Launchpad Pro User Guide (English)
Contents
1. D novation B Te moj o OOOODOOOO 000000010 o LIII 1 O lt o 11 lo jili yo jili 1 Ko oa LLLI Io OB P KA OF GEORG Table Of Contents 2 Introduction 2 Launchpad Pro at a Glance Labelled diagram 2 Setup in Ableton Live Latch vs Momentary 3 Session Mode Clip triggering and Colours Scene Launch Session Navigation 4 Mixer Buttons Record Arm Track Select Mute Solo Volume Pan Sends Stop Clip 6 Function Buttons Session Mode vs Note Device Modes Shift Click Undo Delete Quantise Duplicate Double Record 8 Note Mode Drum Mode General Functionality MIDI Instruments Drum Racks 10 Device Mode The 8 Faders How to Create Macros Automation General Notes on Device Mode 12 User Mode Creating LED Light Shows 13 The Setup Button Layout Select The Live Layout Note Drum Fader and Programmer Layouts Setup Page Options Velocity Aftertouch Aftertouch Threshold Pad Lighting MIDI Out MIDI Channel 16 Using the Launchpad Pro Ableton Live and Hardware Using the Launchpad Pro s MIDI Ports Using Your Audio Interface s MIDI In Out 17 Using Standalone Layouts With Hardware 17 Using Other Software 18 Troubleshooting Introduction The Novation Launchpad Pro is a MIDI controller designed to inspire music making in Ableton Live and other software whether on stage or in the studio2. The default setting is High which requires the most pad pressure in order to send aftertouch messages When set to Low the pads will produce aftertouch more easily great If you tend to hit your pads lightly Note that the following pads have a global effect meaning that their settings will apply to all other modes and layouts Pad Lighting These two pads define how pads light up when receiving MIDI notes e Internal Int With this option engaged lit pads are lit locally by pressing pads and or buttons e MIDI When this is lit pads can be lit by MIDI data coming in from the Launchpad Pro s MIDI In port Ableton Live users should leave this set to Internal but if you are using your Launchpad Pro with other software or hardware you may wish to disengage either of these depending on the circumstance MIDI Out This pad controls whether MIDI is sent to the Launchpad Pro s physical MIDI Out port This option is mostly helpful for users who want to use the Launchpad Pro with hardware MIDI devices When set to on lit MIDI from the pads and controls will be sent directly to the MIDI Out port Note that this pad has a global effect meaning that changing Its state will apply to all modes and layouts MIDI Channel The bottom two rows of pads represent the standard 16 MIDI channels The choice of MIDI channels is fixed in the Live layout s Session Note and Device Modes the User Mode s MIDI channel howe
3. While the Launchpad Pro can be used with a variety of software and hardware outlined in the final chapters this user guide primarily focuses on its interaction with Ableton Live The following pages will show you where all the buttons and pads are and how they function as well as tips and tricks that we have found to be effective Ultimately however there is no one way to use this creative piece of kit how you use the Launchpad Pro is up to you Please see our Getting Started Guide if you have issues setting up the Launchpad Pro or properly configuring Ableton Live The Launchpad Pro at a Glance The following diagram shows the top of the Launchpad Pro which has seven main areas Setup button Navigation arrows Mode select buttons AUNCHPAD uo BLECE 64 pad grid Function buttons Mixer Scene launch buttons The above areas work together for a fun and creative musical experience as explained throughout this guide Along the back of the Launchpad Pro are a number of other important places for connecting power USB and MIDI cables USB Port MIDI out port Power supply MIDI in port Power on off switch Troubleshooting If your Launchpad Pro is not working properly it could be an issue with your USB Hub computer s USB port or even the USB cable you are using Please use the USB cable included in the box If this still does not fix your issue connect the included 12V DC power supply With
4. and momentary Understanding these two behaviours will help you quickly move around the Launchpad Pro during live performance Fortunately the difference between latch and momentary is simple e Latch means that when a button e g Session is pressed and quickly released the functions are available until the user navigates away i e hits another button Latch is best used when spending an indefinite time with Mode or Mixer parameters e Momentary describes the temporary access of Mode or Mixer functions Press and hold a button e g Volume make adjustments with the RGB pads then upon release of the button you will jump back to what you were previously viewing e g Session In other words functionality is available as long as you hold the button Momentary behaviour is great when performing and time is limited Session Mode LAUNCHPAD REO KOORA IE OE OILO LA The first of the Mode Buttons upper right hand corner of the Launchpad Pro is Session Mode This may be the most important of the four mode buttons since pressing it lets you physically control Live s Session View If you re new to Ableton Live the Session View is where you can launch record or edit audio or MIDI clips without ever stopping the music In other words this is where you can jam forever Clip Triggering and Colours When the Session button is pressed the Launchpad Pro s 8x8 grid of RGB LED pads gives you intuitive visua
5. example you could trigger the verse chorus and bridge of your song with just three Scene Launch buttons Session Navigation The simplest way to navigate the Session View is with the Navigation Arrows located at the top left of the Launchpad Pro As one might expect the Up and Down arrow buttons move the Pro s 8x8 pad coverage up or down the Session View in 1 Scene increments The Right and Left arrow buttons move pad coverage left or right one track at a time When you have gone as far as possible in a given direction the corresponding button will turn off With live performance in mind you may have wondered how to quickly navigate hundreds or even thousands of clips To move around your Session View in big chunks first switch to Session Mode then press and hold the Session button You will now see solid red pads indicating 8x8 areas containing clips If an 8x8 area does not have at least one clip the pad will be unlit Simply press one of these red pads or use the Up Down arrow buttons to jump the Session View s focus in 8x8 blocks If you jump into an 8x8 area where no clips are playing areas with playing clips will be represented by solid green pads Mixer Buttons The Mixer s eight buttons lie along the very bottom of the Launchpad Pro providing quick access to many functions of Ableton s Mixer section Starting on the left let s examine each one Record Arm UI UI UI UI UI U Pres
6. followed by E2 to G3 above it MIDI notes G 3 to B4 occupy the lower right 4x4 area with C5 to D 6 playable in the upper right corner of the pad grid One noticeable difference between Drum Layout and Drum Mode is the colouring C1 to D 2 are colored yellow E2 to G3 are light pink G 3 to B4 are light blue and C5 to D 6 are light green In fact scrolling up or down with the Navigation Arrows shows that each 4x4 area of the C 2 to G8 MIDI note range is assigned a different colour to help you visually organize your kits Another noticeable difference between Drum Layout and Drum Mode is that although Mode Select Scene Launch Function and Mixer buttons send MIDI they will have no default functionality You may however choose to MIDI learn these buttons to parameters in your software Given its coloured 4x4 pad areas the Drum layout makes a great playing surface when using plug ins such as Native Instruments Battery or FXpansion s Geist in non Ableton environments Logic Cubase etc Propellerhead s Kong instrument in Reason is another prime candidate for Drum layout use Fader Layout Similar to Device Mode in the Live layout Fader turns the Launchpad Pro s vertical pad columns into virtual faders capable of moving one or more knobs or sliders on a device or in other software Fader layout also uses the velocity sensitive pads for precise movements the 14 15 softer you hit a pad the slower a parameter changes
7. selected clip if no other slot is chosen e With playing clips on armed tracks Record can be used to punch in and out of overdub record Note that for audio clips only automation can be overdubbed e f no tracks are armed pressing Record can be used as a guick way to start Live s transport without recording anything Note Mode LAUNCHPAD fixe 7 Note Mode lets you play the Launchpad Pro like an instrument in order to create your own percussive and melodic ideas In other words the Note page Is where you can record overdub and edit MIDI clips with MIDI instruments or Live s Drum Racks Before looking at the differences in how Note Mode handles Drum Racks vs other MIDI instruments it is worth explaining some general functionality General Functionality With a MIDI device Drum Rack or other on a record armed track pressing the Note button enters Note Mode How LED feedback appears on this page depends on whether the track contains a Drum Rack or any other MIDI instrument These other MIDI instruments can be Ableton s e g Operator VST or Audio Unit plug ins If an audio track is selected entering Note Mode displays nothing and has no functionality Live s Clip View left and Device View right Press and release the Note button to latch Note Mode Further hits of the Note button toggle the Clip View and Device View on your screen This allows you to see your MIDI notes in one view Clip View a
8. In indicator Assuming Logic X is receiving MIDI simply record arm a MIDI track that contains an instrument The Launchpad Pro will then be able to make melodies and chords in Logic using the chromatic note grid in Note layout or 4x4 pad areas in Drum layout Just like in Ableton Live you can use the Up and Down arrow buttons to shift octaves and the Left and Right arrow buttons to transpose the pad layout in semitones For more in depth control of Logic from the Launchpad Pro we will have to set it up ourselves One possibility is to use Fader layout see Setup to mimic a traditional mixer and control selected tracks in Logic First change the Launchpad Pro to the Fader layout on the Setup page Once in Fader you are now ready to learn Logic s parameters to the Launchpad Pro s virtual faders This is be done by finding Control Surfaces under the Logic menu and then selecting Controller Assignments Follow these steps in the pop up window e First click the Learn button e Next click the Logic parameter you want to map to the Launchpad Pro e g Track Stack volume sliders e Then touch the Launchpad Pro s pads e Finally click Learn again to exit You now have convenient hands on control of your Logic X session Logic X s Controller Assignments window Troubleshooting For all troubleshooting queries please visit the Novation Answerbase at www novationmusic com a
9. Output in the top and Ch 6 User Mode s default channel on the bottom You should now see the pads light up when pressed 12 It is now time to get creative A common approach is to set up multiple chains of MIDI Effects in a MIDI Effect Rack and then use the Rack s Key Zone Editor the yellow switch below to give every pad a different LED feedback pattern That s just the tip of the iceberg for Launchpad light shows browse online and you ll surely find more advanced techniques Good luck Like Note Mode the scene launch buttons do nothing in User Mode i e they have no default functionality This means of course that they are freely assignable via MIDI mapping Furthermore whatever MIDI mappings you create are unique to Device Mode and independent of all other modes In fact all buttons in User Mode are free to be MIDI mapped with the exception of Session Note Device and User Mode buttons novat 5 OOOO Layout Select Pro Tip User Mode operates on MIDI channel 6 by default Pressing the Setup Button see below allows a different MIDI channel of User Mode to be selected This means if you are using multiple Launchpad Pros up to six in User Mode you can set the MIDI channel for each unit s User Mode separately or you can switch MIDI channel on the same unit allowing for up to 6 pages of User mode Setup Button A C novation O OOOO Sitting inconspicuously in the uppe
10. an understanding of where things lie on the Launchpad Pro it s time to learn how to use it Setup in Ableton Live When you load up Ableton Live with the Launchpad Pro connected to your computer Launchpad Pro will automatically spring into life and connect to Ableton However it is useful to understand the other options available in the MIDI sync tab which effect how Ableton Live and Launchpad Pro work together In Ableton Live go to Preferences From the list of tabs on the left click the MIDI Sync tab and you will see the following Track On sets the Launchpad Pro as an Input device to play MIDI tracks instruments and drums in Live and as and Output device to see played and recorded notes fed back to the pad LEDs Set Sync On for the Output of Launchpad Pro so that the pad LEDs pulse and flash in time with your project tempo Remote On for both Input and Output allows the Launchpad Pro to be manually mapped to parameters in Live and to see feedback of that mapping Track On for Launchpad Pro MIDI Port allows Live to playback and record any device connected to the Launchpad s physical MIDI connectors If you find that features described later in this user guide are not working as expected please re check your MIDI port settings Latch vs Momentary Two important behaviours to keep in mind as you learn about the Launchpad Pro the Mode Select and Mixer buttons in particular are what we ll refer to as latch
11. layout up or down in semitones by hitting the Left or Right arrow buttons across one octave in each direction Press the Up or Down arrows to shift the scale by octaves You can go as low as C 2 and as high as G8 beyond which the pads will be lit red and will not send MIDI data As you push the Left or Right arrow buttons purple pads scroll in semitone steps reflecting how far you are from C For example if the purple pad is three pads away from the lower left pad then the blue and pink pads are outlining the Eb major scale Tip Press the Up and Down arrow buttons simultaneously to return the lower left corner pad to C1 Press the Left and Right arrow buttons simultaneously to return the scale s root note to C staying in the current octave Whatever tonic you choose becomes global If you set the note grid to begin on F for example the outlined scale for your other MIDI instruments will also be F major until you change it This global functionality makes it easy to stay harmonically consistent across multiple MIDI instruments but you can always change the global settings as you record or perform Drum Racks For a track containing a Drum Rack pressing the Note button automatically configures the Launchpad Pro to work with Live s Drum Racks an instrument designed for playing drums percussion and one shot samples By default the lower left corner pad of the 8x8 pad grid triggers C1 on a Drum Rack The defau
12. mentioning is Select on Launch also located within the Record Warp Launch tab By default this is set to On meaning that launching a clip will select it This means that the faders in Device Mode will automatically apply to whatever instruments and or effects are on that clip s track Live s Select on Launch Preference You may prefer however to turn Select on Launch to Off so that launching a clip will not automatically select its track for Device Mode duties This might be useful especially in live performance if you use Session Mode to trigger clips but you want to always return to another clip or track that you are adjusting in Device Mode General Notes on Device Mode As per usual press and release the Device button to latch Device Mode Further presses of the Device button toggle the Clip View and Device View on your screen allowing you to see your MIDI notes or instrument and effects respectively Device Mode can also be accessed momentarily from other pages by pressing and holding the Device button Upon release you will return to the previous page or mode Like in Note Mode the Delete Quantise Duplicate and Double functions are easily used in Device Mode simply press and release these buttons to affect the currently playing clip on the selected track Remember you can always hit Undo if you make a mistake Finally just like in Note Mode Device Mode s scene launch buttons have n
13. Although switching between layouts is fairly simple the reasons for choosing them deserve some explanation The Live Layout If you are using the Launchpad Pro with Ableton Live even in conjunction with external hardware we recommend in the majority of cases staying in the Live layout This is because when Ableton Live detects that it is connected to the Launchpad Pro the Live layout the green pad is automatically selected FYI when Live is quit the Launchpad Pro defaults to the standalone Note layout The Live layout actually contains the Session Note Device and User Modes covered in the previous sections of this guide However the Setup page is also where you can modify certain MIDI related aspects of these modes behaviors To customize these modes simply enter them as explained earlier e g press the Device Mode button Then while holding down the Setup button choose your preferred velocity aftertouch or aftertouch threshold settings by pressing the corresponding pad s You can then repeat the procedure for the other modes in order to customize each one to your taste Note Drum Fader and Programmer Layouts If you want to use the Launchpad Pro as a standalone MIDI controller i e when not using Ableton Live or if you want to program your own configuration of the Launchpad Pro you will need to choose either the Note blue Drum yellow Fader pink or Programmer orange layout Examples of how Note Dr
14. U Press and hold Shift to see the state of record guantisation if active the Ouantise button will be lit bright white if inactive it will be dim white Continue to hold shift and hit Ouantise to toggle record guantise on off Record When off the first press of this button sets record guantisation to Sixteenth Notes To change the guantise value go to Live s Edit menu and scroll to Record Ouantization Choose a different guantise value here pitti O t yA ighih Note ind Triplets Quantization Simteenth Note Quantization Sinteenth Note Triplets Quantization Sinteenth Note and Triplets Quantization Thiry Second Kote Quantization Select Loop Select All You can always quantise clips after recording as well With the Session Mode visible press and hold Quantise then hit a pad to snap its MIDI or audio to the selected quantisation value This can be done regardless of whether the clip is playing If a clip is selected and playing in either Note or Device Mode one press of Quantise will quantise its audio or MIDI Duplicate The Duplicate button allows you to copy a clip into the clip slot directly below Be aware if there is already a clip in the slot below the duplicated clip will erase the existing clip e In Session Mode press and hold Duplicate then touch a pad to L Duplicate its clip e K Live s Transport is running after duplication the new clip will launch e Ifa clip is selected a
15. cord quantise on off See below for more information on the Quantise button Click Perhaps the simplest button on the Launchpad Pro Click turns Live s Metronome on off when pressed and released When engaged Click lights up green In all Live modes or pages except User you can press Click to reference the global pulse Tip Use this blue knob on screen to adjust to adjust the Metronome volume if it is too loud or too soft Undo The Undo button does exactly what one would expect Press it once to go backward one step undoing one action of your Undo history twice i to go back two steps undoing two actions and so forth As mentioned before hitting Undo while holding Shift will perform a standard Redo action f Delete i Delete The Delete button allows you to clear clips and Drum Rack notes in various ways e In Session Mode press and hold Delete and then touch a pad to delete U its clip e Viewing a Drum Rack in Note Mode press and hold Delete then touch a Drum Rack pad to delete all occurrences of that note in the clip Ouantise Ouantise This only works with Drum Racks and will not work in chromatic Note Mode i e with other MIDI instruments e With a clip selected and playing in Note or Device Mode one press of Delete will erase the clip The Quantise button lets you correct the timing of your performances while recording or afterward Undo
16. ed touch unlit pads to move the pan knob left or right Press and release of the Pan button latches the mode Pressing Pan again brings you to Session Mode Like with Volume Pan view takes advantage of the Pro s velocity sensitive pads the softer you hit a pad the slower a track s pan value moves Conversely the more force applied to a pad the faster panning will occur Please note that Session Mode capabilities such as scene and clip launching are not available on the Pan page Sends The Sends page lets you send audio from your tracks to as many as eight return tracks This page turns each 8 pad column into a virtual effect send knob simply hit an unlit pad to move a track s send knob up or down The send knob you are controlling is selected with the scene launch buttons the topmost button selects Send A the second one down selects Send B and so on Press and hold the Sends button to momentarily display the Sends page upon release you will return to the previous page or mode Press and release of the Send button latches the page Pressing Send again brings you to Session Mode Like with Volume and Pan the Sends page uses the Pro s velocity sensitive pads the softer you hit a pad the slower a track s send value will change Conversely the more force applied to a pad the faster the send value changes It s worth mentioning that although the full version of Ableton Live allows for twelve Sends only the fi
17. ight arrow buttons to move horizontally in the Device View bottom portion of Live selecting whatever instruments and or effects MIDI or audio you desire Note that the Up and Down arrow buttons do nothing in Device Mode To control devices on another track simply choose the track with Track Select button The 8 Faders Like with the Volume page Device Mode turns each 8 pad column into a fader The faders in Device Mode however are capable of moving one or more knobs or sliders on a device Device Mode also uses the velocity sensitive pads for precise movements the softer you hit a pad the slower a parameter changes the harder you hit a pad the faster a change will occur For most native Ableton instruments and effects eight parameters have been pre mapped for every device and will automatically display across the pad grid You can override these mappings by entering MIDI Map Mode and assigning the pad columns to new parameters We advise against doing this however because this will override the mapping of that pad column for all other devices in your set Instead Macro Controls are a great way to customize your Device Mode experience See How to Create Macros below Once your Macros are created select the Instrument Audio Effect or Drum Rack containing the Macros and they will lie perfectly across the 8 pad columns leaving the built in mappings intact How to Create Macros Creating you
18. k selection In other words whatever track is armed becomes auto selected for Note Mode e If multiple tracks are armed the last track to be armed is used on the Note page e If no track is record armed selecting a track and pressing Note will show its Note page MIDI data however will not be sent until the track is armed MIDI Instruments With any MIDI instrument on a track other than a Drum Rack e g Ableton Operator or Novation V Station plugin pressing the Note Mode button will display the Note page aka note grid Here the pad grid serves as a chromatic MIDI controller perfect for melody chord or bassline creation The pads rise from left to right in semitone aka half step intervals e g C C D etc and from bottom to top in perfect fourth intervals e g C F Bb etc The note grid displays both lit and unlit pads the lit pads outline the white notes on a piano keyboard i e a C major scale while the unlit pads fill in the non diatonic chromatic notes The tonic notes of the scale you choose see below are pink and the other diatonic notes are blue Pads turn green however when played manually or during playback By default the pad in the lower left corner of the 8x8 note grid plays the note C1 the blue and pink O IDU O OB DEDSEEDHS O BDOBOBOUBo O I 7 7e OBDBHRUOURNHH Co o BECOCEHOODEN O O O O pads therefore outline a C major scale You can transpose this
19. l feedback on your clips as you launch stop edit or record them Conversely you can see the area covered by these 64 pads on your Live screen inside a coloured 8x8 rectangular ring The colour of this ring changes depending on which Control Surface chooser you select in Live s Preferences MIDI Sync tab Pressing a pad on the Launchpad Pro triggers a clip if one exists in the corresponding slot in Live Hitting an empty clip slot however on an unarmed track will stop clip playback on that track If the track is armed pressing a pad begins recording into an empty clip slot Clips that are playing aka launched on your Ableton Live screen appear as slowly pulsing green pads on your Launchpad Pro The pad colours of non playing clips however match the clip colours on your Live screen e g a purple clip makes a purple RGB pad Clips that have been triggered but have not yet started to play quickly flash green until launched Empty clip slots in Live show up as unlit pads on the Launchpad Pro Hitting an unlit pad will either do nothing or it will stop playing clips on that track On a record armed track empty clips slots are lit dimly red indicating that they are ready to become new audio or MIDI clips When triggered these pads will quickly flash red until they start recording Recording clips slowly pulse red To stop recording a clip press its pad again or the Record Button the bottom Function Button With
20. lt first 16 Drum Rack pads C1 to D 2 are therefore playable in the lower left quarter 4x4 of the Launchpad Pro as illustrated below Se uni cr an 8 Saaga m E2 to G3 are then playable in the 4x4 area directly above C1 to D 2 Meanwhile G 3 to B4 continues in the lower right 4x4 area and C5 to D 6 are playable in the upper right 4x4 area of the pad grid The following diagram illustrates this JUUL _E2 to Gal JUUL E c2 fe oe ra os Lar Jam sr en Le f ler ea lon o1 ow You may notice later that User Mode s pad layout is identical to the above diagram but without LED feedback See the Creating LED Light Shows tutorial for information on how to light up User Mode At any given moment the Launchpad Pro can only display 64 of a Drum Rack s potential 128 pads Accessing all of a Drum Rack s pads therefore relies on the Navigation Arrows which light up green The Up and Down arrow buttons move Drum Rack coverage up and down in 4 row increments blocks of 16 pads The Left and Right arrow buttons move Drum Rack coverage up and down one row of pads at a time Colour wise Drum Rack pads containing a sample are lit yellow while a pad with no sample stays unlit Purple pads show that a Drum Rack sample is soloed orange pads mean a sample is muted Pads turn green when played manually or during playback To select a Drum Rack pad simply hit its corresponding pad which will
21. mbered for each layout meaning that you could say set your Drum Mode velocity to Off and your Note Mode velocity to Medium e Off means that pads will output CC values at 127 regardless of how hard or soft your strike them Aftertouch This option allows you to choose Off Polyphonic or Channel aftertouch for each Mode or layout This defines how Live instruments or third party plug ins respond to pad pressure while pads are held down e Polyphonic aftertouch means every pad can have its own aftertouch amount In other words different notes will respond individually even when multiple notes are held e Channel aftertouch means that one aftertouch value will apply to all held notes More specifically the pad that receives the greatest pressure will dictate the applied aftertouch amount e Off simply means that aftertouch capabilities are disabled If you are not familiar with aftertouch it is indeed a powerful sound design tool Common examples of aftertouch are adding vibrato or tremolo or opening closing a filter Most of Ableton Live s instruments can respond to channel aftertouch Ableton Live however does not currently support polyphonic aftertouch Please consult your DAW and third party plug ins documentation to confirm their channel or polyphonic aftertouch capabilities Aftertouch Threshold These pads set aftertouch sensitivity at Low Medium or High thresholds
22. mode returning to Session While on the Solo page the Session Mode is available on the top seven rows of pads allowing for further clip launching stopping recording and so on JEJE JE JL jaji 0 0 E 0 O The volume page turns each 8 pad column into a volume fader volume levels for up to 8 tracks at a time are represented as green pads Simply hit an empty pad to move Live s Track Volume slider Press and hold the Volume button to momentarily display the Volume page where track volumes can be quickly adjusted Upon release you will return to the previous mode or page Press and release of Volume latches the page Pressing Volume again brings you to Session Mode The Volume page takes advantage of the Pro s velocity sensitive pads the softer you hit a pad the slower volume will change Conversely the more force applied to a pad the faster volume with increase or decrease Please note that Session Mode capabilities such as scene and clip launching are not available on the Volume page Pan U U v E e HH W W PRESNE Stop Clip The Pan button lets you move a track s audio signal around the stereo field Press and hold Pan to momentarily display the Pan page upon release you will return to the previous page or mode In Pan tracks can be panned left to right in varying degrees Pan values for the 8 tracks are shown in orange With the middle two pads lit the track will be centr
23. nd in the Instruments folder on a MIDI track In the top MIDI To chooser select Launchpad Pro Output Launchpad Pro MIDI Port External Instrument sending MIDI through the Launchpad Pro s MIDI Port To get your hardware s sound back into Live connect the Line Out on the back of your hardware unit into an input on your audio interface HEADPHONES LINE EXT IN SUSTAIN Focusrite OUTPUT MONO With that done successfully select the input in the Audio From section that is receiving the audio signal from your hardware External Instrument s Audio From chooser See the Quick Tip in the next section for a short guide on recording your results Using Your Audio Interface s MIDI In Out With the Launchpad Pro connected to your computer via USB run a MIDI lead i e a MIDI DIN 5 out of your audio interface e g Focusrite Scarlett into your hardware unit s MIDI In port LINE OUTPUT Focusrite Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd lt Wo S www focusrite com AN i NIA NA MID OUT MIDI IN Connecting your interface s MIDI Out left to your hardware s MIDI In right pap Scarlett a4 T 16 17 Next place Live s External Instrument found in the Instruments folder on a MIDI track In the top MIDI To chooser select your Audio Interface and in the bottom chooser select the channel that will send MIDI to your hardware A
24. nd playing in either Note or Device Mode one press of this button will duplicate the clip Duplicate can also be used to duplicate a whole scene Press and hold the Duplicate button in Session Mode then hit a scene launch button Instead of overwriting existing clips this will copy and insert the scene causing any other clips or scenes to slide down the page Double Pressing this Function button doubles clip length For example a 2 bar clip becomes 4 bars an 8 bar clip becomes 16 bars and so on e With a clip selected in Session Mode press and hold Double then touch its pad to double the clip length If a clip is selected and playing in either Note or Device Mode one press of this button will double clip length Note that Double works for MIDI clips only Musical Tip If your loops are feeling too repetitive try using Double to lengthen them and then add variation Record Using the Record button is the most straightforward way to create new clips or overdub into exiting ones lt can be used in a variety of ways o On an armed but empty track hitting Record begins the recording of a new clip into the selected slot On an armed track with clips the Shift button can be used to select an empty clip slot at which point the Record button can be pressed to begin recording there On an armed track with at least one clip pressing Record will begin overdubbing into the last played or
25. nd your instruments and effects in another Device View You might use Clip View to see existing MIDI notes as you overdub others or you might want to see the notes move when you hit Quantise Likewise Device View can be handy to watch as you make device adjustments especially when recording those adjustments as automation Note Mode can also be accessed momentarily from other pages by pressing and holding the Note button Upon release you will return to the previous page or mode Notice how the Delete Quantise Duplicate and Double functions are easily used in Note Mode simply press and release these buttons to affect the currently playing clip on the last armed track Remember you can always hit Undo if you make a mistake Another attractive feature of Note Mode is that the scene launch buttons have no default functionality This means that they are freely assignable via MIDI mapping Furthermore whatever MIDI mappings you create are unique to Note Mode and independent of all other modes Custom MIDI Mapping Create your own MIDI mappings for the scene launch buttons by first clicking the MIDI Map Mode Switch in Live Next hit a parameter such as a device on off switch Then hit a scene launch button Finally click the MIDI Map Mode Switch again to exit Finally here are a couple general rules to be aware of e Pressing the Note button enters Note Mode for the record armed track potentially overriding the current trac
26. nswerbase where you will find articles covering numerous troubleshooting examples 18 amp novation FFFA001306
27. o default functionality This means that they are freely assignable via MIDI mapping Furthermore whatever MIDI mappings you create are unique to Device Mode and independent of all other modes User Mode LAUNCHPAD lele O O10 V f V User Mode could be thought of as blank slate mode as it is reserved for users to create their own MIDI mappings For those familiar with the original Launchpad this mode is identical to the infamous User 1 Mode It is also an ideal canvas for potential Max For Live creations such as step sequencers LED VU meters and so on As such one of User Mode s intended uses is controlling Live s Drum Racks exactly as in Note Mode but with no LED feedback This gives users doing Drum Rack LED light shows a blank space on which to build see Creating LED Light Shows Creating LED Light Shows LED light shows can add an awesome visual component to your Launchpad performances Let s look at the basics First you will need to press and release the User button to enter User Mode Then add a Drum Rack to a MIDI track and fill it with samples These samples are often sections of fully completed songs but they could be anything Next create another MIDI Track this track will be triggering the light show Set it to receive MIDI from your Drum Rack and make sure to set the monitoring section to In Drum Rack Finally in the MIDI To choosers select Launchpad Pro
28. r further clip launching stopping recording and so on Hitting a Session Mode pad will also select the corresponding track Mute Dt LIL IL IL IL ILL O O 0 O O Mute allows you to quickly kill all sound from one or more tracks Press and hold the Mute button to momentarily display the Mute page upon release you will return to the previous page or mode Touching the bottommost pad on a track toggles its Track Activators on off effectively muting or un muting it The bottommost pad of muted tracks will show as dim yellow Press and release of the Mute button latches the page Pressing Mute again brings you to Session Mode Note that on the Mute page the Session Mode is also available on the top seven rows of pads allowing for further clip launching stopping recording and so on Solo b EJ L UL 1 E 1 IL I Record _ lt _ m Arm The Solo page allows you to isolate the audio signal of one or more tracks This is great for close listening In the studio or as a performance technique Press and hold Solo to momentarily display the Solo page upon release you will return to the previous page or mode Touching the bottommost pad on a track solos the track turning the pad bright blue or press and hold up to eight bottommost pads to solo multiple tracks The bottommost pads of un soloed tracks are lit dimly blue Press and release of the Solo button latches the mode Pressing Solo again exits the
29. r left corner of the Launchpad Pro is the Setup button Pressing and holding this button reveals the Setup page illustrated below where you can switch the Launchpad Pro s functionality between Live and standalone layouts setting your preferred velocity aftertouch pad lighting and MIDI channel options along the way LAUNCHPAD Gi Velocity Pad Lighting MIDI Channel 13 OBEEBE illo OULU Lo OBES o UUU ORA OL Loa OBE BO ODBEBEEEBIEBE ODB DEBEEBIEH Aftertouch Aftertouch Threshold MIDI Out In short the Setup page is for advanced users who want to specify how the Launchpad Pro s MIDI interacts with Ableton Live other software or hardware This is also where you can assign different playing styles to your Note grid Drum Rack Device Modes and standalone layouts Let s begin at the top row of pads and discuss their functionality Layout Select The top row of pads contains five pads that allow you to switch the layout of the Launchpad Pro s operation between Live or one of four standalones Note Drum Fader and Programmer The pad representing the layout you are currently using will glow brighter than the others when you select another layout and release the Setup button the name of the new layout will scroll across the Launchpad Pro in big letters Press any button or pad to skip this scrolling text if it takes too long for your needs
30. r own Macros in Live is easy right click PC or control click Mac on any Ableton instrument or effect parameter and choose Map to Macro from the context menu The parameter is now controllable as a Macro Control You can even assign multiple parameters to one Macro With third party plug ins as seen in the picture above there are some extra steps You first need to hit the Configure button on the instrument s title bar then open the plug in and click on parameters that you would like to control When these parameters appear as sliders in the device like Morph and Weird above you can assign them to Macro Controls using the normal procedure Automation As previously mentioned accessing a track s Device page is done by pressing Track Select in the Mixer and selecting a track By default however in order to record automation in a clip its track must be armed This is due to Live s Preference of Record Session automation in Armed Tracks as seen below The Record Session automation in preference found under the Record Warp Launch tab in Live s Preferences Alternatively you may want to change this to All Tracks so you Can record automation in Device Mode regardless of which track is armed Note that you must still press the Record button Function column to record automation The Record Session In Preference set to All Tracks Another Preference worth
31. recording complete the pad will pulse green QUICK TIP 1 It might be helpful to think of red pads on armed tracks as hot since pushing them starts the recording of a new clip and stops other clips on that track if they are playing Holding Shift the topmost Function Button and touching a pad selects the corresponding clip or empty clip slot without starting re launching or stopping it This action brings up the clip s content in Live s Detail View the bottom portion of the screen and is a handy way to see a clip s audio or MIDI before launching it This is also a quick way to move from clip to clip for editing OUICK TIP 2 How guickly your clips launch stop or begin recording depends on Live s Quantization Menu located in the upper left corner of the screen Live s Ouantization Menu Scene Launch Pressing the Scene Launch buttons on the right side of the Launchpad Pro will trigger horizontal rows of clips aka scenes These buttons allow you to launch stop and or record multiple clips with one button and are fantastic for performance Just like the 8x8 grid of pads the Scene Launch buttons match the scene colours on your Live screen If you have more than 8 tracks the Scene Launch buttons will launch the whole scene not just the eight clips you can see on the pads Workflow Tip While everyone uses Live differently scenes are often used to break up music into different sections For
32. rst eight sends are accessible on the Launchpad Pro Also note that Session Mode capabilities such as scene and clip launching are not available on the Sends page Production Tip The most common effects to put on Return Tracks are reverbs and delays Luckily Ableton comes with a great reverb and various delays Make sure they are set to 100 wet and send away Stop Clip The last mixer button is Stop Clip Press and hold this button to momentarily display the Stop Clip page where you can stop clips on a per track basis or stop all clips at once Upon release you will return to the previous page or mode The bottommost pads of tracks with playing clips are lit red but dim when pressed stopping the clip on that track Hitting the top seven Scene Launch buttons will stop all playing clips in those scenes while hitting the bottommost Scene Launch button will stop all clips in your Set Press and release of the Stop Clip button latches the page Pressing Stop Clip again brings you to Session Mode Note that on the Stop Clip page the Session Mode is also available in the top seven rows of pads including clip launching stopping recording and so on Function Buttons The far left column contains circular buttons called the Function Buttons which greatly assist clip creation and editing Activation of the Delete Quantise Duplicate and Double functions depends on your location on the Launchpad Pro e In Session Mode
33. s and hold Record Arm to momentarily display the Arm page where you can arm or disarm a track by pressing its bottommost pad or press and hold up to eight bottommost pads to arm multiple tracks Upon release of Record Arm you will return to the previous page or mode In Record Arm all pads on the track s chosen for recording are dimly red Press and release of Record Arm latches the page Pressing Record Arm again brings you to Session Mode Reminder Latching means that functions are available after the press and release of a button until you navigate away Note that on the Record Arm page the Session Mode is available on the top seven rows of pads allowing for further clip launching stopping recording and so on Track Select JY M K VY UM jaji Record Arm Track Select allows you to focus on a given track without record arming tt All of the bottommost pads on this page are dimly blue but brighten when selected Note that only one track can be selected at a time and one track will always be selected Press and hold Track Select to momentarily make track selections upon release you will return to the previous page or mode Press and release of the Track Select button latches the page letting you spend more time perusing your tracks In latch pressing Track Select again brings you to Session Mode Note that on the Track Select page the Session Mode is also available on the top seven rows of pads allowing fo
34. sent from the Launchpad Pro s MIDI Port to your hardware As previously explained see Using the Launchpad Pro s MIDI Ports you will need to run a MIDI lead i e a MIDI DIN 5 out of your Launchpad Pro s MIDI Out port into your hardware unit s MIDI In port In order to receive MIDI connect another MIDI lead from the hardware unit s MIDI Out port into the Launchpad Pro s MIDI In port Using Other Software Although this user guide primarily covers how to use the Launchpad Pro with Ableton Live it can also work with other Digital Audio Workstations or DAWS FL Studio Logic etc As of publication Ableton is the only software company with support for Launchpad Pro This is likely to change over time so please check the resources of your preferred software to see if Launchpad Pro support has become available Regardless the Launchpad Pro will still input standard MIDI data into most DAWs Please consult your DAW s documentation for specifics on sending and receiving MIDI customizing MIDI controls or any other troubleshooting Let s look at how you might start using the Launchpad Pro with Logic X but the methods shown here will apply to most other music software With the unit properly connected Logic X should by default receive MIDI from the Launchpad Pro in Note layout if you press its pads This tiny circle above the time signature confirms that Logic is receiving MIDI when lit Logic s MIDI
35. t this point hitting Launchpad Pro pads in Note Mode should send MIDI to your hardware Now it is time to get your hardware s sound back into Live Connect the Line Out on the back of your hardware unit into an input on your interface HEADPHONES LINE Focusrite N OUTPUT MONO EXT IN SUSTAIN With that accomplished select the input in the Audio From section that is receiving the audio signal from your hardware You can now use chromatic Note Mode to play your hardware unit and hear the result in Ableton Live Quick Tip Since Ableton Live s External Instrument records MIDI and actually only monitors the audio input you might gt Scarlett gt ZK want to print your results as audio To do so create a new audio track and select the External Instrument track as its input in the Audio From chooser Then simply press record in empty clip slots to make new audio clips Using Standalone Layouts With Hardware Let s take Ableton Live out of the equation entirely In this case the Launchpad Pro can serve as a control surface for any device able to send and or receive MIDI Simply press and hold the Setup button and choose from the Note Drum or Fader layouts to begin sending MIDI out of the Launchpad Pro If you suspect that MIDI is not being sent check that the MIDI Out button found on the Setup page is lit This ensures that MIDI created from hitting the control surface will be
36. the harder you hit a pad the faster a change will occur Note that in Fader layout aftertouch settings will not be available when pressing and holding the Setup button Programmer PGM Layout Programmer layout is quite advanced as it is reserved for individuals or firms that want to design their own software to work with the Launchpad Pro Programmer is most similar to User Mode but with a different layout For more information see the lt Programmer s Reference Guide gt Setup Page Options Each of the selectable layouts feature the following parameters except where noted that can be adjusted to fit your playing or mixing style Velocity The speed at which you strike a pad is read by the Launchpad Pro as velocity information Usually this means that the harder you hit a pad the louder your MIDI instrument will sound and vice versa Therefore this area of the Setup page lets you choose which pad sensitivity fits your playing style e Medium Med is the default and should suite most playing styles but if not there are two other options For example if you tend to play your pads softly you could choose High which will skew incoming MIDI values upwards The result will be MIDI notes with higher velocities than otherwise expected On the other hand if you play your pads with a lot of force you might set your velocity to Low to counterbalance your strength Regardless your velocity selection will be reme
37. trigger the sample and turn the pad light blue To select a Drum Rack pad without triggering it hold Shift and touch the corresponding pad Be aware that the Show Hide Devices selector needs to be engaged on a Drum Rack for this to work Drum Racks Show Hide Devices Selector With a pad selected you will likely want Device Mode described later to help you adjust its parameters You can also press and hold Delete then touch a Drum Rack pad to delete all occurrences of its note in a clip This handy workflow is specific to Drum Racks and will not work with other instruments Recording Shortcut Momentarily enter the Record Arm page then press a pad This will automatically arm that track if it isn t already and begin recording or overdubbing in that clip slot highly recommended for live performance Device Mode LAUNCHPAD O Device Mode lets you control your MIDI instruments and 10 11 effects without a mouse a tremendous asset especially on stage To effectively use Device Mode first press and release the Device button entering the Device page Next engage Track Select momentarily and choose a track by hitting one of the bottom pads You can now control the last selected device on this track with the vertical columns of pads which act as virtual faders for up to eight parameters Live s Blue Hand reminds you that you are controlling a device remotely Once in Device Mode use the Left and R
38. um and Fader layouts are used will be explained in the remaining sections of this guide while endeavouring programmers should refer to our lt Programmer s Reference Guide gt Note Layout Enter this layout by pressing and holding Setup and touching the blue Note pad This layout is nearly the same as the Note Mode found within the Live layout a note grid rising from left to right in semitone aka half step intervals and from the bottom up in perfect fourth intervals As expected the lit pads outline the white notes on a piano keyboard which can be transposed in octaves or semitones with the Up Down or Left Right buttons respectively Being an 8x8 pad grid this layout is ideal for playing tonal chromatic MIDI instruments in other software programs e g Retro Synth in Logic X It is also perfect for sending MIDI to and receiving MIDI from hardware synthesizers that you wish to play chromatically Simply use the included MIDI lead and connect the Launchpad Pro s MIDI Out to your hardware s MIDI In to receive MIDI back from your hardware connect your hardware s MIDI Out to the Launchpad Pro s MIDI In Drum Layout Enter this layout by pressing and holding Setup and touching the yellow Drum pad The Drum layout resembles Drum Mode in many respects the 8x8 pad grid is divided into 4 sections of 4x4 pads beginning in the lower left corner on C1 C1 to D 2 are therefore playable in the lower left quarter of the Launchpad Pro
39. ver can be set to MIDI channels 6 7 8 14 15 or 16 Therefore if you are using multiple Launchpad Pros up to six in User Mode you can set the MIDI channel for each unit s User Mode separately This allows each Launchpad Pro to operate Independently when MIDI mapping Using the Launchpad Pro Ableton Live and Hardware With a little knowledge the Launchpad Pro and Live become a great team for controlling your external hardware devices such as synthesisers drum machines and so on As mentioned in the previous section we recommend using the Live layout selected automatically when Live detects the Launchpad Pro if you want to add external hardware devices to your Ableton set There are two basic methods for setting up the Launchpad Pro Live and external hardware as follows Using the Launchpad Pro s MIDI Ports First make sure you set the Setup page s MIDI Out pad to Off unlit Live will then be in control of sending MIDI so that you are not also playing the hardware directly from the Launchpad Pro itself thus sending MIDI twice to your hardware With the Launchpad Pro connected to your computer via USB run a MIDI lead MIDI DIN 5 with adaptor from the Launchpad Pro s MIDI Out port into your hardware unit s MIDI In port o MIDLOUT MIDIIN a NS Connecting the Launchpad Pro s MIDI Out left to your hardware s MIDI In right Next place Live s External Instrument fou
40. you must hold down one of these buttons then touch the pad you want to affect For example while holding Delete hit the pad whose clip you want to erase e With a clip selected and playing in Note or Device Modes simply hit Delete Quantise Duplicate or Double to perform their respective actions Shift O The top Function Button is Shift When 0 pressed and held this button gives you access to secondary functions much like Shift on a computer keyboard Below are descriptions of these functions e Clip Selection and Viewing While in Session Mode press and hold shift then touch a pad to see a clip s audio or MIDI content in Live s Clip View bottom of the screen This will not arm the track or trigger the clip in anyway Rather this is a great way to see a clip s audio or MIDI before deciding what to do with it You might for example decide to edit the clip with some of the other Function buttons described below e Drum Rack Pad Selection While viewing a Drum Rack in Note Mode press and hold shift Then touch a pad corresponding to a Drum Rack Pad This will reveal the pad s instruments or effects in Live s Device View bottom of the screen In live performance this is a fast way to select a sound and then start mangling it in Device Mode e Redo hold shift and hit the Undo button to perform a standard Redo e Quantise holding shift and hitting the Quantise button toggles Re
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