M Audio Midi Controller Novation Launchpad Pro

One of last month’s more predictable NAMM announcements was, at long last, an update to Novation’s Launchpad line that adds RGB color support and pressure sensitivity. But that means that it’s easier to compare the new Launchpad Pro with the spendier (but also more powerful) Ableton Push.

It’s been a few years since the Launchpad first commercialized the “grid performance instrument” concept popularized by the monome. Since then, we’ve seen Novation’s LEDs get brighter and the body get slimmer, plus the welcome addition of class-compliant support (opening up iOS and Linux compatibility and driverless operation). But the Launchpad itself remained a pretty simple grid of buttons. How hard you hit those buttons doesn’t matter, and you don’t get color feedback that could assist in knowing which clips you’re looking at.

The Launchpad Pro focuses mainly on what the grid can do. Now, there’s velocity and pressure sensitivity, and RGB color feedback – just as on Ableton’s Push.

So, the obvious follow-up question: why would you buy a Launchpad Pro and not a Push? There are some obvious and not-so-obvious answers to that question. First, the obvious answers.

“Play” the mix. As noted in comments, check out the Fader Glide feature. The basic idea is, tap to set faders – and use velocity to change values. It’s interesting as it refocuses the Launchpad Pro on being a performance instrument. It borrows some of the “everything under your fingers” approaches of the more innovative work done by the monome community, but by adding velocity, does so with an additional dimension of expression. And that makes this more like playing a single instrument than playing an instrument and also adjusting mixer controls. I’m really curious to try this.

There are still modes – Session (for clip triggering and so on), Note (for playing instruments), Device (for effects), and the normal User mode. But by doing less, the Launchpad Pro also gives you less to learn.