Novation Launchpad + Komplete 7 Elements

Novation Launchpad is a dedicated controller for Ableton Live, co-developed by Novation and Ableton.

Perfect for DJing, performing live or working in the studio, Launchpad features a multi-color, 64-button grid, control modes for the Session View and Live's mixer, two fully-programmable User Modes and dedicated scene-launch/function buttons. Despite the big grid, Launchpad is neat, compact and portable: 239 x 239 mm with a slim 24 mm profile and weighing only 717 g.

Modes

• Session Mode for controlling clips in Ableton Live's Session View
• Mixer Mode for controlling Live's mixer
• Two User Modes for custom device control and configuration

Features

• Big grid - Launchpad features a multi-color, 64-button grid for launching clips plus eight dedicated scene-launch buttons. The buttons are lit by LEDs displaying clip status so you can see at a glance what's loaded (orange), what's playing (green), and what's being recorded (red).
• Compact, portable - Despite the big grid, Launchpad is compact and portable: it'll fit in your bag for gigs and won't hog your desk space in the studio. It's slim, sturdy, weighs less than a hardback book and it's USB powered, so there's no power adapter to drag around.
• 4 modes for flexibility - It's not just about launching clips: as well as the Session Mode, Launchpad offers Mixer Mode—a unique way to control Ableton Live's mixer—and two fully-customizable User Modes.
• Innovative mixer control - In Mixer Mode, the rows and columns of the grid become virtual faders, sliders and knobs controlling track volume, pan, sends, mute, solo, Clip Stop Buttons and record arm, depending on the function selected. Use the scene launch/mixer function buttons to select the function you want to control.
• Customizable - The two fully-customizable User Modes transform the grid into a drum pad controller, DJ effect controller or anything else you can think of. The default state for User Mode 1 provides drum pad control for Live's Drum Racks—great for sketching out beats. Using Live's simple MIDI mapping, it's easy to create custom control environments, whatever devices you're using and however your Live Sets are configured.
• Made for Max for Live - The User Modes make Launchpad the ideal hardware counterpart for Max for Live. Launchpad is flexible enough to deal with even the most detailed Max for Live devices and can handle generic parameters and controls with ease. Eleven LED states provide visual feedback that's precise enough for complex devices. Launchpad users will soon be able to download a Max for Live step sequencer patch from Novation and more Max for Live patches are planned for the future.
• Communication goes both ways - Live and Launchpad are in a constant, two-way, hardware-software dialog. The back-lit grid buttons show what's happening in Live and Live, in turn, shows which section of the Session View is currently under Launchpad control: a red border around the current clip group let's you see where you are with a just a cursory glance at your screen.
• Navigating the Session View - Obviously, you're not limited to controlling only 64 clips. The arrow buttons move the grid up, down, left and right one track or scene at a time. Hold down the 'Session' button in Session Mode, and you can use the arrow keys to jump eight tracks or rows at a time—very useful for navigating around large, complex Live Sets.
• More buttons? More Launchpads - Want more buttons? Launchpads are designed to work together, with up to six units at once. That's more than 400 assignable buttons! Launchpads running on the same system can run in different modes, so you can control the Session View, mixer and custom setups all at once, with one Launchpad for each.

System Requirements

• Launchpad requires Ableton Live 7 or higher.
• Mac
  • Any G4 or faster (Intel Mac recommended)
  • 512 MB RAM (1 GB recommended)
  • Mac OS X 10.3.9 (10.4 or later recommended)
  • QuickTime 6.5 or higher
  • DVD-ROM drive
• PC
  • 1.5 GHz CPU or faster
  • 512 MB RAM (1 GB recommended)
  • Windows XP or Windows Vista
  • Windows compatible sound card (ASIO driver support recommended)
  • QuickTime 6.5 or higher
  • DVD-ROM drive
    

Ableton and Novation announce new SL Mk II integration

Having jointly designed the Launchpad, Ableton have worked with Novation to update the SL Mk II. This makes it a comprehensive, fully bus powered Ableton Live 8 controller with a difference.

All Ableton's major controls are instantly assigned to SL Mk II's 56 knobs, faders and buttons. The changes mean that controlling session view, mixer and devices will be quick and easy, because you'll never lose track of what you're controlling: 

- Live's devices are assigned to controls as you load them up. Open 'Auto Filter' and instantly see 'cutoff', 'res' etc, on the LCD screen above each knob, along with their current values (as well LED rings around each encoder).

- Comprehensive mixer control: Touch a fader to see the channel name and volume level on the large LCD screen, and the two buttons underneath will be lit up if the track is activated or record enabled.

- Launch scenes with the SL's buttons. You can also set up a row of 8 backlit buttons to launch clips (which light up if the clip is playing). 

SL Mk II now provides comprehensive Ableton 8 control with a 25, 49 or 61 note keyboard. Along with the keyless Zero SL, they are all USB powered, so require no external power supply. 

Existing SL Mk II owners will get the update for free. Download the latest version of Automap which will update your firmware. The latest Live 8 update is available from the Ableton website.