Novation SL MkIII

ManualsBrandsNovation ManualsKeysController Keyboard with Sequencer

FM VERDICT

9.3

Well-designed and versatile.

For those who work with

both hardware and software,

this may be the best studio

centrepiece on the market

INCONTROL Hit this button to jump

over to DAW control, giving access to

important elements of most DAWs

PAD GRID This central grid controls

the sequencer, which is the core of

the SL MkIII’s workﬂ ow

SCREENS The screens are bright and

clear, providing parameter feedback

for templates and DAW control

FADERS The eight faders can be

used to control levels and edit

hardware parameters

Each Pattern can be assigned its

own length, timing division and

direction, making it easy to

experiment with polyrhythmic ideas.

While each Pattern has a maximum

length of 16 steps, in Patterns view

users get access to eight Pattern slots

for each Part, which can easily be

copied and chained to create

sequences of up to 128 steps.

Alongside the Steps mode, an

Automation view offers more

comprehensive parameter control and

automation sequencing for each Part.

Beyond the sequencer, the SL

MkIII also features an Arpeggiator,

with adjustable rate, gate length and

direction. With the Arpeggiator mode

active, the arp pattern can be

adjusted by using the 16-pad grid to

add or remove steps. The arp can only

be used on one Part at a time, but it

is possible to change which part the

arp is assigned to on the ﬂ y, using

one of the central rotaries.

The keyboard itself offers some

handy features too. The ﬁ rst is a

Scale mode, which allows the

keyboard to be assigned one of 15

scale types with adjustable root note.

There’s a choice of three ways the

keyboard can be set to respond to

these scales: display, in which the

keyboard’s light guide displays the

appropriate notes, but all keyboard

notes remain active; snap, where

notes played outside the scale jump

to the nearest note in the scale; and

ﬁ lter, where notes outside the

selected scale are de-activated.

The keyboard can also be divided

into Zones, which can each be

assigned to one of the eight Parts, so

users can play multiple instruments

at once – handy for use as a live

performance hub. Up to eight Zones

can be assigned, each with adjustable

keyboard range, displayed via the

LED light guide above the keyboard.

While these multi-faceted

sequencing tools are the core feature

of the SL MkIII, it can still handle the

DAW control duties you’d expect from

a high-end MIDI controller. Hitting

the InControl button on the front

panel will switch the hardware over to

control whichever DAW is currently

connected. How precisely the MkIII

interacts with the software depends

on which DAW is being used. Ableton

Live users get the best deal, with near

plug-and-play setup and tight

interaction with most Live elements,

including parameter feedback

provided by the ﬁ ve screens. The

MkIII is HUI ready too, so users of

DAWs such as Cubase, Pro Tools and

Reaper are all well served. Novation

also provide comprehensive templates

for Logic and Reason. Check the

manual online for details of what

DAW elements can be controlled.

Taken as a complete package, I’m

really impressed by the SL MkIII. I’m

a big fan of the fun, hands-on

approach to sequencing used by the

Circuit range, and having that as a

part of a studio centrepiece controller/

sequencer like this is great. There are

a few small limitations to the

sequencing workﬂ ow. For one,

although Patterns can be chained,

the SL MkIII doesn’t offer much in

the way of long form arrangement,

beyond triggering Patterns manually. I

found myself craving variation and

randomisation tools too, as a quick

way to add variety to loops and

patterns. Also, while there is global

swing control, you can’t add swing to

individual parts, and it’d be good to

be able to nudge individual steps off

of the sequencer grid, for slightly

deeper control over the precise details

of timing. These are minor gripes

though, some of which could be

rolled out with ﬁ rmware updates. It’s

worth noting how consistently

Novation have developed the original

Circuit in the years since launch,

which bodes well for the prospect of

new features and reﬁ nements here.

It won’t suit everyone’s workﬂ ow,

and the trade off for ﬂ exibility is a

slight lack of immediacy. Between the

well-designed templates and

easy-to-use Components app,

Novation have done an excellent job

in making setup as hassle free as

possible, but given how adaptable the

SL MkIII is, you’ll still need to spend

some time conﬁ guring it to best adapt

it to your own setup. It doesn’t quite

match the plug-and-play immediacy

of NIs’ Komplete Kontrol system, but

offers much more ﬂ exibility for

interfacing hardware and software.

Frankly, the ability to sequence

and control analogue hardware,

MIDI-equipped instruments, plugins

and your DAW all from one interface

and clock source is excellent. During

my review tests, for example, I had

the sequencer triggering chords on a

Korg Minilogue, polyrhythmic grooves

from an Analog RYTM and TR-8,

sequenced pads in FXpansion Cypher

2, all while automating each, sending

an analogue clock to a CV-equipped

effects setup, with the simultaneous

ability to adjust levels and Devices in

Live at the push of a button. That’s

just one example. Dig into the SL

MkIII’s versatile workﬂ ow, and you’ll

ﬁ nd that there’s a deep well of

creative possibilities.

INCONTROL

Hit this button to jump