Has anyone had any luck using the free open source software Ardour for creating mappings for midi fighters?

I bought the Mad Zach sound packs volume 2 and received a free copy of the MZ sound pack beta player...but it never wanted to recognize my midi controller or even the built in keyboard in my macbook. I'm really just wanting a way to play around with the sound packs during the holidays without having to buy anything else.

I'll gladly take suggestions on any software for Mac it doesn't specifically have to be ardour.

Thanks for any assistance.