The Launchpad S doesn't feature RGB LEDs or any other obvious functional additions over the original, but it's small, cheap and, in the short term, possibly more easily obtainable than the Push. The Launchpad is great, and everyone with a Launchpad should check out the free Launchpad95 control script. The Launchpad S Control Pack includes Ableton Live Lite 9 plus 1 Gigabyte of loops and sounds so you can start making and performing electronic music straight out of the box.

Software is also a bit complicated to learn and you have to figure it out yourself or watch videos on YouTube. I’ve had to compensate for the old refresh rate of the launchpad in every project I’ve done, and it’s a real pain!As you move from studio to stage, the custom designed cases keep Launchpad S and Launch Control safe and secure. This is not a software control app; it hosts its own sounds and enables you to trigger loops with your Launchpad S hardware.

The first thing you see upon loading the demo, is a message telling you that most of it is unavailable and that you are limited to the 8 tracks. You can control almost any music software using Novation's award-winning 'Automap' control software - and Launchpad S is fully MIDI class-compliant so it'll drive any MIDI application. Using Automap, Launchpad can function as a standard MIDI controller, letting you create custom MIDI maps with 72 buttons transmitting CC or MIDI note data. Another difficulty I encountered concerned the other software supplied with this device - "Bass Station" and the "Loopmaster Pack" download. Helped along by producers and DJs (perhaps most famously Madeon), some performances in Ableton have become almost as much about light as they are about sound.The bottom line is that it the Launchpad S will work with other MIDI apps now, but officially supported apps will make more effective use of the hardware. Brighter, faster and works with more software Launchpad S is an update to the best selling original Launchpad. Hooked up to your computer – or iPad – via USB, it’s fully bus powered (no need for power sockets), and it’s lightweight and easy to carry anywhere. Eight factory and eight user templates allow you to take control of multiple instruments and effects instantly, without remapping, nomatter what software you're using!

Four years after its original release, Novation has decided the Launchpad could use a reboot, keeping in mind the old phrase, “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. With custom sticker packs included you can customise Launchpad S Control Pack for your favourite software.

You can control many Live Loops functions and mixing parameters in Logic Pro with a Novation Launchpad. New modes allow you to switch between triggering clips, controlling Live devices, and using the grid as drum pads or a chromatic keyboard. Using this orientation, you can use the Launchpad with the scene buttons at the bottom, mirroring the position of the scene triggers in Live Loops. Launchpad S is an evoluton of the ubiquitous Launchpad, the Ableton Live controller that re-defined the way we perform music with computers. Launchpad S is the evolution of Novation's best-selling Launchpad controller, with brighter buttons, significantly faster refresh rate and it supports multiple software.

The Launchpad needs to be in low-power mode for the iPad to power it, but if you want the LEDs at full intensity you can go full-power by using a powered hub between the iPad and Launchpad. The new LED’s are also designed to be more usable for people with color-blindness, who had trouble distinguishing between the amber and green states of the original Launchpad. The launchpad version is very restriced , and only lets you open one of the demo sessions it comes with. I have to say I’m using it even more than I thought in conjunction with Push and for easy chair production sessions.Generally, these cookies are only created based on actions you take in response to a service request, such as setting your privacy preferences, logging in, or filling out forms. It doesn't need any drivers and, sure enough, it appeared in the MIDI setup screen on my Mac Pro, which doesn't have the Launchpad 1 drivers installed. Velocity and pressure-sensitive pads allow dynamic beat making, and the chromatic keyboard layout leys you play notes, melodies and chords on the grid. It comes with Ableton Live Lite, used by some of the world's top DJs and producers, and it supports other grid-based music applications such as FL Studio. It even converts your iPad into a grid-based music system via a Camera Connection Kit (not included).