Launchpad (semi) pro

Gear talk
#1

Just got a launchpad pro in an effort to replace my ipad ‘isomorphic’ keyboard and thought I’d share the good and bad of it.

the awesome:
Feel, weight, sensitivity (both velocity and aftertouch are great)

the mediocre:
-those new fangled mini jack to MIDI thingies…wonder about their longevity
-no way to change the brightness (way too bright in a ‘moody’ studio)
-no way to change the color of the bluish white ‘keyboard layout’ LEDs (I know there are cats out there that like their blue LEDs…I’m not one of them!)

the frustratingly lame:
no editor or way to change the note layout / midi messages! User is stuck with a chromatic scale which makes for a weird waste of valuable space /lots of note overlap. The korg padkontrol can do this… super easy.

I am used to accessing my favorite intervals with one hand on the ipad and doing knob fiddling with my free hand. The only downside is zero feel, so I have to keep my eye on the ipad all the time. Not holding my breath for Novation to add more scales / release an editor for it.

#2

Update: ok, so just got word that the firmware is on github and customizable…so maybe it is still the best keyboard out there right now

…um any brave C programmers out there interested in this sort of thing?

“We have customisable firmware as open source code: https://github.com/dvhdr/launchpad-pro”

#3

Problem solved (user scales + stand alone sequencer) by this genius: https://youtu.be/_G3-Z9f-Xr0

#4

Nice … didn’t know it had a hardware midi out!
Still waiting for something like this with isomorphic hex keys!

#5

Incidentally, the new Ableton Push 2 is out. Looks great, I have to say. They’re doing a trade-in for v1 owners, which is tempting.

a|x

#6

shiftr same here!! I have all but abandoned normal keyboards and don't really get why no one has ventured into that territory, especially with the trendy '3D' boards that are surfacing. I love the hex key layout that I built on my ipad but zero tactile feedback means I have to keep an eye on the playing hand at all times.toneburst
the push is great but I don’t use Live yet