Novation Launchpad X MIDI Grid Controller for Ableton Live/Logic Pro — Easy Controls, Dynamic Note Playing, Scale Modes

I have used this with the Launchpad apps on iPhone and iPad and also with Ableton 11 and 12. It is configured already so you just plug in and play. It is very useful and makes for a great workflow including for recording in Ableton.There are different layouts such as keyboard and drum pad as well as the main one for launching loops and you can add a custom one as there is free software available for editing the custom configurations.It is very easy to learn how to use and you could get a lot out of it as your sole MIDI controller. It is compact, good build quality. It came bundled with some decent software (Ableton live lite if I recall correctly).You could just use it as a toy with the launchpad app and kids will enjoy it for that alone but you can squeeze a lot of functionality in Ableton from it also. It won’t be much use for finer controlling of software synths and for finger drumming you may want larger pads, and there are no moving parts as such like faders or knobs, but you get what you pay for. Paired with a decent drum pad controller or something like the Midimix it is a great buy.

I bought this because my Mk2 LP, althogh lovely to look at, is a bit to big for my stage setup and occcasionally fell off the synth I generally put it on.Points to note- Has full RGB, a little fainter than a full size version, but still easily visible under stage lighting.- in clip launch mode the bottom right button is no longer a scene launcher but toggles track arm/mute/solo. I didn't find this change a problem (though I thought i might)- Components is fantastic allowing easy customisation of the user screens, really useful feature. If you configure it for faders it is more sensitive than the older models doing roughly 1.5dB increments rather than 6 if you tap repeatedly.- It's true plug and play with Ableton Live, no need to go into control surfaces to set it up- The session overview (which enables you to scroll 8 rows at a time instead of 1 seems initially to be missing (it used to be accessible on older models by holding down the session button but that now does something else). However the support team helped me out, this is now accessible by double tapping session instead of tap and hold.Obviously it's not as fully featured as the X and the Pro, and the buttons are not velocity sensitive, but if you want a very capable and cheap clip launcher that can be readily customised for other uses this is probaly it.Will also apparently work in Logic Pro X for triggering Apple Loops, there is a setup in Components to do that, but i have not tested it.

I will give it 5 stars. It works perfectly

This launchpad arrives with the minimum of instruction but after plugging it in to a USB port and clicking on the ‘getting started’ link, the walk-through set-up is very good. I have Ableton Live 11 installed and the product configured itself automatically for use after starting the software. If you don't have a copy of Ableton Live, a free 'Lite' version is available to download after product registration.I carry the launchpad in a pocket of my laptop case. The pads are a nice size and are velocity sensitive. I can easily use them to play notes or create drum patterns. They also reflect the colour of the clips loaded into Ableton Live’s session view when not playing (Green when the clip is active).There are 3 modes of operation: Session, Note and Custom with everything well labelled and most of the function pads are nicely backlit. I would say that a working knowledge of Ableton Live is preferred to get the full benefit of the Launchpad. However, the basics are relatively easy to learn.The user guide for this product can be downloaded before purchase so you can see if it’s right for you. This is NOT a stand-alone musical instrument and must be used with some music production software. I like it.

What a really cool controller. The buttons feel great and it's very portable and I also really like the lights. It's also very tunable to your needs and very easy to use 😁😀

I upgraded to this controller from the Mark 1.Pleasantly surprised. The software for custom layouts is good. The increased range of colours for the pads is really useful. Perfect for making animated displays, if you like messing around with that kind of thing.My only gripe is that FL Studio doesn't support it out of the box like the Mark 1. That's entirely down to Image Line though. There are patches available for it made by the image line community. Works flawlessly.I wish Novation would support android and not just apple. So if you want to use this with an android powered tablet or phone you won't be able to.That being said. Great piece of kit. The price is fantastic for a solid, well built controller. Genuinely feels like it should be more expensive.

I had a novation launchpad mink mk2 for a while, but seemed to stop using it, as I thought it was kind of limited in what I wanted to do, so I sold it. I was then looking for another launchpad for help in programming drums etc, I was looking at the Pro version, but couldn't justify paying out all that money, so I compromised and bought the Launchpad X.The Launchpad X is very versatile, one good thing about this is that all the lights work straight away, without having to do any midi tweaking in Ableton Live.I love the touch sensitive pads, and the music mode, all you have to do is select the key and mode, and the lights on the launchpad correspond to relevant notes in that key, this brings a whole new way of music making, and great for those trancey arps, funky basslines etc.If you've used previous versions of the launchpad (mk1's, mk2's), you'll be surprised just how much better this is, highly recommended.