words: MICK WILSON TECH News TECHNEWS
VERDICT BUILD QUALITY
EASE OF USE FEATURES
8.0 8.0 8.0
VALUE FOR MONEY 8.0 SOUND QUALITY
HYPE New high-powered LEDs, a
GRIPE The improvements are not
Launchpad app for the iPad and FL Studio integration brings the Launchpad to the fore once again.
revolutionary and a few features such as velocity sensitivity are still missing.
BLAST OFF…
Will Novation’s new LaunchPad S boldly go where no one has gone before?
W
hen Novation released the original Launchpad it found favour with many Ableton users, both in the studio and out in the wild during live
performances. Many can still be seen doing their thing many years on. By combining great functions, portability and value for money, the Launchpad stole a lot of the thunder from Akai’s APC controllers and won many fans in the process. Will the new Launchpad S continue the tradition, or has its time passed? This new model looks a lot like the original Launchpad, with the silkscreen artwork on the control surface and buttons being the only difference between the two versions that is immediately noticeable. There is a lot to be said for the “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it” approach that Novation have taken, as they got the layout of the Launchpad right first time round. The buttons are the right size and the controls are well-spaced, so any fiddling here would likely have done more harm than good. The improvements that have been made on the Launchpad S are a little more subtle and refined than one might have expected, but are nonetheless welcome improvements, and combine to bring the Launchpad S right up-to-date, in-keeping with today’s market and customer expectations.
The first and most obvious upgrade the Launchpad 2 has to offer comes in the form of new high-power LEDs which backlight every button on the control surface. There doesn’t seem to be much difference in
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the brightness levels when compared to the original Launchpad, but once the new high-power mode is activated, the buttons become much brighter and can be clearly seen in daylight conditions, making this controller perfect for daytime duties at festivals and outdoor gigs. The low-power LED mode is useful when connecting the Launchpad to laptops running on batteries or devices without a high-powered USB port, such as an iOS device. Another feature of the original Launchpad that has remained despite the addition of the new high- powered LEDs is the fact that the Launchpad S is bus-powered and does not need an external power supply to be attached, even when connected to an iPad. The Launchpad S can be connected to an iPad by using the Apple Camera connection kit, and can be used in conjunction with Novation’s new Launchpad app to create a self-contained grid-based music writing and performance platform. In addition to being able to trigger loops from the internal sample library of the Launchpad app, there are also a range of effects, such as filters, stutters and drum roll sounds that can be triggered using the buttons on the Launchpad S. This combination of hardware and software is fantastic, just as useful for writing music on the road as it is for performing.
For a lot of people, the original Launchpad was thought of as an Ableton controller, which of course it was. But being a MIDI controller, it was also possible to put it to use with a huge amount of other software, too. This flexibility has been
The Launchpad S is the evolution of the original Launchpad, and while the improvements are subtle, they do bring a lot to the table in terms of overall functions, especially considering the modest asking price.
8.0/10
PRICE $169.99
CONTACT
novationmusic.com
further extended with integration into Fruity Loops Studio’s performance mode, which enables the Launchpad S to get the most out of the new powerful performance zone features by using the buttons to sketch out beats with drum racks, or assign them to other functions. Novation’s Automap software is included with the Launchpad S and works seamlessly with a huge range of software to give hassle-free, hands-on control without the MIDI mapping headaches that can plague other controllers. Ableton Live Lite is supplied free of charge with the Launchpad S, as well as another rather tasty free treat in the form of Novation’s classic analogue mono-synth, the Bass Station, which can be used with Ableton, FL Studio and most other DAW software available on the market. And the free software doesn’t end there either, as there is also a sample pack included from Loopmasters, with over 1GB of loops including drums, FX and artist content.
The Launchpad S has managed to keep all of the winning features that won the original Launchpad so many adoring fans, as well as introducing new features that ensure that this controller can stand shoulder-to-shoulder with today’s modern controllers. The portability, build quality and great value for money have all been transferred to the Launchpad S, which is also even more versatile and useful thanks to the Launchpad app and Automap, all no doubt ensuring that this controller will be flying off the shelves.
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