. This can be reversed if you prefer that it highlight the top two rows. This is a matter of personal preference. Also, I haven’t mapped the knobs. This is up to you if you like. Enjoy!