Novation Launchkey 49 MK4 – Attack Magazine

Up subsequent on the check out bench is the newest addition to Novation’s acclaimed Launchkey range – the Launchkey 49 MK4.

Novation’s Launchkey range really desires no introduction… nonetheless since that’s sort of how critiques work, proper right here’s one anyway. 

We’re evaluating the newest evolution of Novation’s renowned Swiss Army Controller ™, offering USB-powered piano keys, drum pads, knobs, sliders, musical effectivity modes, DAW help for transport and mixing, plus every marketer’s favourite operate… ‘and additional’. 

All pretty customary fare as of late, though, so Novation have enhanced this with important {{hardware}} upgrades, new options, wider DAW help, and additional bundled software program program than ever sooner than.  

WARNING: The next two paragraphs include historic context and self-indulgent ‘I’ve been on this enterprise for a few years’ stuff. If that’s not your considered a good time, skip the next half.

The controller OG

Nonetheless proper right here? Cool. As we enter 2025, Novation is as established as producers get. They first made waves 30 years up to now with their legendary BassStation, supplying a 303-fuelled demand for reasonably priced acid. The DrumStation shortly adopted, a my-first-909 for a fraction of the value of an precise Roland. However it certainly’s merely forgotten that their first product was really a controller keyboard for Yamaha’s QY10 sequencer. 

Yep, correct from the start Novation specialised in controlling totally different agency’s gear. 

A very long time adopted, and following 2004’s acquisition by Focusrite, Novation rewrote the commerce rulebook as soon as extra numerous events, notably with Launchpad and Launchkey. 

Launchpad was impressed by the the Akai-produced APC40 controller for Ableton Reside and, whereas it lacked hyper-specific controls and knobs, it added MPC-style drum pad efficiency, user-customizable operation modes and configurations and, critically, it was not inherently Reside-specific. 

Likewise Launchkey, combined piano keys, pads, sliders, and knobs, with generic, multi-DAW decisions. 

There’s even a 5-pin MIDI enter / output, making it supreme for {{hardware}} instrument and Eurorack administration.

They did it their means

If this seems like excessive historic previous and context, it’s worth it, because of whereas Novation’s USP was always offering choices no particular person else did, or in extra universally acceptable strategies, that ship’s sailed, and Novation should do further to compete. 

How to do that? Price is an obvious problem. Assemble top quality one different. And choices – which suggests a minimal of doing what all folks else does, hopefully in cool new strategies. 

Cash pointers all of the items spherical me

First up, price. This 49-key model is $249.99 (+ tax) / £229.99 (inc. VAT) / €226.88 (+ tax). That’s not exactly low-cost, nonetheless it’s not expensive for what you get. And, not like some opponents, Launchkey doesn’t bully you into an additional software program program / plugin ecosystem. 

Price? Tick one. 

Spherical two…

Subsequent, assemble top quality. And this MK4… it feels good. I’m not that unboxing video man, nonetheless as I ran my fingers over a silky finish, pressed semi-weighted keys, and tapped out a rusty reggae one drop riddim on rubber pads that felt like they might not liquify after one humid summer season season in Ibiza, I did need I’d completed all of it on digital digital camera.

It feels robust too, with sturdy knobs and straightforward sliders. It’s on my desk subsequent to the very first Analog Manufacturing unit controller (manufactured for Arturia by CME), which has survived 30+ keep gigs, 4 studio strikes and, for 3 mysterious years of its 16-year life, the carefree attentions of the seller who offered buyers at our outdated London studios and spirited it away to his residence. Successfully certainly not understand how Launchkey would cope with all that, nonetheless I’d guess on a minimal of a decade of trouble-free studio service. 

Digging deeper, we experience super-responsive polyphonic aftertouch from these 16 drum pads, and enjoy reassuringly engineered rubber enter / alternative buttons, and company pitch-bend and mod-wheels.   

One different good contact is the OLED show display screen. Some complain regarding the small dimension nonetheless it’s no use having a large show display screen within the occasion you may’t see it, and OLED screens provide a loads wider viewing angle, for a price. And at this price, I’d choose a smaller show display screen I can see from my seat.

There’s even a 5-pin MIDI enter / output, making it supreme for {{hardware}} instrument and Eurorack administration. 

As regards to {{hardware}} design and assemble, then, that’s tick two.

No holds barred

Now the big one – choices. And in a competition-rich market, the MK4 pulls out the entire stops. 

The piano keys will probably be break up into zones for controlling fully totally different units, digital or {{hardware}}. Reside clients might even use them for points like deciding on drum samples. Plus you presumably can lock them to a specific key, stopping mistaken notes. 

And other people aren’t merely drum pads – they are often utilized to hold out chord progressions, administration steps in Ableton Reside’s sequencer, select fully totally different options like Mixer and Plugin modes, administration the onboard arpeggiator, and additional. And these are all at all times updated, with the newest firmware introducing points like accents and ties to the arpeggios. Non-classically-trained producers will revenue most from all of this, nonetheless it ensures straightforward creative pleasing for any musician too.

Shifting on, the sliders and knobs administration the types of belongings you’d depend on by default – mixer ranges, sends, plugin parameters and so forth. – and may be mapped to regardless of you need.

Nonetheless enough of that crap… critiques must share the experience of using one factor, not itemizing choices you’ll get from the producer’s website online. And my experience is frictionless, intuitive, and pleasing. 

One issue it doesn’t have, though, which I really feel might be a recreation changer, is an MPC-style Phrase Repeat carry out. If Novation might add that to a firmware exchange, then I wouldn’t need my Push on the desk at all times!

In relation to configuration and setup, within the occasion you’re an Ableton Reside particular person on a Mac, recreation on

Play correctly with others

In relation to configuration and setup, within the occasion you’re an Ableton Reside particular person on a Mac, recreation on. Dwelling home windows clients should acquire and arrange a setup .exe. Function, Logic, and Cubase clients can seize a straightforward set-up file on-line. And totally different DAW clients might should tinker with some HUI protocol settings to revenue from DAW-control options.

If I’m completely reliable, no matter having begun my studio career sooner than the rise of DAWs, I’m further of a mouse and keyboard producer in 2024, a minimal of for controlling DAWs, nonetheless I found it really easy to get Launchkey controlling all of the items in Reside, and even controlling Skilled-Devices using HUI.

That’s three ticks out of three, then. Nonetheless Launchkey doesn’t stop there.

Making it non-public

Along with working correct out of the sector, the Launchkey permits a load of customisation, not merely the aforementioned DAW-specific profiles. You presumably can swap and reassign administration mappings via a graphical interface using the Elements app or maybe a MIDI-enabled web browser like Chrome. 

Now, I’m not a pure tinkerer myself (my gamer tag is my exact title, and if it wasn’t, it might be ‘Factory_Default’), nonetheless even I usually like to switch the occasional administration to match my most-used actions. 

Bonus tick.

Lastly, there’s the bundled software program program. In case you occur to’re learning Assault critiques, you almost certainly already have your DAW sorted, nonetheless it’s nonetheless a healthful haul with Ableton Reside 12 Lite, units and outcomes from GForce, Klevgrand, and Orchestral Devices, and a bespoke tuition program from Melodics.

<Insert optionally accessible tick>

Making it non-public

With over 30 years throughout the recreation, we’d depend on a large participant like Novation to convey the merchandise… and they also have. Launchkey MK4 presents a extraordinarily compelling price-to-features steadiness and punches correctly above its weight for assemble top quality.

And whereas there’s no denying that Ableton Reside clients will profit from the widest set of deeper choices, I don’t see anybody being disenchanted with the efficiency, no matter their DAW.

Now to the judges’ scorecards…

Some of us aren’t followers of these all-in-one choices and, in fact, I certainly not really felt the draw sooner than. 

Nonetheless – and that’s speaking as any particular person with an 88-key weighted keyboard, a V-drum gear, Push, APC40, and MPC in my studio – I’ve really liked this easy-setup, hassle-free, customisable efficiency sitting straight throughout the place I spend most of my time… in entrance of my laptop show display screen. 

And, as will probably be important in a long-term, intimate relationship, Launchkey’s one factor I’d benefit from referring to each day foundation.

So, whether or not or not you’re starting out, upgrading an ageing controller, or just tempted by the sooner paragraph… you’d be crazy to not put this very extreme in your shortlist.

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