novation LAUNCHKEY User Guide

User Guide
LAUNCHKEY

Caution:
The normal operation of this product may be affected by a strong electrostatic discharge (ESD).
In the event of this happening, simply reset the unit by removing and then replugging the USB cable. Normal operation should return.

Trade Marks
The Novation trademark is owned by Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd. All other brands, products, and company names, and any other registered names or trademarks mentioned in this manual belong to their respective owners.

Disclaimer
Novation has taken all possible steps to ensure that the information given here is both correct and complete. In no event can Novation accept any liability or responsibility for any loss or damage to the owner of the equipment, any third party, or any equipment which may result from the use of this manual or the equipment which it describes. The information provided in this document may be modified at any time without prior warning. Specifications and appearance may differ from those listed and illustrated.

Copyright and Legal Notices
Novation is a registered trademark of Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited. Launchkey MK3 is a trademark of Focusrite Audio Engineering Plc.
2019 © Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited. All rights reserved.

Novation
Tel: +44 1494 462246
Fax: +44 1494 459920
A division of Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd.
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United Kingdom

User Guide version V1.02

Introduction

Launchkey [MK3] is Novation’s intuitive and fully integrated MIDI keyboard controller for making tracks in Ableton Live, designed to give you everything you need to create and play your music. Made for creators of all abilities, Launchkey gives you inspirational tools to expand your musical vocabulary.
Launchkey gives you unrivaled access to Ableton Live’s functions, including Capture MIDI, track arm, quantize, click and loop controls. Not using Ableton Live? No problem, Launchkey also has full integration with Logic and Reason, plus out-of-the-box functionality with other DAWs including Studio One, Cubase, and Pro Tools, via HUI.
Inspirational features include Scale and Chord Modes and a powerful arpeggiator, which together extend your musical capabilities and let you create in new ways. Scale Mode transposes keys and pads played to notes in the scale selected; chord modes let you trigger complex chords with one finger, while the powerful arpeggiator gets melodies moving.
Launchkey also works standalone; the full-size five-pin MIDI output works with any MIDI-compatible device. Use Novation Components to update firmware and configure Custom Modes. We recommend updating the firmware right away so your Launchkey is up to date and fully featured.

Key Features

• Designed for Ableton Live: immediate access to all the controls you need.
• Additional DAW support: Full integration with Logic and Reason, out-of-the-box functionality with Studio One, Cubase, Pro Tools, and more via HUI.
• Produce and perform: 25, 37, 49, or 61-note velocity-sensitive keyboard and 16 velocity-sensitive RGB backlit pads
• Shape your sound: tweak instruments and effects to perfection using eight rotary encoders – and 9 faders (Launchkey 49 and 61 only)
• Automatically map scales to the keys: never hit a wrong note
• Get creative: three-chord modes allow you to trigger chords with one finger, the powerful arpeggiator gets melodies moving
• Transport and mixer control: directly operate playback, recording, pans, mutes, and sends
• Connect to your hardware: 5-pin MIDI Out works with any MIDI-compatible device
• Control anything MIDI: create custom mappings for any performance or studio rig using Novation Components
• Make music immediately: Ableton Live Lite, virtual instruments, and effects plugins, and sample packs included

Box Contents

• Launchkey 25, 37, 49 or 61
• USB Type-A to B cable (1.5 meters)
•  Safety Instructions

Getting Started

The ‘Easy Start Tool’ provides a step-by-step guide to setting up your Launchkey. This simple online tool will guide you through the process of registering the device and accessing the software bundle.
When connecting Launchkey to your computer, it will appear as a Mass Storage Device (MSD), just like a USB drive. Open the drive and then open ‘Click Here to Get Started. rule. This will open the EasyStart Tool in your web browser.

Support

For additional information and support visit the Novation Help Centre.

Model Specific Features

There are 25, 37, 49, and 61 key versions of Launchkey. The differences between the devices are outlined below and model-specific features are noted throughout this guide.

Hardware Overview

Getting Connected

Connecting Launchkey with a Compute

Your Launchkey is USB bus-powered, meaning it turns on as soon as you connect it to your computer with a USB cable. When connecting Launchkey for the first time, visit Components to make sure you have the latest firmware. This will make sure you have all the latest features enabled.
Note: When connecting Launchkey to a Mac you may be shown the Keyboard Setup Assistant. This is because Launchkey also functions as a computer keyboard device in order to enable the Navigate functionality. The Keyboard Setup Assistant can simply be dismissed.

Connecting Launchkey with External MIDI Enabled Instruments

If you want to use the 5-pin DIN socket for MIDI output on your Launchkey without a computer, you can power the unit with a standard USB power supply (5V DC, minimum 500mA).

Working with Ableton Live

Your Launchkey is designed to work seamlessly with Ableton Live, offering deep integration through powerful production and performance controls right out of the box. In addition, you can modify your Launchkey to suit your needs with Custom Modes. Launchkey’s functionality with Ableton Live is detailed below

Installation

If you already own Ableton Live 10 then all you need to do is open the program and plug in your Launchkey. If you don’t yet own Ableton Live 10, register your Launchkey at novationmusic.com/
register to download and install your included copy of Ableton Live 10 Lite. If you have never used Ableton Live before, we recommend visiting our Easy Start Tool (see ‘Getting Started’). There you’ll find videos covering installation, the software’s basic features, and how to get started making music with your Launchkey.

Setup

With Ableton Live installed, plug your Launchkey into your Mac or PC’s USB port. When you open Live your Launchkey will be automatically detected and enter Session Mode.
If you press Shift on your Launchkey your pad lights should look like the image below. The top row of pads (blue) select behavior or “Mode” of the Pots above, while the lower row of pads (green) select the behavior or mode of the pads. If a pad is red then that mode is assigned to the faders (49 & 61 key models only).

If your pads do not resemble the image above you’ll need to configure Live’s Control Surface Preferences. To do this, find the ‘Link/MIDI’ Preferences menu in Ableton Live:

Windows: Options > Preferences > Link/MIDI
Mac: Live > Preferences > Link/MIDI

In the Link/MIDI tab you’ll need to copy the settings shown above. First, select your Launchkey MK3 from the Control Surface menu. Then, under Input select “Launchkey MK3 […] (LKMK3 DAW OUT)” or Launchkey MK3 MIDI IN2 (Windows) for output select “Launchkey MK3 […] (LKMK3 DAW IN)”. Finally, match the Track, Sync, and Remote settings.
If you’re having trouble getting your Launchkey working with Ableton Live, be sure to visit our Easy Start Tool for video explanations.

Session Mode

Session mode is designed to control Ableton Live’s Session View. To access Session mode on your Launchkey hold Shift and press the “Session” pad (bottom left pad). The Session pad should brighten like this:

Session View is a grid that consists of clips , tracks, and scenes (shown below).

Launchkey’s Session mode provides an 8×2 grid of the clips in your Session View. Example of Launchkey’s pads in Session mode:

Clips are typically loops that contain MIDI notes or audio.

Tracks represent virtual instruments or audio tracks. MIDI clips placed on instrument tracks will playback on the instrument that is assigned to that track.

Scenes are rows of clips. Launching a scene will launch all clips in that row. This means that you can arrange clips into horizontal groups (across tracks) to form a song structure, launching scene after scene to progress through a song.

Again, access Session mode on your Launchkey by holding Shift and pressing the Session pad (the bottom left pad).
In Session Mode, the pads represent the grid of clips found inside the colored rectangle in Ableton Live’s Session View. The image below shows such a rectangle (orange) extending from the left-most track to the Master track:

Any changes you make to clip position or color within Ableton Live will be represented in the Session mode of Launchkey. Unlit pads indicate empty clip slots.

You can navigate around Session View by pressing the ▲▼and the track ◄ ► buttons.

More specifically, you can move the currently selected grid of clips (inside Ableton Live’s colored rectangle) up or down. The ▲ button moves the grid of clips up one row. The ▼ button moves the grid of clips down one row.
The track ◄ ► buttons will select the adjacent left or right track. This will automatically arm the track so that it is ready to receive MIDI.

Launching Clips

Pressing pads will launch clips in the corresponding location in your Session View. Pads will pulse green to indicate that a clip is playing. Pressing the pad again will relaunch the clip, and pressing an empty pad will stop playback on that track.
How fast clips stop or relaunch is set by Ableton Live’s Global Quantization Menu, located at the top of the Live screen. By default, this is set to 1 bar, but can go as fast as 1/32 notes, or as slow as 8 bars. It can also be set to ‘None’ so clips react immediately.

Launching Scenes

Pressing the Scene Launch button (>) launches scenes in Ableton Live. This means that all of the clips in the top row of the pad grid will start together.

Stop, Solo, Mute

While in Session mode, it is possible to switch the functionality of the bottom 8 pads so that they no longer launch clips. This is done with the Stop, Solo, Mute button.
The Stop, Solo, Mute button toggles between four different states which affect tracks in the following ways:
Stop (Red) – In this state, pressing a pad in the bottom row will stop any clip on the corresponding track. The red pads will glow dimly if tracks are not playing.

Solo (Blue) – Pressing the pads will solo the corresponding tracks, meaning only tracks with Solo on will be heard. The pads dimly glow if tracks are not soloed (i.e. they are silent). Soloed tracks glow a steady bright blue.

Mute (Yellow) – Pressing pads will Mute the corresponding tracks. The pads will dimly glow for muted tracks, leaving pads for unmuted tracks at their original brightness and color.

Clips (Multi) – the fourth press (after toggling through Stop, Solo, and Mute) changes the function of bottom pads back to the default Session mode, where the bottom row of pads will again represent clips.

Record

Pressing this button triggers Session Record while in Session Mode. This will allow you to record what you’re playing to new clips as well as overdub existing clips.

Capture MIDI

Pressing this button triggers the Capture MIDI function. This allows you to retrospectively capture any recently played MIDI notes in the record-armed track. This means that if you are not recording, but you play something that sounds great, you can use Capture MIDI to send it straight into a clip.

Quantise

This button will quantize MIDI notes in the currently active clip on the currently selected track. This snaps the MIDI notes to the grid, helping to keep them in time with the beat.

Click

Turns Ableton’s metronome on/off.

Undo

Triggers the undo function.

Arm/ Select (61 & 49 Key Models Only)

The “Arm/ Select” button (highlighted in red below) is used to set the functionality of the 8 “Fader Buttons’” (highlighted below in blue) to either arm tracks, enabling recording; or to select a track.
While set to Arm the buttons light up red when a track is armed for recording and dim red when not.
Unlit buttons show that no track is associated with the fader.

When set to Select the color of the buttons will match the tracks in Live. Pushing a Fader Button (highlighted blue) will select that track.

Drum Mode – Playing and Recording Drums

To enter Drum Mode hold the Shift button and press the Drum pad (2nd from the bottom left).
Drum mode transforms your Launchkey’s pads into velocity-sensitive drum pads.

If a Drum Rack is loaded onto the selected Live track, and your Launchkey is in Drum mode, the pads light up the color of the track. When played the pads will light up green. These pads will play whatever Drum Rack pads are visible on your computer screen. Pressing the ▲▼ buttons scrolls up/ down through a Drum Rack’s bank of 128 pads, each press moves up or down the rack in banks of 16.

When using Ableton’s Drum Racks, Drum mode will – apart from triggering sounds – select the associated Drum Rack pad within a Drum Rack. This means that on release, the last played Drum Rack pad lights up white and Ableton Live shows the selected Drum Rack pad on the screen.

Using Ableton Live’s Mixer

The 8 Pots and 8 Faders (49 & 61 key models only) provide hands-on control over Ableton Live’s mixer. This allows you to control the Volume, Pan, Send A and Send B levels of the tracks in your project.

Pots

The 8 pots (knobs) can provide hands-on, rotary control over Ableton Live’s mixer components. To prevent any sudden jumps in control when you start turning the pots we have implemented a “Pot Pickup” function, this means that the pots will only start controlling the parameter once it has been moved to the position it states within Live. For example, if a parameter is set to 0 in Live you will need to turn the pot all the way to the leftmost limit for it to be picked up (this can be turned off in Live’s preferences). When your Launchkey is connected to Live, the pots will automatically enter Device Mode, to assign the pots to Live’s Mixer (Volume, Pan, Sends) hold the Shift button, and press the labeled pads in the upper row.

Volume – This mode allows you to control Track Volumes using the pots. To select this mode, hold the Shift button and press the Volume pad

Pan Mode – This Mode allows you to control Track Pan values using the pots. To select this mode, hold the Shift button and press the Pan pad.

Sends Mode – This Mode allows you to control Track Sends values using the pots. To select this mode, hold the Shift button and press the Sends pad. On the first press, the pots will be assigned to Send A, on the second press they will be assigned to Send B.

Note: a mode cannot be assigned to both the pots and the faders at the same time. If a mode is already mapped to the Faders, then the respective pad will appear red while Shift is held, pressing a pad whilst in this state will not assign the Pots to that mode.

Faders (49 & 61 Key Models Only)

The 9 faders provide hands-on, linear control over a range of Ableton Live’s mixer parameters. To select one of these modes hold the Shift button (highlighted in red below) and press the respective Fader button (highlighted in blue below). When your Launchkey is connected to Live, the faders will default to Volume Mode. In this mode, the first 8 faders control Ableton Track Volumes. The 9th Fader always controls the Master Volume no matter what mode is selected. The faders can also be set to control the Send A, Send B levels.

Note: a Mode cannot be assigned to both the pots and the faders at the same time. If a mode is already mapped to the pots, then the respective Fader button will appear red while Shift is held, pressing a Fader button whilst in this state will not assign the faders to that mode.

Device Mode – Navigating and Controlling Devices

Device mode allows you to control an Ableton “Device” (Ableton or 3rd-party instruments and effects) on a Live track. When your Launchkey is connected to Live, the pots will automatically sync to the first device within the current Live track. Control over devices can also be assigned to the Faders (49 & 61 key models only), to do this first ensure that the pots are not already assigned to Device mode (a mode cannot be assigned to both pots and faders at the same time) then hold the Shift button and press the 1st Fader button. To re-assign control over devices to the Pots hold the Shift button and press the first pad in the top row.

If the Track contains an Effect or Instrument Rack then the assigned faders or pots will sync to the first rack’s 8 Macro Controls. The image below shows an Instrument Rack preset called ‘Percussion 1’.
In this example, your Launchkey’s 8 pots control a variety of important parameters including sample volumes, stretch and start times as well as the Dry/Wet values of Delay and Reverb effects.

If the Track does not contain a Rack then Device Mode will sync to a selection of 8 curated parameters of the first device. To navigate between devices on a track containing multiple see ‘Device Select/ Lock’.

Device Select

The “Device Select” button allows you to navigate through devices on a track. Press and hold this button to access this function. The drum pads and ▲▼ arrow buttons will light up purple.

The▲▼ arrow buttons can be used to navigate through the devices. The ▲ button going left and ▼ the button moving to the right. The pads allow you to choose which page of controls the area is controlling. The screen displays which device is selected and the parameter being controlled.

Device Lock

The “Device Lock” button keeps the currently selected device and controls bank locked to the controls even if you change the selected track. The button is lit when this feature is active.
To turn device lock-off press the Device Lock button again. Selecting a new device whilst the Device Lock button is on will lock the control to the newly selected device.

Transport Functions

The MIDI Buttons shown below provide key functionality for performing and recording with Ableton Live.

Play – Pressing this button will initiate playback of the track.
Stop – Pressing this button will stop the playback of the track.
Record – Pressing this button triggers Session Record while in Session Mode. This will allow you to record what you’re playing to new clips as well as overdub existing clips.
Loop – Triggers Ableton’s Loop Switch

Standalone Features

Grid

The Grid is made up of 2×8 velocity-sensitive pads. The standalone functions of the pads when Launchkey are detailed below.

Drum Mode

Hold Shift and press the Drum Mode pad (second from bottom left) to enter Drum Mode. Whilst In this mode, the velocity-sensitive pads output MIDI notes from C1 to D#2 and will be lit blue.

Chord Modes

Scale Chord Mode

Scale Chord Mode provides you with banks of predefined chords. To access these banks simply press the Scale Chord pad while holding the Shift button. Each row of pads will now contain a bank of chords. The root key is C minor by default, to change this see Scale Mode.

The first and last pad of each row lights up more brightly than the middle pads to indicate root chord position. To navigate between pages of chords use the ▲▼ navigation buttons. On the first page, the top row of pads is lit blue and contains triads, the bottom row of pads contains 7ths and is lit a darker blue. Pressing the ▼ button will reveal a row of 9ths, with the pads lit up in purple, below this are 6/9ths and the pads will light up in pink.

When a pad is pressed it will light up green and return to its original color when released.
To change the octave of the chords simply hold Shift and press the ▲▼ buttons, these provide access to a range of -3 to +3 octaves.

User Chord Mode

In User Chord Mode up to 6 note chords can be assigned to each pad. These chords will be saved to the Launchkey’s internal memory and accessible between power cycles, meaning that any assignments you make will still be available even after Launchkey is turned off and on again.
To enter User Chord Mode hold the Shift button and press the User Chord pad (bottom row, fourth from the left).

• To assign a chord to a pad simply press and hold the pad and press the notes that you want to assign from the keyboard. Up to 6 notes can be assigned to each pad and can be input with individual pushes of the keys, meaning you do not need to hold down all the notes at once so long as the pad is being held.
  When a chord is assigned the pad will light up blue. When the pad is pressed it will play the chord and light up green. If no chord is assigned the pad will not be lit.

To delete a chord assignment from a pad simply hold the stop/solo/mute button, the pads with assigned chords will turn red, pressing a red pad will delete the assigned chord, once deleted the pad will no longer be lit.

The ▲▼ buttons can be used to transpose the chord bank in semitones between -12 and +12, any changes will be displayed on the screen.

Fixed Chord

Fixed Chord lets you play a chord shape and then transpose it by pressing other keys.
To set a chord press and hold the Fixed Chord button. Then, while still holding the button, press and release the keys that you wish to be part of your chord. The chord is now stored.

Keep in mind that the first note that you input into the chord is considered the ‘root note’ of the chord, even if you then add notes lower than the first one, like in the example below, illustrating how to use the feature:

Press and hold the Fixed Chord button, then press and release C, then E, and finally G (a C Major chord). The unit stores this as the ‘fixed chord’. Release the Fixed Chord button.
Major chords will now sound on whatever key you press. For example, you can now press F to hear an F Major chord (shown below), or Ab to hear an Ab Major chord, etc.

Scale Mode

Scale mode allows you to set the entire keyboard to only play notes in a scale that you select. This allows you to play the keyboard without ever hitting a wrong note! Press the “Scale” button to activate this mode, the button will be lit indicating that the mode is active. The screen will display a message to indicate the currently active scale (C minor by default).

To change the scale you will need to access the scale settings, do this by holding the Shift button and pressing the Scale button. The Scale button will be flashing at this point to indicate that you are in scale settings. To change the root note simply press the corresponding key (note all the black keys will be represented as sharps #). Changing the scale type is done using the pads when in the scale setting they will look like this:

The bottom row of pads will be lit and can be used to select a scale, the selected scale is then shown on the screen. From left to right the pads can be used to select the following scales: Minor, Major, Dorian, Mixolydian, Phrygian, Harmonic Minor, Minor Pentatonic, and Major Pentatonic.
To exit the scales setting mode press the scale button or any of the function buttons. The settings mode will also time out after 10 seconds of inactivity, with the keyboard returning to its previous state.

Custom Modes

The Launchkey knobs, pads, and faders (49 and 61 key models only) can be configured to send custom messages using Novation Components. These custom message configurations are referred to as Custom Modes. To access the custom modes press Shift and the Custom Mode Pads/Fader buttons.
Note that in standalone operation, Device, Volume, Pan, Sends, and Session modes are not available.

To access Components, visit components.novationmusic.com using a WebMIDI- enabled browser (we recommend Google Chrome or Opera). Alternatively, download the standalone version of Components from your Novation Account page.

Pads

Launchkey has 4 pad  Custom Modes. To access these Custom Modes just hold Shift and then press any of the four Pad Mode Custom buttons. Pads can be configured to send MIDI notes, Program Changes messages, and CC messages using Components.
Your Launchkey comes with 4 default custom pad modes that demonstrate the possibilities of this feature. From left to right the default pad modes offer the following functionality:
Minor Scale: Each pad is a note in the C minor scale across 2 octaves.
Alt Drums: An alternative to the Drum Mode layout of notes for drum playing.
CC switches A section of CC switches for MIDI mapping with a row of momentary and a row of the toggle.
Programs 0-15: First 16 programs changes for selecting your presets.

Pots

Launchkey has 4 pot Custom Modes. To access these Custom Modes just hold Shift and then press any of the four Pot Mode Custom buttons. Pots can be configured with custom CC numbers using Components.

Faders (49 and 61 key models only)

Launchkey has 4 fader Custom Modes. To access these Custom Modes just hold Shift and then press any of the 4 Fader Mode Custom buttons. Faders can be allocated custom CC numbers using Components.

Arpeggiator

Pressing the Arp button on the left of Launchkey enables the Arpeggiator which takes your chords and creates an arpeggio – i.e. it plays each note of the chord one after another. The Arpeggiator will run as long as keys are held, at the rhythmic value specified by the Arp Rate.

Launchkey’s Arp is a great way to come up with interesting melodies and progressions with ease.

Arpeggiator Rotary Pots

When you hold the Shift button the rotary pots can transform your arpeggios.

Tempo – This knob speeds up or slows down your arpeggio relative to the Arp Rate. When Launchkey is used as a standalone controller, this knob ranges from 60 BPM to 187 BPM. However, when synced with Ableton Live, this knob will have no effect.
Swing – This knob sets the amount that every other note is delayed, resulting in a swung rhythm.
To change the Arpeggiator’s Swing, press and hold the Arp button, and then turn the knob labeled Swing. By default (center position), swing will be set to 0% (meaning no swing), with extremes of 80% (very swung) and -80% (negative swing). A negative swing means every other note is rushed, instead of delayed.
Gate – Adjusting this knob will create longer or shorter MIDI notes, resulting in either a more ‘staccato’ arpeggio, or a more fluid, ‘legato’ one. This knob goes from 0% to 200% of the space between notes. For notes that have swing applied, both notes retain the same gate length.
Mutate – After you select Mutate as the Arp Mode, hold the Shift button and turn this knob to add variation to your arpeggio. A new ‘mutation’ occurs with each turn of the knob. When you stop turning the knob notes are set and will repeat indefinitely.
Deviate – After selecting Deviate as your Arp Rhythm, turn this knob to make rhythmic variations. With every turn of this knob, you’ll create a different pattern of rests.
Note : the pots will also control arp functions with Arp Control Lock active.

Arp Modes

After turning on the Arp you’ll be in 1 of 7 Arpeggiator types, each resulting in arpeggios of different note orders. To change the Arp Type, press and hold the Shift button, and then press the key corresponding to your desired mode.

Up – Here notes are played in ascending order (i.e. rising in pitch). If notes are added, the number of notes in the sequence will grow but remain in ascending order. For example, you may start by holding down the first note – E3 – then quickly add two more notes – C3 and G3. The resulting arpeggio will be C3, E3, and G3.
Down – This Mode is similar to Up Mode, but notes play in descending order (e.g. G3, E3, C3).
U p/Down – This arpeggio Mode starts by playing notes in ascending order. Then, after reaching the highest note, the notes descend towards the lowest note, which plays once before the arpeggio rises again and stops before reaching the lowest note. This means that when the pattern repeats, the lowest note only plays once.
Played – Here notes are kept repeated in whatever order they were played.
Random – In this Mode, the order of the chord notes is randomized indefinitely.
Chord – All notes are played back on every rhythmic step (see Arp Rate). This makes playing fast chords very easy.
Mutate – This mode creates its own notes and adds them to the arpeggio by turning the knob under the label ‘Mutation’. Just turn this knob to alter your arpeggio in unexpected ways. The pot itself goes from ‘gentle’ (left) to ‘crazy’ (right) – i.e. 25% left will add subtle variation to your arpeggio, while 99% right will give you very unexpected results. When you’re happy with what you hear, stop turning the knob. The notes are then set and will repeat indefinitely.

Arp Rates

These options specify the speed of the arpeggiated notes. Since each note is played immediately after the end of the previous one, a shorter rate (eg. 1/32) will play an arpeggio faster than a longer one (e.g. 1/4).
Rate options are common musical note values: quarter (1⁄4), eighth (1/8), sixteenth (1/16), and thirty-second (1/32) notes.
To change the Arp Rate, press and hold the Arp button, and then press the key below 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, or 1/32.
Additionally, you can toggle triplet rhythms on/off for each of the above musical values by pressing the key below ‘Triplet’. This turns your arpeggio notes into the quarter, eighth, sixteenth, and thirty-second note triplets.

Arp Octaves

These 4 keys specify how many octaves your arpeggio will repeat. To change, press and hold the Arp button, and then press the key below 1, 2, 3, or 4. Choosing an octave higher than 1 will repeat the arpeggio at higher octaves. For example, an arpeggio that was C3, E3, and G3 at 1 octave will become C3, E3, G3, C4, E4, and G4 when set to 2 octaves.

Arp Rhythms

Arp Rhythms add musical rests (silent steps) to your arpeggio’s pattern, allowing for greater variations in your arpeggios. Hold Arp then press one of the following keys:
Dots – These three options are rhythmic patterns.

• O – The normal Arpeggiator setting, places a note on every division of the selected Arp rate.
• OXO (note – rest – note) – This rhythm adds a rest between every pair of notes.
• OXXO (note – rest – rest – note) – This pattern adds two rests between every pair of notes.
  Random – This option creates random rests for random lengths. Each step has a 50% chance of being either a note or a rest. In the case that it is a rest, the note is shifted to the next step and is not skipped.
  Deviate – This is the most unique Arp Rhythm, and makes many variations of notes. It uses the Deviate rotary knob, where every turn creates a different rest pattern.

Latch

Latch lets you use the Arpeggiator without holding down keys. Any notes you press and release concurrently will form a new arpeggio pattern which the arpeggiator ‘latches’ onto. The arpeggiator then continues to play as if you never released the keys. When you press a new key, the previous arpeggio erases, and a new one forms.
To turn on Latch, press and hold the Shift button, and then press the Arp button.

Arp Control Lock

Long pressing the Arp button turns on Arp Control Lock and you will be notified on the screen. When Arp Control Lock mode is on, the Arp controls on the pots and pads are accessible directly without requiring a Shift press. This is useful for when you want to jam with the arp using only one hand. The Arp button LED will pulse while Arp Control Lock is turned on. Press the Arp button again to turn off Arp Control Lock.

Note: The symbols pictured below are reserved for functionality coming to the Launchkey in the future. Keep an eye out for an upcoming Firmware update that will unlock this functionality.

Octave Buttons

Pressing the Octave buttons will increment and decrement the keyboard octave by 1. The available octaves range from C-2 to C8. Shift pressing the Octave buttons will transpose the keyboard up or down by 1 semitone.

To reset the keyboard octave to 0 press the Octave +/- buttons at the same time. To reset the keyboard transposition to 0 Shift press the Octave +/- buttons at the same time.

Settings

Pressing the Settings button brings up the settings menu on the screen. You can scroll through the list of settings using the scene ▲▼ buttons. To adjust the values of the settings, either use the pads or the track ◄ ► buttons. The available settings are shown below.

*Vegas Mode is the light show that is shown on the pads and fader buttons after a period of inactivity.

Pot Pickup

Pot Pickup can be turned on from the settings menu. When Pot Pickup is turned on your Launchkey will save the states of the various pages for the Pots and Faders. The control will only output MIDI when the control has been moved to the position of the saved state. This is to prevent any sudden jumps in the control value.
When the control is being moved and not picked up the screen will display the saved value until it has been moved to the pickup point.

Navigation Mode – ([…] Button)

Pressing the “…” button will put the Launchkey into a navigation mode useful for browsing samples and presets. You will see the pads light up as illustrated below. The 4 blue pads form a left, right, up, and down keypad which replicates the cursor control keys on your computer keyboard. The green pad replicates the enter key on your computer keyboard. The pads can be used to browse and select presets and samples in your DAW or a software plugin as well as any other function of a keyboard’s cursor keys and enter button.

Working with Other DAWs

Launchkey can act as a general-purpose MIDI controller for Logic, Reason as well as a range of other DAWs using HUI (human user interface). In addition to the Note On/Note Off messages sent from the keys, each of the pots, faders, and pads transmit a MIDI message that can be customized using Novation Components. This allows you to configure your device to use these messages as you wish.

Logic

Your Launchkey can serve as a controller for many tasks in Apple Logic Pro X. The behavior described in the Standalone Features section remains the same in Logic Pro X. In addition, you can modify your Launchkey to suit your needs with Custom Modes. There is also some functionality of the Launchkey that is dedicated to Logic Pro, this is detailed below.

Setup

To set up Launchkey for use with Logic Pro you will need to download the necessary drivers, to do this follow the following steps:

• Follow the link to the Novation Customer Portal on novationmusic.com
• Register Launchkey [MK3]
• Go to My Hardware > Launchkey [MK3] > Drivers

• Download and run the Logic Script Installer

With Logic Pro and the script installed, plug your Launchkey into your Mac or PC’s USB port. When you open Logic your Launchkey should be automatically detected. Now if you hold the Shift button on the Launchkey the pads should look similar to this:

If this does not happen you will need to manually choose your Launchkey as a ‘Control Surface’ via the following path: Logic Pro X > Control Surfaces > Setup. Once in the Setup window, choose ‘Install’ from the ‘New’ menu. This, in turn, will open the ‘Install’ window. Scroll to the Novation Launchkey and click ‘Add’.

Session Mode

Session mode is accessed by pressing the Session Mode pad while holding the Shift key as shown below. This mode allows you to enable record or mute and solo Logic tracks.

Record/ Mute mode – the top row of pads toggles the record arm on the relevant track and will be lit red, the bottom row toggles the track mute and will be lit yellow. The tracks represented by the pads include any sends tracks, the top row of pads will not be lit for sends (buses).

Pressing a red pad will arm that track for recording and it will glow a brighter red. When a track is muted the corresponding pad will become brighter.
Record/ Solo mode – As above, the top row of pads toggles the record arm on the relevant track, the bottom row of pads will be lit blue and toggles the track solo. When soloed the pad will become a brighter blue.

The two modes above are toggled by pressing the Stop/Solo/Mute button. Please note that when using Launchkey with Logic Pro the Stop/Solo/Mute button will only toggle between Solo and Mute modes, there is no Stop mode. Stopping the track is done with the Stop transport button.

Pots (Knobs)

Device Mode – Links the pots to the parameters, or “smart controls” of the device on the selected track. For instrument tracks, this is the parameter array of the instrument. To assign the pots to Device Mode press the Device Pad (upper left) with the Shift button held. Now, when any knob is moved, the changed device parameter and its current value is displayed on the screen for a moment. The image below shows a track containing a ‘Classic Electric Piano’. In this example, your Launchkey’s 8 pots control a variety of important parameters including Bell Volume, Treble, Drive, etc.

Volume Mode – Links the pots to the volume control of a project’s tracks, including send tracks (buses). When any pot is moved, the changed parameter and its current value is displayed on the screen.
Pan Mode – Links pots to control the pans for the relevant tracks, including send (buses). When any pot is moved, the changed parameter and its current value is displayed on the screen.
Sends Mode – Links the pots to control the sends. When any pot is moved, the changed parameter and its current value are displayed on the screen.
Note (49 & 61 key models only): a mode cannot be assigned to both the pots and the faders at the same time. If a mode is already mapped to the pots, then the respective Fader Button will appear red while Shift is held, pressing a Fader Button whilst in this state will not assign the faders to that mode.

Faders (49 & 61 Key Models Only)

Device Mode – Links the faders to the parameters, or “smart controls” of the device on the selected track (see navigation). For instrument tracks, this is the parameter array of the instrument. To assign the faders to Device Mode press the Device Fader button (leftmost) with the Shift button held. Now, when any fader is moved, the changed device parameter and its current value is displayed on the screen.

Volume Mode – Links the faders to the volume control of a project’s tracks, including sends (Bus tracks). When any fader is moved, the changed parameter and its current value are displayed on the
screen.
Sends Modes – Links the faders to control the sends. When any fader is moved, the changed parameter and its current value are displayed on the screen.
Note: a mode cannot be assigned to both the pots and the faders at the same time. If a mode is already mapped to the pots, then the respective Fader Button will appear red while Shift is held, pressing a Fader Button whilst in this state will not assign the faders to that mode.

Arm/ Select (61 & 49 Key Models Only)

The ‘Arm/ Select’ button is used to set the functionality of the 8 ‘Track Buttons’ to either arm tracks, enabling recording; or to select a track. While set to Arm the buttons light up red when a track is armed for recording and dim red when not. Unlit buttons show that no track is associated with the fader.
When set to Select the buttons will be lit white, with selected tracks being bright and unselected tracks dim. Pushing a fader button will select that track.

Transport Functions

The MIDI Buttons shown below provide key functionality for performing and recording with Logic Pro.

• Capture Midi – pressing this will trigger the “Capture as Recording” function in Logic
• Click – toggles the metronome click
• Undo – pressing this will trigger the undo function
• Record – pressing this will trigger the record function
• Play & Stop – these buttons control the playback of the track.
• Loop – toggles the transport loop (“Cycle Mode”)

Navigation

The ◄ and ►track buttons allow you to navigate between which track is currently selected. When in Session Mode the pad for the currently selected track will be lit a brighter red than the non-selected tracks and you will notice the smart controls will change with the selected track when in Device Mode

Reason

Your Launchkey can serve as a controller for many tasks in Propellerhead Reason. The behavior described in the Standalone Features section remains the same in Reason. In addition, you can modify your Launchkey to suit your needs with Custom Modes. There is also some functionality of the Launchkey that is dedicated to Reason, this is detailed below.

Setup

To set up Launchkey for use with Reason you will need to download the necessary script, to do this follow the following steps:

• Follow the link to the Novation Customer Portal on novationmusic.com
• Register Launchkey [MK3]
• Go to My Hardware > Launchkey [MK3] > Drivers and Download and run the Reason Script Installer

With Reason and the script installed, plug your Launchkey into your Mac or PC’s USB port. Launchkey should be automatically detected and the Keyboards and Control Surfaces window should appear, if it does not you can open it by going to Reason > Preferences > Control surfaces. Make sure “Use with Reason” is checked for the Novation Launchkey MK3 device. Close the window. Now if you hold the Shift button on the Launchkey the pads should look like this:

Transport Control

• Quantise – Toggles quantize On/Off, quantizing incoming MIDI
• Click – toggles the metronome click
• Undo – pressing this will trigger the undo function
• Play & Stop – pressing these buttons will initiate playback of the track
• Record – pressing this will trigger the record function
• Loop – toggles the transport loop (“cycle mode”)

Rotary Knobs

With a Reason instrument selected, the Launchkey’s 8 knobs automatically control useful parameters.
Of course, which parameters the knobs control varies by instrument. With the Kong Drum Designer, for example, the Launchkey’s knobs (from left to right) map to Pitch, Decay, Bus FX, Aux 1, Aux 2, Tone, Pan and Level.

Pads Session Mode

With a Reason instrument selected and the pads set to Session Mode (hold Shift and press the Session pad), the Launchkey’s 16 pads automatically control useful device settings. For the Grain Sample Manipulator, for example, the pads (from left to right) map to Effects On, Phaser On, Distortion On, EQ On, Delay On, Reverb On, Compression On, Key Mode setting (toggles between Poly, Retrig, Legato), Porta (toggles between Off, On and Auto), Motion, Grain Type Select, Oscillator On/ Off,
Sample to Filter and Osc to Filter.

Navigation

The ◄ and ► arrow buttons allow you to navigate between tracks, pressing the ◄ button will select the track above and the ► button will select the track below the current. Doing so will also automatically arm the newly-selected Reason track.

Preset Browsing

Press the ▲ and ▼ buttons to scroll through presets on Reason instruments.

4Working with HUI (Pro Tools, Cubase, Studio One, etc.)

‘HUI’ (Human User Interface Protocol) allows the Launchkey to act like a Mackie HUI device and therefore work with DAWs that provide HUI support. DAWs that support HUI includes Steinberg Cubase, Avid Pro Tools, PreSonus Studio One among others. The behavior described in the Standalone Features sections remains applicable for HUI-supported DAWs. The following pages will describe the functionality when Launchkey acts as a control surface via HUI.

Setup

Pro Tools
To set up Launchkey in Pro Tools, navigate to ‘Setup’ > ‘Peripherals’. From there select the ‘MIDI controllers’ tab, set ‘Type’ to HUI, ‘Receive From’ to ‘Launchkey MK3 (#) LKMK3 DAW Out’, ‘Send To’ to ‘Launchkey MK3 (#) LKMK3 DAW In’, and ‘# Ch’s’ to 8.

Cubase
To set up the Launchkey in Cubase, navigate to ‘Studio’ > ‘Studio Setup’. Next, find the ‘Remote’ option and select ‘Mackie HUI’. Choose ‘Launchkey MK3 (#) LKMK3 DAW Out’ for MIDI Input and ‘Launchkey MK3 (#) LKMK3 DAW In’ for MIDI Output. Finally, hit ‘Apply’ to start using the controller with Cubase.

Studio One
To set up the Launchkey in Studio one, navigate to ‘Preferences’ > ‘External Devices’ and click ‘Add..’.
Then, choose ‘Mackie HUI’ from the list, set ‘Receive From’ to ‘Launchkey MK3 (#) LKMK3 DAW Out’ and ‘Send To’ to ‘Launchkey MK3 (#) LKMK3 DAW In’.

Pad Session Mode

To enter Session Mode, hold Shift and press the Session pad (bottom left), the Launchkey’s 16 pads can now be used to mute and solo tracks. The upper row will be lit blue and the bottom row will be lit yellow. The pads will be lit dimly if solo or mute is not active and brightly when active.

Navigation

The◄ and ► track buttons move between selected tracks. To bank through 8 tracks at a time hold the Shift button and press the ◄ or ► track button.

Controlling the Mixer

The pots and faders (49 &61 key models only) can provide mixer control over the bank of tracks.
Hold Shift, then press either the Volume, Pan, or Sends pan or Fader buttons to control track volume, panning, and Send A/B with your Launchkey’s 8 pots or faders. Pressing the Sends pad (with shift held) multiple times toggles between Send A and B.

Faders and Fader Buttons (49 & 61 Key Models Only)

The faders always control track volumes for the selected bank of tracks.
The Arm/Select button toggles between arming tracks (default) and selecting tracks. When in select mode the Fader buttons are lit dim white and in arm mode red. When a track is selected and active the Fader button will be lit brightly.

Transport Buttons

The transport buttons listed below will function as described when used with HUI.
Play – Pressing this button will initiate playback of the track.
Stop – Pressing this button will stop the playback of the track.
Undo – pressing this will trigger the undo function Rec – pressing this will trigger the record arm function Loop – toggles the transport loop (“cycle mode”)

Custom Modes and Components

Custom modes allow you to create unique MIDI templates for each control area. These templates can be created and sent to the Launchkey from Novation Components.

References

• Novation | Grid Controllers, Grooveboxes, Synths and Keys
• Home | Novation
• Novation | Grid Controllers, Grooveboxes, Synths and Keys

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