Your v2 pad could be up to 18 years old so this may be a case where it needs a center calibration or is saved with a MIDI output config not recognized by Ableton. You can download the Mandala v2 Virtual Brain v1.6 listed under MANDALA v2 in the Legacy Downloads section at
https://mandaladrum.com/support to take care of this. Please follow the installation steps in the included README file, then...
Perform the following routine exactly step-by-step to get your v2 pad up to speed:
- Quit any Virtual Brain software and disconnect your Mandala from your computer
- Connect your Mandala to a USB port on your computer and verify that it shows up properly in Audio MIDI Setup/Device Manager as "MandalaDrum####"
- Open the Mandala v2 Virtual Brain software
- Go to File>Audio/Pad Driver Window and toggle away from and back to "MandalaDrum####" for Pad 1 then "Save Settings"
- Go to File>Preferences and perform the Pad Center Position Calibration shown there. It should work within 2-3 seconds.
- Double-click the purple Pad 1 in the Main Window
- Load preset 4 "Drum Set" and verify that it plays 7 zones on your pad
- Load preset 2 "Calibrate Snare" and verify that it plays 1 zone on your pad
Now that your pad is back in shape (calibrated and communicating properly with the v2 Virtual Brain) you can then customize its MIDI output and use it only as a controller for Ableton by downloading Control Burst EXP from the Support link above and setting the pad any way you'd like (# of zones, notes, channels, etc.). Keep in mind with the Mandala v2 that any time you then use it with its Virtual Brain program the pad's MIDI output will be reprogrammed automatically and you'll need to use Control Burst EXP again if you want customized output settings.
