Using Abelton Live 7's tap tempo live...help please!

Right, as I am the drummer in my band I have been given the task of finding out the logistics of using abelton live 7's tap tempo via a midi controller. This is so I can alter the speed of the sequenced material so it is in time with the speed we are currently playing at.

We are going to be running it on a laptop when we play live so I will need to midi controller near my hi-hat pedal so i can easily move my foot to tap the temp we are playing. Is this as simple as connecting the midi controller to the lapton and having the cable running to the correct place?

In terms of how (me, the one controlling the tap tempo) I would hear the sequenced stuff, is it easiest to have it through the PA or through headphones?

Regarding the times when there will be no sequenced music playing, i can see that there is two options; have a click track going so when the sequenced music comes back in, we will still be in time, or have someone on trigger abelton at the correct time; am i correct in thinking these are pretty much my only two options?

The other option of course is playing to click, which, i apologise, I also know nothing about.

With click, is it as simple as plugging the headphones into the laptop and just listening to the click as I play?

Do you know if it is possible to create your own click with Ableton, so it is more like a simplified version of the beat, or something similar to what the other instruments are doing?

Hopefully I have explained my questions so someone can understand and help me out! If anyone can, it will be much appreciated and it will feel nice to know more about this kind of stuff than the other band members!!

If you're still reading to this part, thanks for sticking with me.

Regards,
Ash

You can do an awful lot with Ableton.

I don't know specifically about the tap function, but I would imagine it would just be a case of plugging it in and making sure it is enabled in preferences. As for the metronome, I would suggest that you play with your own foldback headphones so the rest of the band are playing to you. Furthermore, you CAN create the grooves in Ableton by sequencing them in. That is a bit of a fiddle, but once you get the hang of it, it'll work great.