Novation Launchpad X User Manual
  1. Manuals
  2. Brands
  3. Novation Manuals
  4. Recording Equipment
  5. Launchpad X
  6. User manual

Novation Launchpad X User Manual

Hide thumbs Also See for Launchpad X:
Table of Contents

Advertisement

Quick Links

Launchpad X User Guide
1

Advertisement

Table of Contents
loading
Need help?

Need help?

Do you have a question about the Launchpad X and is the answer not in the manual?

Questions and answers

Related Manuals for Novation Launchpad X

Summary of Contents for Novation Launchpad X

  • Page 1 Launchpad X User Guide...

  • Page 2: Table Of Contents

    Key Features……………………..………………….…………...3 In the Box…….…………………..………………….…………...4 Getting up and running……….…..……………..….………….4 Launchpad Intro……….……….…..……………..….………….6 Ableton Live…..……….……….…..……………..….………….7 Using with other software.…….…..……………..….………….7 Hardware Overview …………………………………………………………………………8 Launchpad X Interface Overview …..……….….……….…..…..………...……………11 Session mode …………….………………………..……………………………………….10 Ableton Live’s Session View…………………..….………….10 Mixer Mode……….……………..…………………………….12 Note mode …………..….……………….…………………..………………….………….16 Chromatic mode…….….……..………..…………………….17 Scale mode……….….…..………..………………….……….17 Note Mode Settings…………………………………………..18...

  • Page 3: Introduction

    View from the screen to your fingertips in full RGB colour. Take music making further and build tracks with Launchpad X by using the powerful Note mode to lay down expressive beats and melodies with the velocity and pressure sensitive pads.

  • Page 4: In The Box

    • USB-C to USB-A cable Getting Up and Running We’ve made getting up and running with Launchpad X as easy as possible, whether you’re a brand new beatmaker or a seasoned producer. Our Easy Start Tool provides a step-by-step guide on getting set up that is tailored to your needs, whether you’ve never made music before or you just want to download your...
  • Page 5 If you’re on Windows: 1. Press the Start button and type “This PC”, then press enter. 2. In This PC, find the drive: “Launchpad X”, and double click. 3. Inside the drive, click the link: “Click Here to Get Started.html”...

  • Page 6: Launchpad Intro

    If you’re new to Launchpads, Launchpad Intro is a great place to start. Choose from a variety of curated packs from Ampify Music and start performing immediately. Your Launchpad X will match the on-screen grid - press pads to launch loops and one-shots to build up your track.

  • Page 7: Ableton Live

    You may register your Launchpad X and obtain your Ableton Live 10 Lite license at: https://customer.novationmusic.com/register. Using with other software Launchpad X is made for Ableton Live, but it may also be used as a controller for other software. If you’re using other music production software, visit support.novationmusic.com...

  • Page 8: Hardware Overview

    Hardware Overview Front panel Session Mode Custom Mode (+ Mixer Toggle) Navigational buttons Record & Capture MIDI Note Mode Scene Launch & Mixer Buttons 8x8 Pad Grid Back panel USB-C Socket Kensington MiniSaver™ Socket...

  • Page 9: Launchpad X Interface Overview

    Launchpad X Interface Modes are the core of the Launchpad X interface. They allow you to switch between views, offering different functionality in each. There are three different modes available – Session, Note and Custom . Press a mode button (above) to enter the respective mode. The currently active mode will be lit pale green.

  • Page 10: Session Mode

    Session View is a grid that consists of clips , tracks (columns) and scenes (rows). Session mode provides an 8x8 view of your clips in Session view on Launchpad X. Clips are typically loops that contain MIDI notes or audio.
  • Page 11 • A horizontal line of clips is called a Scene . Scenes can be triggered using the > (scene launch) buttons on the right-hand side of Launchpad X. When a track is record armed (see Mixer Mode ), you may use the [O] button (Session Record) to enable overdub recording of the currently playing clip.

  • Page 12: Mixer Mode

    Mixer Mode Mixer Mode is a sub-mode of Session mode that allows you to control various track parameters in Ableton Live 10 . Mixer Mode can be toggled on and off by pressing the Session button when in Session Mode. When in Mixer Mode, Session will be lit orange, as opposed to pale green when in Session Mode.
  • Page 13 Solo: Overlay the bottom row of pads with Solo track toggles. When pressed, the clip in the corresponding track will stop playing. Record Arm: Overlay the bottom row of pads with Record Arm track toggles. When pressed, the clip in the corresponding track will stop playing. Volume , Pan, Send A and Send B are each sets of 8 faders.
  • Page 14 The numbers in each fader above shows which track the fader is related to with regards to Session View’s red outline. The left-most track becomes the top track for pans.
  • Page 15 In Mixer mode, the bottom row of pads can provide immediate control for four performance track controls: Stop (stop clip from playing on a specific track), Solo (solo a specific track), Mute (mute a specific track) Record Arm (arm a specific track for recording).

  • Page 16: Note Mode

    The layout of Note mode is variable, with the option to have a chromatic, scale, or drum layout. You are able to customise Launchpad X’s playing surface to suit you. When in any layout, use ▲▼ to increase or decrease the octave, and use ◄ ► to transpose the grid by a semitone up or down.

  • Page 17: Chromatic Mode

    Note. See Note Mode Settings for details. Scale Mode In Scale Mode, Launchpad X will only display notes in the current scale. This allows you to play freely without ever going out of key. As with Chromatic Mode, Blue pads represent notes in the currently selected scale,...

  • Page 18: Note Mode Settings

    note exists at their location as pads are outside of playable range. This out of range behaviour also applies to Chromatic Mode. The layout of chromatic mode can be altered in Note Mode settings, accessed by holding Note. See Note Mode Settings for details. Note Mode Settings Note Mode settings allow you to switch between Chromatic Mode and Scale Mode, change the currently selected scale and root note, alter Note Mode’s layout with...
  • Page 19 and the dimly lit white pads show notes outside of the scale. Press a pad in the Scale Viewer to change the root note of the scale. Scale Select lets you choose from 16 different scales. Press a pad to select a scale. The selected scale will be lit bright white, while unselected scales will be lit dim blue.

  • Page 20: Overlap Settings

    Overlap Overlap determines the relationship between notes on different rows. An overlap of 5 means that the leftmost pad on a row will play the same note as the sixth pad across on the row below. Each overlap level represents how many fingers are needed to play a scale. For example, with a 4 Finger overlap you are able to play a scale going vertically up the grid with only 4 fingers.

  • Page 22: Drum Mode

    Drum Mode If an Ableton Live Drum rack is loaded to the currently armed track, Note Mode will represent the current state of the drum rack, showing which slots are currently filled. In Ableton Live, load a drum kit into a MIDI track by selecting a Drum kit from the browser and double clicking it (or alternatively drag it to a track).

  • Page 23: Custom Modes

    Custom Modes can be created & edited using Novation Components – our online hub for all Novation products. You may also back up any Custom Modes you create here. We have several Custom Mode templates for you to download and explore on Components.

  • Page 24: Setting Up Custom Modes

    Components is loaded on your computer, Launchpad X will connect automatically. If the product name next to the home icon (in the top right-hand corner) is not Launchpad X, press the home icon and select Launchpad X from the list of products.

  • Page 25: Lighting Pads

    By default, Custom 3 & 4 have all pads unlit. MIDI Note messages sent to Launchpad X will light pads according to note number and velocity. The note sent will determine which pad lights up, and the note’s velocity will determine the...

  • Page 26: Settings

    Ghost mode is a special sub-mode of custom views. When triggered, this will un-light any function buttons around the edge of Launchpad X during use of a custom mode. To enter Ghost mode, press Note and Custom in quick succession.
  • Page 27 The setting is enabled by default. LED sleep may be pressed to turn off all LEDs on Launchpad X. Press any button or pad to wake up the device. This is useful for when you are not using Launchpad X...
  • Page 28 Press the Enable/Disable Velocity toggle to enable or disable velocity globally on Launchpad X. The pad will be lit bright green when velocity is enabled, and dim red when disabled. Three Velocity Curves may be selected between. Low requires higher force to trigger high velocity values, and high requires lower force for high values.
  • Page 29 Aftertouch Settings The third Scene Launch button accesses the aftertouch (AFT) settings for Launchpad X. Here you can select between channel pressure, polyphonic aftertouch, or disabling aftertouch, with a choice of three thresholds for triggering aftertouch. Choose between Aftertouch disabled, Channel Pressure, and Polyphonic Aftertouch .
  • Page 30 Fader Settings The fourth Scene Launch button accesses the fader (FAD) settings for Launchpad X. Here you may enable or disable velocity sensitivity for faders independently of global velocity sensitivity. Enable or Disable Velocity for Faders by pressing the pad. The pad will be lit bright...
  • Page 31 Live and Programmer Mode Live Mode and Programmer Mode are the two states that Launchpad X can be used In Live mode, Launchpad X will function as normal & you may access Session Mode, Note Mode and Custom Mode. In Programmer mode Launchpad X loses access to Session Mode, Note Mode and Custom Modes, and the entire surface (pads and buttons) becomes unlit.
  • Page 32 Launchpad X’s bootloader menu allows you to change LED brightness, LED feedback, mass storage device availability, and device ID. To enter the bootloader menu, hold Capture MIDI when plugging in Launchpad X. The LED brightness level slider has 8 levels, from minimum to maximum brightness.
  • Page 33 MSD Mode toggles the mass storage device behaviour of Launchpad X on or off. MSD Mode is enabled by default. This is why Launchpad X appears as a mass storage device when plugged in to your computer. Inside the LAUNCHPAD X folder is a link to our Easy Start Tool, which will help to get you set up with your Launchpad X (see Getting up and Running ).

  • Page 34: Default Midi Mappings

    Default MIDI mappings Custom 1: 8x8 grid, Momentary Note On messages (note numbers below) Custom 2: 8x8 grid, Momentary Note On messages (note numbers below)
  • Page 35 Custom 3: 8x8 grid, Momentary Note On messages (note numbers below) Custom 4: 8x8 grid, Momentary Note On messages (note numbers below)
  • Page 36 Programmer Mode: Includes buttons and pads (full 9x9 grid), logo LED may be addressed, Momentary Note On messages (note numbers below) For more detailed information regarding the MIDI implementation of Launchpad X, please see the programmer’s reference guide at: https://customer.novationmusic.com/support/downloads.

Table of Contents

Save PDF