An affordable bank of faders and controls is so sought-after that Novation could have just slightly refreshed Launch Control XL to some applause. But XL 3 does more than that: it’s a fully fleshed-out update with deeper control, more buttons and transport, more customization, a display, and now full-sized 5-pin MIDI I/O.
I’ll keep this quick: the Launch Control XL 3 is the workhorse announcement of this week’s Superbooth show in Berlin, but it’s also the device that might be most useful to the most people. Check the specs:
- 24 endless encoders (3 rows of 8)
- 128×64 OLED display
- Eight 60mm faders (sold on these)
- Fader pickup mode and customization
- 16 assignable buttons
- Dedicated play/stop, record, track navigation buttons
- Two page buttons and two function buttons
- MIDI over USB-C and 5-pin MIDI in, out, and second out/thru
- 15 custom modes stored on the device
- Support out of the box for Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio, Cubase, and more (Bitwig has one, too)
- Bundled software: Klevgrand Fosfat, Baby Audio Parallel Aggressor, Output Movement, and the inescapable Ableton Live Lite*
All in under 1kg and less than 250mm square.
That bundle is nothing to sneeze at; I’ve used all those plug-ins and they’re great. (I, uh, meant to someday figure out a Fosfat review, I swear, but hadn’t quite worked out what to say. It’s a fascinating take on transient processing. Maybe I’ll get a new handle on it with some hardware control.)
I have a pre-production unit in hand now, with some minor details I’m told have been improved on the final run. (That’s me in the pictures, of course! Okay… it’s not. But trust me.) What I do have is the final faders, and they feel smooth and solid and have a nice, long throw. The stiffer buttons may not win over everyone, but I’m pretty happy with them. And you just get so many controls here. The one tradeoff is you have just single LEDs for the encoders – and I’m sure some people wanted knobs rather than encoders. (I’m as eager to argue the religious debate between knobs and encoders as I am to lecture the new pope on transubstantiation.)
But come on. You get three rows of encoders on top of programmable buttons and transport and a decent little display and faders. My splurge controller is that new Melbourne Instruments Roto-Control, but the family sedan – it’s a must-buy at this price – replace an old fader box you’ve beat up – controller money is on this.
And as on Launchkey, customization could really be the strong suit – now with Custom Modes via Novation Components, the company’s Web-based interface. (That API all works via MIDI, too, meaning it’ll be open to developers.)
In addition to extensive out-of-box support, expect custom modes via browser or MIDI directly – fully open to developers, future-proofed and driverless.
I don’t want to get ahead of myself; I’m updating firmware and trying out in-progress controller support. But the specs look great, and it feels terrific in person. (Any requests for controller scripts? Give a shout!)
Adding to the fun, Novation had a custom Max patch set up so the Launch Control XL could play a ton of Novation synths live, sequencing the booth.
https://novationmusic.com/products/launch-control-xl
US pricing, of course, is uncertain, but currently set at $249.
EUR with VAT is around 229 (depending on country).
Preorders now, shipping in June, review coming once I’m confident the firmware and scripts are finished-ish.
