I use to spend plenty of time trying to be precise with volume knobs in Ableton, but using a hardware controller can really make a difference.Īll described functions are included as a part of a main factory preset. Faders are actually the hardware version of the faders you have in Ableton Live, so controlling volume is now a much more enjoyable thing.
The third row is for panning – same procedure: first eight tracks already present, then for more press track select. Sounds a bit tricky, but after spending first five minutes banging the knobs, buttons and faders, you will get there. There are no problems if you have more send effects additional sends could be added with send select knobs. The first row is for a first send effect and second for a second one. If you want to include additional tracks, it is just a click away with a track select knob. The first sixteen buttons, or the two upper rows of buttons, to be precise, control the send volumes for first eight tracks. Then there are eight sliders and sixteen buttons at the bottom along with a vertical row of command buttons at the right, aimed at some general actions, like switching between user and factory mode, send select buttons, track selection along with device, mute, solo and record arm buttons. Launch Control XL has twenty four knobs (three rows with eight knobs). It is really plug and play and not plug and pray as sometimes can happen. The second thing that impressed me was that Ableton Live instantly recognized Launch Control XL without any additional setup procedures or similar gymnastics. Ah, memories … there is no such weapon as a Yamaha DX7 – you can actually kill someone with it – solid and heavy, almost like a sword. After all, it is a controller – a truly old school controller – one that can be bashed on the head of a drunken intruder at a concert and not like those new controllers that can’t hurt anyone. But being so solidly built, I can easily understand that price policy. Even the USB cable is big and massive.Īt first I thought “why the hell this should cost so much?”, a piece of plastic for almost €200 EUR. Knobs are really solid and you need to even apply some minimal force to move them, so it is very easy to apply exact values without having troubles going too far in any direction as it is the case with too-loose knobs that we get on some products. The whole thing is middle-weight, not being so light that can be easily blown off the table. Actually, it is built like musical equipment from 80s, from the time before various manufacturer applied cheap, tin, and shabby plastic that is so prevalent in all new products sharing the same qualities with the era we are living now. It was pretty big controller, but far more firm than most of the plastic musical toys that I’ve played with during last ten of fifteen years. I was expecting a fragile peace of plastic and was surprised at what came to my doorstep. Could all those knobs, buttons and sliders become a hardware version of your DAW? LaunchControl XL – a new controller from Novation.
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