![launchpad step sequencer ableton launchpad step sequencer ableton](https://resource.novationmusic.com/sites/default/files/Launchpad_S.png)
If you’re on a budget (the street price will be lower than that stated above), this is a good option, especially as it includes a copy of Ableton Live 10 Intro.
#LAUNCHPAD STEP SEQUENCER ABLETON PRO#
Either way, for £300 you’re getting a controller plus a customisable sequencer, which altogether justifies the “Pro” in Pro MK3. It is, however, an affordable way to access Push-type functionality – but only to an extent. In that latter role, it’s at the extreme end of what’s doable with a controller without a display. With the Pro MK3, the Launchpad is becoming more of a sequencer than a general-purpose controller. Live users now have transport controls, Capture, Duplicate, Double, Quantisation, Record Quantisation, Device Control, Track Select buttons, mixer functions, tap tempo, and the ability to dial up different keyboard layouts.
![launchpad step sequencer ableton launchpad step sequencer ableton](https://i.ytimg.com/vi/IzoOwsBbG8w/hqdefault.jpg)
The Pro MK3 is marketed as a “production and performance grid for Ableton Live” and the latest Launchpad product has further solidified that integration.
#LAUNCHPAD STEP SEQUENCER ABLETON SOFTWARE#
This way, you don’t need a computer or any software to recall your sequences, including your root notes and scales. This is vital if it is to serve as a truly standalone sequencer. The Pro MK3’s Projects button saves all your current sequencer settings to one of 64 slots. Coupled with the Capture button, this makes it simple to save all your on-the-fly ideas. If you’re jamming and happen upon a part you’d like to keep, hit the Print to Clip button and the sequence will be added to a new MIDI clip. The sequencer is hypnotic and fun to use, and is comfortably the most significant addition to the Launchpad. The MK3 also features micro steps, with up to six extra intervals for each main step – useful for creating strumming effects. Mutation provides further unpredictability by adding a user-definable level of pitch randomisation. There are also Sequencer Direction, Velocity, and Probability controls. Notes can be tapped in via the grid or recorded in real time, and note-length adjustment is available for – individual steps in a sequence of up to 32.Įight patterns can be used per project, and can be launched simultaneously across tracks using scenes, which can also be chained for sequential playback (note that patterns can be different lengths but individual tracks can’t). The Pro MK3 features a four-track sequencer that can be connected to Ableton Live via USB or used with hardware synths if mains powered and connected using the MIDI adaptors. As with the Launchpad X, however, it would make more sense if the final fader tap moved the value up to the next step or stopped it altogether, rather than taking it back down again. Select Volume, for example, and the pads transform into a vertical mixer, whereby increased velocity brings faster value changes and repeated tapping at the top of columns brings incremental changes. The Track Select buttons are found under the pads and, beneath them, are buttons that give access to mixer functions such as Arm, Mute, Solo, and Volume. The Pro MK3’s Session and Note buttons switch views, and its transport/record buttons include a Capture MIDI button that taps into Capture, one of Ableton Live 10’s most interesting features. Connect to a computer running Ableton Live and the pads will reflect the colours of its Session View clips or the track colours when in Note mode. The classic pads are presented in an eight-by-eight grid, now surrounded by black buttons each with its own distinct function.
![launchpad step sequencer ableton launchpad step sequencer ableton](https://novationmusic.com/sites/novation/files/Sequencer_fundimentals.png)
The Pro MK3 may be big for a Launchpad product but it’s still totally portable, and should comfortably shrug off the thousands of taps and hits you’re likely to give it. You’ll also require Novation’s Components editor, which is available within any MIDI-compatible browser or as a downloadable application to use the Pro MK3, whose physical connections are minimal but useful: two mini jack MIDI outs, one MIDI in, and a USB-C slot, as well as a side-mounted Kensington lock. Members of the Novation Sound Collective also qualify for a copy of Ableton Live 10 Lite, a two-months Splice Sounds subscription, and plug-ins from Klevgrand, XLN Audio, AAS and Softube. The Pro MK3 ships with two USB-C-A cables, a USB power supply and two mini jack-DIN MIDI adaptors. Under the hood, it promises deeper Ableton Live integration, a step sequencer, as well as chord and user modes, alongside other small tweaks. The Pro MK3 sticks to the Launchpad template but features a slimmer body, larger pads, new outer buttons and two MIDI outputs. Following the recent release of Novation’s Launchpad Mini MK3 and Launchpad X, the flagship Launchpad Pro MK3 is here to round out the range in style.