Novation
Launched back in 2009, Novation’s original
Launchpad helped set the standard for
today’s grid-based MIDI controllers. It can
therefore take a chunk of the credit – at the very
least – for introducing a totally new way of
programming and composing music with
technology. Along with Akai’s APC40,
Launchpad then paved the way for a lood of
similar clip controllers and launchers, such as
Ableton’s Push, Livid’s Base and Akai’s Force.
However, things in this controller market have
clearly moved on a lot since then, so how does
the new Launchpad X measure up to the current
crop of competitors?
The range
The Launchpad X sits in the middle of the
current Novation Launchpad range, lanked by
the already-established, pricier and more
feature-rich Launchpad Pro, and the smaller,
more basic Launchpad Mini, itself launched
alongside the X as a cheaper alternative. The big
news with this model is that the X features full-
colour RGB pads, which are both velocity and
pressure sensitive and exhibit true polyphonic
aftertouch, which was inherited from the Pro.
The unit can now also be conigured to function
as a fully-customisable MIDI controller capable
of storing and recalling four diferent controller
Novation
Launchpad X £179
Novation’s Live controller is back on the block with a new name, some
new tricks and a fresh new look for 2020
“The Launchpad can
take some credit for
introducing a new way
of programming and
composing music”
layouts across the pads, so has a couple of ace
cards up its colourful sleeves.
Nice pad(s)
At a mere 18mm high, the Launchpad X’s proile
is satisfyingly slim and the build quality
reassuringly solid – it seems like the unit should
easily be able to stand up to the punishment of
prolonged, enthusiastic inger drumming.
The 8 x 8 grid of 64 brightly-lit pads – which
dominates Launchpad X’s surface – is
unsurprisingly designed for viewing and
controlling Ableton Live’s Session View, with
each pad’s colour matched to the corresponding
onscreen clip. Pads aside, the buttons that lank
the top and the right hand side have a
satisfyingly squishy resilience.
One of the major diferences between the X
and the Launchpad Pro is that the former lacks
the Pro’s extra row of buttons down the left and
across the bottom of the grid. It also has no
92 / COMPUTER MUSIC / February 2020
> reviews / novation launchpad x
CMU278.rev_launchpadx.indd 92 04/12/2019 10:24