Novation Launchkey 88 MK3 MIDI Keyboard Controller

About: Novation Launchkey 88 MK3 MIDI Keyboard Controller

Launchkey 88 is a premium semi-weighted keybed and has tight DAW integration that makes creating songs feel great. Expand your musical vocabulary with inspirational creative tools and make music without limits.

Play expressively

Launchkey 88 feels great. Made for expressive performance, our premium semi-weighted keybed is set apart from the rest of the Launchkey range, optimised for a responsive feel and tactile feedback. Designed for the player, Launchkey 88 is set up to capture every detail.

Intuitive Integration

Get more out of your favourite DAW with dedicated and seamless integration. You’ll have intuitive control of all the key production and performance functionality in Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Cubase and more, as well as essential mixer, transport and navigation controls for all other major DAWs including Studio One, Pro Tools and Reaper, via HUI.

Say more with your music

Transform your sound with creative features. Three Chord Modes let you trigger complex chords with one finger. Scale mode makes sure you always hit the right note. Combine modes to take your music in new directions, discover ideas effortlessly, and stay inspired.

No computer needed

Launchkey works standalone, so you can play any instrument with feeling – with or without a computer. The Arpeggiator, Scale and Chord Modes, and Custom Modes can bring any MIDI-compatible hardware to life.

Arpeggiator

Explore new ideas and get melodies moving fast with a powerful arpeggiator. Use Strum Mode to play through your arpeggio using the mod wheel.

Play anything

Connect the full-size five-pin MIDI output to your favourite synths and hardware. Use Novation Components to configure four Custom Modes to take control of your studio however you want.

Included Software

Launchkey 88’s comprehensive software bundle gives you everything you need to kickstart your compositions and elevate your music production.

• Ableton Live Lite - The renowned electronic music creation software, with seamless Launchkey integration. With effects, instruments, sounds and all kinds of creative features included – everything you need to make any kind of music.
• XLN Audio Addictive Keys - Add great sounding piano to your tracks with the Studio Grand, based on the iconic Steinway® Model D. Plug in and play; you’ll be instantly transported to a professional recording studio set up to capture this beautiful piano. 
• AAS Session Bundle - Essential sounds for your tracks: Lounge Lizard’s authentic classic electric piano tones; Strum Session’s acoustic and electric guitar sounds; Ultra Analog Session’s easy-to-use, huge synth sounds.
• Spitfire Audio LABS Expressive Strings - Exclusive to Launchkey: get immediately expressive and realistic strings sounds. Control release, delay and reverb or fade in experimental warped layers to add colour to your tracks and scores.
• Klevgrand R0Verb - A hybrid between a simple reverb and a very complex delay in an easy-to-use plug-in. Design your own reverbs and put your sounds in their own unique space.
• Klevgrand DAW Cassette - Bring your sound back to the golden age of cassette tapes, with an accurate recreation of saturation, distortion, noise and wobble.

Features

• Play expressively - Express your sound and get closer to your music. Designed to capture every nuance, Launchkey 88’s premium semi-weighted keys and 16 velocity-sensitive pads allow you to play with feeling.
• Work seamlessly, stay focused - Step away from the computer and stay focused on creativity and expression. Get immediate access to all the controls you need with deep integration across all leading DAWs.
• Get melodies moving - A powerful arpeggiator takes you to new melodic, harmonic, and rhythmic places, and Strum mode lets you hold down notes and strum chords to unlock more creative ideas.
• Get creative with chords - Three Chord Modes (Fixed, Scale and User) let you trigger chords with one finger.
• Never lose an idea - Keep creativity going with one-touch access to Capture MIDI functionality in Ableton, Capture Recording functionality in Logic, and Retrospective MIDI Record functionality in Cubase.
• Always hit the right note - Choose from eight scales and transpose the keys and pads to the available notes.
• Control anything MIDI - Five-pin MIDI output works with any MIDI-compatible device so you can take control of your studio gear.
• Make Launchkey your own - Four Custom Modes enable you to create unique control setups for any performance or studio rig.
• Shape your sound - Tweak instruments and effects to perfection using eight rotary encoders and nine 45mm faders.

Specifications

• Hardware
  • 88 note semi-weighted keybed with adjustable velocity curves
  • 16 velocity-sensitive pads with polyphonic aftertouch
  • 9 faders with pickup
  • 8 pots with pickup
  • 9 fader buttons
  • Transport controls
  • MIDI DIN output
  • 2 x 16 character screen
  • USB socket
  • Kensington lock
• Comprehensive DAW Integration:
  • Script integration for Ableton, Logic, Cubase, Reason.
  • HUI integration for other DAWs including Pro Tools, Reaper, Studio One etc.
  • Take control of volume, pan, sends, record, play, drum play, transpose, MIDI channel, program change and assign custom mapping.
• Seamless Integration With Ableton Live:
  • Volume, Pan, Sends A/Sends B, Device Parameters.
  • Record, play, stop and loop buttons.
  • Play and navigate the drum rack, using the pads and LED feedback.
  • Track and scene navigation.
  • Select your device to control within a track and lock the assignment.
  • Capture MIDI.
  • Quantize.
  • Click on/off.
  • Undo.
  • Two rows of clip launchers.
  • Stop/solo/mute tracks.
  • Scene launch.
  • Scene navigation.
  • Select and arm tracks.
• Scales
  • Quantise the keys to a selected scale, so you always stay in key.
  • Choose from 8 included scale types.
  • Combines with scale chord mode to help the user explore new musical ideas.
• Chords
  • 3 chord modes total.
  • 1 chord mode triggered by the keys.
  • Fixed chord mode: Choose the chord notes then play this chord starting from any key as the root note. Lock these chords in key by combining with Scale Mode.
  • 2 chord modes triggered by the pads to enable simultaneous playing with the keys. Emitted on separate MIDI channel to the keyboard, to control multiple instruments at once.
  • Scale chord mode: generates a bank of chords based on the selected scale, including triads, 7ths, 9ths and 6/9ths.
  • User chord mode: allows the user to create a bank of 16 custom assigned chords.
• Arpeggiator
  • Up, down, up/down, played, random, chord and mutate modes.
  • Strum mode to trigger the arpeggiator with the mod wheel.
  • Set the rate to 1/4, 1/8, 1/16, 1/32 and all associated triplets.
  • Set the octave range to 1, 2, 3, or 4.
  • Control the degree of mutation to increase the melodic complexity of the arpeggio.
  • Control rate, octave, range, swing, rhythm and gate.
  • Use random rhythms or deviate to sweep through 128 different arpeggio rhythms.
• Custom MIDI Mapping
  • Create Custom Modes for MIDI control, using Novation Components.
  • Select custom colours for the pads.
  • Store 4 custom modes each for the pots, pads and sliders.
  • Mix and match custom modes for each control area.
• System Requirements
  • To check that your computer's operating system (OS) is compatible with the Novation Launchkey 88 MK3, consult the Novation web site.
• Power Requirements
  • USB bus powered
    • Power supply not included
• Dimensions (HxWxD) -  288 x 1270 x 87mm (11.34 x 50 x 3.43 in)
• Weight -  8.2 kg (18.08 lb)

What's in the Box

• Novation Launchkey 88 MK3
• USB A to B Cable
• Safety information sheet