Review of the Novation Launchpad

New for 2010, the Novation Launchpad takes controlling Ableton Live to a new level & then some…

We’re aiming to bring you some updates from the world of music technology this year & we’re starting with this new & affordable Ableton controller.

While many of us prefer to stick to the trusty old 1210s when we’re playing out, there’s no denying that Ableton is a whole heap of fun. One of the key problems with any music software is that without hardware controllers, you end up hunched over a keyboard and mouse looking like you’re updating a spreadsheet!

This is where controllers like the Novation Launchpad come in. They’ve flipped the script by making it a button-only interface (with an 8 x 8 grid & some transport buttons), but it not only allows you to launch clips in Ableton; you can also get to all of the mixer functions, use it to control effects & even play software synths & drum machines with it.

Outside of Ableton, you can use the Launchpad with loads of other music software. If you’re confident enough with MIDI-mapping, you can do pretty much whatever you like with it.

This bad-boy works brilliantly straight out the box. It was really easy to get it running well alongside Ableton (it even comes with a stripped-down version of the software for people that don't have it already). Despite being plastic, it feels sturdy & is small enough to fit in a laptop bag easily if you're taking it out to play out with. Most places are selling it at £150, which makes it pretty tempting in comparison to a lot of the other controllers out there price-wise too.

If you’re wondering how it fares spreading the Junglist gospel, we found a video here of someone using it with some non-Ableton software to chop up amen breaks!

More information is available at Novation's website:

www.novationmusic.com/launchpad/