First make sure in the Digitakt MIDI Settings the MIDI Out is set to USB. Then in Ableton check if the MIDI IN Port is shown and selected in the preferences.Then create a MIDI track and select the Digitakt as MIDI in. If you want to use different tracks you also need to set the channel for that track according to what you have set in the Digitakt . Then on the Digitakt activate e.g. track as @Ryan explained. You should see the midi activity “lights” blink when you play a track on the Digitakt. Additionally you can activate external sync in Live so that you can use synced delays and stuff (Sync settings need to be set in Settings). Good luck
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Alright, I’ll give this a shot and I will report back.
I’m having the same trouble. No response from ableton whatsoever regarding tracking. DT appears in the midi input and output, I’ve tried several different channels and the output configuration in DT is configured for USB.
Funny thing is I can sync DT to ableton live, but regarding track I have no response.
@Simulacrumb Did you get to make it work?
No, I basically gave up. For the life of me I cannot understand why something that should be so easy is so damned difficult.
I’m using Cubase and the Digitakt midi tracks are very cool when sending note data and midi cc to one or many vst plug-ins.
Since you can have multiple midi tracks on the Digitakt sending to the same midi channel (same instrument) there’s a lot of happy accidents. Especially when having different track step lengths on the Digitakt.
Don’t give up, read some in the Ableton manual and keep trying, it’s worth it.
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Screenshots of your Ableton settings in the Midi panel in Preferences and of the I/O section of the tracks to be controlled (in session view) would help direct you. I’m controlling VSTis in Ableton with my Digitakt no problem.
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I think this is hit or miss with certain machines. I was never able to get stabl midi control of Ableton from the Digitakt. It would work for a few seconds and mysteriously stop. This was all the way up to v1.08. I had everything set up correctly and it would work on occasion but sometimes the DT just wouldn’t respond/send anymore at all, even when fully mapped.
I’ve been able to do this. I use the 8 midi tracks on the DT to control 8 instrument racks in Ableton. Usually I fill the racks with Simplers/Samplers. Pretty fun, especially when mapping controllers to macros and sending LFOs, though no shortage of modulation capabilities in the DAW. I also use the Ableton sequencer to sequencer external synths, and the DT is slave to Ableton. The only hiccup is that the DT often misses the first beat when hitting “play” in Ableton. oh well. Sometimes I’ll switch it up and slave Ableton to the DT. When doing that some things can get weird though. Often I’ll just keep sync off and play Ableton “live” from the DT.
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Hey there, I don’t know if you already found it but I just did. Basically using midi learn. check out http://www.synthtopia.com/content/2019/01/31/controlling-vst-plugins-with-elektron-digitakt/ it works the same with ableton. Cheers
Question, has anyone been able to set up the DT/DN so its knobs can control the 8 macros of the currently selected device? like a push or launch control. I assume it involves some messing with control surface scripts and sysex but was hoping someone else had already put in the work?
@Anfim
Not sure it will help but I use my DT (MIDI slaved to Maschine) as a macro controller for my VSTs effects/Instruments as well as external synths.
Works great 
In Ableton Preferences Link/MIDI, you have to highlight REMOTE from the Input : Elektron Digitakt (Digitone). After that, you will be able to assign MIDI CC’s by clicking the MIDI button in the upper right corner of Ableton, then click on the Macro knob of the Instrument and turn one of the DT/DN encoder (knob).
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yes, but this only allows you to control a single set of parameters without reassigning right? If you’ve ever used an akai or novation controller, the assignments automatically jump to the 8 knobs of whichever plugin you have selected.
Yes. That’s how it works with DT/DN. I don’t think they are programmed like dedicated Ableton Controllers.
That’s the thing, it’s not like a dedicated midi controller has any special hardware for this. they all send out midi CCs from the knobs. the magic happens in the control script that interprets them, so it should be possible to write one for the DT. Looks like I have a quarantine project to get working on.
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Ableton has a User Script in the Midi Remote Scripts folder for writing your own custom control surfaces. It has some basic parameters you can assign and I think the API can be found on GitHub for use in more detailed scripts.
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Can a admin pin this like in the top of the INTERNET?
Thanks you saved my life dude. 
I’m glad that my Post could help you!