novation LAUNCHKEY Mini User Guide

Novation
A division of Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd.
Windsor House, Turnpike Road, Cressex Business Park, High Wycombe, Bucks, HP12 3FX.
United Kingdom
Tel: +44 1494 462246
Fax: +44 1494 459920
e-mail: sales@novationmusic.com
Web: http://www.novationmusic.com

Trademarks
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,  Launchkey Mini, and InControl have registered trademarks of Focusrite Audio  Engineering Limited.
2015 © Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited. All rights reserved.

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for purchasing this Novation Launchkey Mini MIDI controller keyboard. As well as the music keyboard itself, Launchkey Mini is equipped with a range of controllers to allow the modern musician to create great music in the studio, in live performance, or on the move. The keyboard allows you to control your existing Digital Audio Workstation (DAW) software, and also the included V-Station and Bass Station software plug-ins. Together, this unique software-hardware combination allows instant, real-time tweaking of synth parameters, loops, and audio effects.
This guide will introduce you to Launchkey Mini and explain the various ways you can use it with your music software in your recording setup.
Launchkey Mini includes Novation’s InControl mode, which gives you a simple yet powerful way of controlling all your favorite music software applications.
With Launchkey Mini you have two ways of working:
• InControl – automatically maps Launchkey Mini’s rotary controls onto your essential DAW parameters, such as channel faders or pan.
• Basic Mapping mode – use Launchkey Mini as a conventional MIDI controller, where each control transmits a dedicated MIDI CC (Continuous Controller) message, while the launch pads and keys transmit MIDI Note data.
This user guide is applicable to both the original and MK2 versions of Launchkey Mini. The original Launchkey Mini can be identified by being grey with an orange base, while the MK2 version is black with a green base.
For additional information, up to date support articles, and a form to contact our Technical Support Team, please visit the Novation Answerbase at: www.novationmusic.com/answerbase 

Key Features

• 25-note synth-action mini-key keyboard
• 8 rotary controls
• 16 performance launch pads with multi-color backlighting
• 2 round multi-function buttons with multi-color backlighting
• Octave buttons
• Track control buttons – change DAW tracks remotely
• Integrated with InControl for seamless control of your DAW
• Very simple installation procedure – class compliant, no driver required

About This Manual
We’ve tried to make this manual as helpful as possible for all types of users, both newcomers to computer music and those more experienced, and this inevitably means some users will want to skip over certain parts of it, while relative novices will want to avoid certain parts of it until they’re confident they’ve mastered the basics.
However, there are a few general points that are useful to know about before you continue reading this manual. We’ve adopted some graphical conventions within the text, which we hope all types of users will find helpful in navigating through the information to find what they need to know quickly:
Abbreviations, conventions, etc.
Where top-panel controls or side panel connectors are referred to, we’ve used a number thus: [6] to cross-reference to the diagram. (See page 7.)
We’ve used CAPS to name physical things like top panel controls and rear panel connectors, and also on-screen buttons which you need to click, and bold Courier font to denote text which you see on the computer screen.

Tips

These do what it says on the tin: we include bits of advice, relevant to the topic being discussed that should simplify setting up Launchkey Mini to do what you want. It’s not mandatory that you follow them, but generally, they should make life easier.

What’s In The Box
Launchkey Mini has been carefully packed in the factory and the packaging was designed to withstand rough handling. Should the unit appear to have been damaged in transit, do not discard any of the packing material and notify your music dealer.

Save all the packing materials for future use in case you ever need to ship the unit again.

Please check the list below against the contents of the packaging. If any items are missing or damaged, contact the Novation dealer or distributor where you purchased the unit.

• Launchkey Mini MIDI controller keyboard
• Safety Instructions
• USB Type-A to Micro-B cable (1 m)
• Getting Started Guide, including Product/software Registration details, allowing download of:
• Setup instructions for popular DAWs
• Novation V-Station synth plug-in
• Novation Bass Station plug-in
• Loopmaster samples
• Live Lite registration card, with download instructions for Ableton Live Lite music making software

Registering Your Launchkey Mini

It is important to register your Launchkey online using the Product/software Registration details on the back of the Getting Started Guide. Apart from validating your manufacturer’s warranty, you will also then be able to download the additional software that you are entitled to as a Launchkey Mini purchaser. The registration details also contain codes you will need to enter in the online forms on our website to download the software, but before you attempt to do this, warranty registration is required.

Power Requirements

Launchkey Mini will normally be powered from your computer or iPad via its side panel USB connector. DC power will be supplied by the computer through the standard USB cable. We recommend that you connect Launchkey Mini directly to a computer’s native USB port, and not via a USB hub.

A word about laptops:
When powering Launchkey Mini from a computer you should be aware that although the USB specification agreed by the IT industry states that a USB port should be able to supply 0.5 A at 5 V, some computers – particularly laptops – are unable to supply this current. The unreliable operation may result in such a case. When powering Launchkey Mini from a laptop’s USB port, it is recommended that the laptop is powered by AC mains rather than its internal battery.

Hardware Overview

Top and Side View – controls

Launchkey Mini’s controls are non-assignable. This makes Launchkey Mini very simple to configure and use.

1. Keyboard – 25-note synth-action mini-key keyboard.
2. 8 x rotary controls, providing DAW/MIDI contro
3. 16 x velocity-sensitive launch pads. These can be used to trigger sounds (e.g., drums) in your music software and provide other functions in some DAWs and iPad apps.
4. 2 x round buttons. These can be used for custom functions in apps, or in your DAW.
5. InControl button; this switches the operating mode of the rotary controls and launch pads between InControl and Basic Mapping Mode. It can also be used to set Launchkey Mini’s MIDI channel. See page 10.
6. Octave + / – buttons – shift the keyboard ‘up’ or ‘down’ in octave steps. Pressing the two buttons together cancels the octave shift.
7. Track buttons – use these to change tracks in your music software.
8.  J buttons – use these to provide various control functions in some DAWs.
9. USB port – Micro-B USB connector compatible with USB 1.1, 2.0 or 3.0. Connect Launchkey Mini to a USB port on your computer or iPad using the USB cable supplied.
10. Kensington security slot – secure your Launchkey Mini to a convenient structural point if desired. Please see http://www.kensington.com/kensington/us/us/s/1704/kensingtonsecurity-slot.aspx for further information on how to use this feature.

LAUNCHKEY MINI SETUP EXAMPLES

Launchkey Mini is designed to integrate automatically and seamlessly with your computer music software. Launchkey Mini can be used with either a computer/laptop, or with an iPad; however, the features and operational possibilities do differ with the two platforms, so they have been covered separately in the User Guide sections that follow.

Interfacing Launchkey Mini to a computer
Connect Launchkey Mini to your computer using the supplied USB cable between Launchkey Mini’s rear panel USB socket and a USB port on the computer.

InControl Mode
InControl has been integrated into your Launchkey Mini to allow instant operability with certain DAWs. Consult the Setup Guide for your DAW which you downloaded when you registered your Launchkey Mini. This will explain how the various controls on Launchkey Mini map onto each DAW’s key functions.
If your favorite DAW is not listed, you can still use Launchkey Mini with it effectively, but you will need to use Basic Mapping Mode (see below).
This can be downloaded at any time from www.novationmusic.com/downloads.
Basic Mapping Mode
Launchkey Mini will act as a general-purpose MIDI controller for use with a wide range of music software applications. In addition to the keyboard’s Note On/Note Off messages, each of the various controls (e.g., rotary controls, pads) will always transmit their own unique MIDI message, allowing you to configure your software to respond to the messages as you wish.

Interfacing Launchkey Mini to an iPad

If you have an iPad or iPad mini, you can control many different music-making apps with your Launchkey Mini. Depending on the connector on your iPad,  you will need either an Apple iPad
Camera Connection Kit (earlier iPads), or an Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter (more recent iPads) to interface Launchkey Mini to an iPad, as shown above:
1. plug the USB cable (in the box) into the USB port on Launchkey Mini,
2. plug the other end of the USB cable into the USB port on the Camera Connection Kit or Lightning to USB Camera Adapter,
3. now connect the Camera Connection Kit or Lightning to USB Camera Adapter to the iPad.
NOTE: Please note that neither an Apple iPad Camera Connection Kit nor an Apple Lightning to USB Camera Adapter is included with Launchkey Mini, and must be sourced separately.

EXPLORING LAUNCHKEY MINI

MIDI channel
MIDI data can be sent on any one of 16 channels. The default MIDI channel is

1. In normal use with many apps and most DAWs, it is not necessary to change the MIDI channel however under certain circumstances, e.g., when using multiple apps, you may wish to do so. To select a different MIDI channel:

• Press and hold the InControl button [5]. One of the 16 launch pads [3] will illuminate green, indicating the current MIDI channel.
• While pressing the InControl button, select the desired MIDI channel number by pressing its correspondingly numbered pad. The pad will illuminate green, confirming that the new MIDI channel has been selected.

When powering on, Launchkey Mini ALWAYS defaults to MIDI channel 01; if you have re-powered since changing the MIDI channel number, you will need to reset it.

In Basic mapping mode, the launch pads ALWAYS transmit on MIDI channel 10, as this is the standard GM MIDI channel for percussion instruments.

Octave up/down

The Octave + / Octave – buttons [6] shift the keyboard ‘up’ or ‘down’ in octave steps. The range over which the keyboard can be shifted is -4 to +5 octaves.  When a shift is applied, the Octave + or Octave – button will illuminate. The intensity of illumination provides a rough indication of the number of octaves shifted. (Note there are only three intensity levels.)
Pressing both buttons simultaneously will cancel any octave shift selected.

Rotary controls

Launchkey Mini has eight rotary controls [2], which may be placed in InControl mode, or used in Basic Mapping mode. In InControl mode they would typically act as level or pan controls for a block of eight channels in the DAW’s mixer section. In Basic Mapping mode, each rotary control
transmits a fixed MIDI CC message.
Launch Pads
Launchkey Mini is equipped with a set of sixteen velocity-sensitive pads. Their primary purpose is to trigger percussive sounds and to do so, the pads need to be set to Basic Mapping mode. In this case, all data is transmitted on MIDI Channel 10. In this mode, the pads illuminate red when struck. If the pads are set to InControl mode, they can be used to trigger clips or loops with certain software (Ableton Live, FL Studio, and Reason), but have no function with non-clip-based applications such as Logic Pro or Cubase (hence cannot be switched into InControl mode).
Round buttons
The two large, round buttons [4] transmit fixed MIDI CC messages (upper = 108, lower = 109) when Launchkey Mini is in Basic Mapping mode. When InControl is active, or when Launchkey
Mini is connected to an iPad running certain apps, they have specific functions within the software being used.
Track
The two Track buttons [7] are only operative in InControl mode. They allow you to ‘step’ the rotary controls between tracks or instruments in your DAW. With some DAWs, moving from e.g., track 8 to track 9, will automatically assign the rotary controls to the next bank of eight tracks.
 buttons
Where supported by your DAW, the buttons [8] step through the DAW tracks in banks of eight, re-assigning the eight rotary controls to control the next set of tracks accordingly.
When Launchkey is used with Ableton Live Lite, the buttons act as Previous Scene and Next Scene respectively. See DAW Setup Guides for further details regarding specific DAW control assignments.

Using Launchkey Mini with InControl
If you have one of the DAWs listed in the DAW Setup Guide, you will first need to follow the instructions on how to set it up to operate correctly with Launchkey Mini. Once this has been done, InControl will automatically assign each hardware controller to a key DAW function in an intelligent manner.  You should be able to discover very easily how each controller is mapped onto which DAW function by experimenting, but a full list of mappings is contained in the DAW
Setup Guide.
InControl assignments are fixed and invisible to you, so their operation is seamless and transparent.
InControl mode may be selected for the rotary controls, launch pads, and round buttons by pressing the InControl button [5]. When the mode is enabled, the InControl button is illuminated.

Note that the launch pads have no InControl functionality with some DAWs – these will be DAWs that are not clip-based, such as Logic Pro and Cubase. Under these conditions, the pads remain in Basic Mapping Mode. Ableton Live and FL Studio are clip-based, and you will be able to trigger clips and loops directly with these DAWs, using the pads. When used with Reason, the pads can be used for many other purposes, such as to select and edit drum loops or modify sequencer steps.

TECHNICAL INFORMATION

TROUBLESHOOTING
For the latest information and assistance with your Launchkey Mini please visit: www.novationmusic.com/answerbase.
Basic Troubleshooting Examples
Q. Where can I find my software?
A. The software for Launchkey Mini is available from our website.
Go to http://www.novationmusic.com/register and follow the instructions.
Q. My iPad is saying that Launchkey Mini is drawing too much power.
A. Launchkey Mini is designed to be powered directly from the iPad, however, the order of connection is important. First, plug the USB cable into Launchkey Mini, then the other end into the Camera Connection Kit or Lightning to USB Camera Adapter, and finally connect the CCK or Adapter to the iPad.
Q. Do I need to install a USB driver when using Launchkey Mini with a Mac or PC?
A. No, Launchkey Mini is a class-compliant device. This means your computer will detect the keyboard when you connect it and, if necessary, install the correct drivers automatically.
Q. Can I connect Launchkey Mini to both a computer and an iPad at the same time?
A. Launchkey Mini is designed to connect via USB and thus can only connect to one device at a time.
Q. What is InControl?
A. A unique Novation feature that provides control of all major music software straight out of the box.
Q. What does the arrow button do?
A. This selects between InControl and Basic Mapping Modes for Launchkey Mini’s rotary controls and pads. InControl mode is only available when  Launchkey Mini is connected to supported music software.

MIDI Messages Table

| | |
---|---|---|---
Rotary control 1| cc| 21| 0 – 127
Rotary control 2| cc| 22| 0 – 127
Rotary control 3| cc| 23| 0 – 127
Rotary control 4| cc| 24| 0 – 127
Rotary control 5| cc| 25| 0 – 127
Rotary control 6| cc| 26| 0 – 127
Rotary control 7| cc| 27| 0 – 127
Rotary control 8| cc| 28| 0 – 127
Pad 1| Note| 40 (E1)| 0 – 127
Pad 2| Note| 41 (F1)| 0 – 127
Pad 3| Note| 42 (F#1)| 0 – 127
Pad 4| Note| 43 (G1)| 0 – 127
Pad 5| Note| 48 (C2)| 0 – 127
Pad 6| Note| 49 (C#2)| 0 – 127
Pad 7| Note| 50 (D2)| 0 – 127
Pad 8| Note| 51 (Eb2)| 0 – 127
Pad 9| Note| 36 (C1)| 0 – 127
Pad 10| Note| 37 (C#1)| 0 – 127
Pad 11| Note| 38 (D1)| 0 – 127
Pad 12| Note| 39 (Eb1)| 0 – 127
Pad 13| Note| 44 (G#1)| 0 – 127
Pad 14| Note| 45 (A1)| 0 – 127
Pad 15| Note| 46 (Bb1)| 0 – 127
Pad 16| Note| 47 (B1)| 0 – 127
Round button top row| cc| 108| 0 / 127
Round button bottom row| cc| 109| 0 / 127
Arrow up button| cc| 104| 0 / 127
Arrow down button| cc| 105| 0 / 127
Track left (HUI track down)| cc| 106| 0 / 127
Track right (HUI track up)| cc| 107| 0 / 127
Octave left (down)| None| |
Octave right (up)| None| |
InControl (Basic mode)| None| |
InControl (InControl mode)| Note| 10 (A#2)| 0 / 127
Keys| Note| |

References

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

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