MAINFRAME-B & Ableton Starter Project
Lighting in Ableton usually sounds like a nightmare — janky visualizers, weird VST plugins, or having to dive into totally separate software just to get something somewhat decent. That’s a big reason why I designed MAINFRAME B: to make lighting feel like just another part of your music workflow.
Here’s a step-by-step walkthrough of how I set up my basic MAINFRAME-B lighting project in Ableton. This is the exact starting point I use for all my shows.
1. Connect MAINFRAME B via USB
Just plug it in. Ableton usually detects it automatically — no special drivers, no config. You usually have to enable it in the preferences menu.
2. Drop in an External Instrument
Delete the default MIDI tracks and create a new one.
Drag in External Instrument from the Instruments panel.
Set:
- MIDI To → Mainframe
- Channel → 1 (this will control Zone 1 by default)
That’s it. You can now play MIDI notes and the lights will respond.
3. Duplicate for Additional Zones
MAINFRAME B has 3 zones, which are like layers you can control independently.
- Duplicate your first External Instrument track twice
- Set the MIDI channels to 2 and 3 for Zones 2 and 3
- Group the three tracks together for a cleaner layout
You now have full multi-zone control, just like layering synths.
4. Add the Free CC Mapper Device
To control lighting parameters (like hue, speed, intensity), you’ll want to send MIDI CC.
I use a free Max for Live device called CC Mapper.
Drop it onto each track and set the MIDI channel to match the zone.
Now you can:
- Manually tweak parameters with CC knobs
- Automate CC lanes inside MIDI clips
- Or map modulation sources like LFOs and Envelope Followers (more on that in other videos)
5. That’s It
Once this is set up, lighting feels just like controlling any synth.
It’s fast, responsive, and lives completely inside Ableton — no external tools, no visualizer gimmicks.
TL;DR here are the downloads you're probably looking for:
CCMapper Max4Live plugin
(credit)
