Novation Releases “Launchpad” – Music Controller for Everyone

Want to create some incredible beats, but don’t know the first thing about going about it? Ever download a DJ mixing application, like Ableton Live, FL Studio or Sony ACID Pro, but were lost at the sheer complexity of it all? The Launchpad, by Novation, looks to cater to every group of DJ, from novice up to professional. It can be used to create music, or spice up your live shows. The best part? The price, at $199, and what it includes. If you don’t currently own a piece of DJ’ing software, you’re covered here.

Compared to some higher-end controllers, the Launchpad is “simple” in that it doesn’t include knobs and faders, but it rather sticks to a large 8×8 grid of buttons that can be used for more than one function. These include queueing and loading samples, mixing your music, controlling the volume, panning and more. Mastering the usage of these buttons will undoubtedly take some work, but once you have things down pat, you’ll hardly have to touch the PC.

To see all of what this controller is capable of, I recommend checking out the demo video posted by Ableton at YouTube, as it shows off a wide-range of capabilities with the device. Not only can you play tracks or samples with a simple push of one or two buttons, you have full control over laying samples on top of each other, and perhaps the coolest part, you can change the function of the buttons to become virtual sliders, knobs and faders to better achieve the effect you want.

Robust controllers can cost upwards of $400 or more, and don’t include software. The Launchpad costs $199, and includes a “Launchpad Edition” of Ableton Live, one of the premier DJ’ing tools out there, regularly used by the likes of Armin Van Buuren, Daft Punk, Darren Price, Gabriel & Dresden, Kaskade, Mogwai and more. It’s even been used by non-dance artists on some tracks, such as by Nine Inch Nails and my personal favorite hip-hop artist, Del.

We’ll be receiving one of these for evaluation soon, so keep an eye out for a full review in the near-future.

Jointly designed by Ableton and Novation, Launchpad places Ableton Live at your fingertips. Whether you’re a DJ, performing musician or studio producer, Launchpad gives you all you need to truly ‘play’ Live. With a multi-colour 64-button grid and dedicated scene launch buttons, Launchpad is purpose built for triggering and manipulating clips in Live, it also offers a totally new way of controlling Ableton Live’s mixer. Launchpad’s buttons can be used to sketch out beats with drum racks, and they can be assigned to other functions in Live using Ableton’s ‘Learn’ mode.