The best thing about Launch Control XL is that it has faders. The best thing about Launch Control is that it doesn’t — and fits into a small space. It really is that simple, if contradictory, thanks to intelligent features shared between the two.
And this looks really handy for all kinds of applications — not just controlling your DAW, but getting hands on synths, sound design, custom interactions, and live visual applications, too.
So yeah, you could watch some long video about this, but — Launch Control is compact, so maybe I can be, too! I’ll be honest, while I love Launch Control XL, it does need to vie with other cool things for that rare commodity — desk space. So Novation has built the same functionality into the little sibling here.
(I have been using Launch Control XL since before its release; I haven’t gotten my hands on the little one, but every function is the same, with only the minor differences I detail below.)
What you’ve got:
- OLED display for feedback
- 16 endless encoders — a single LED gives you feedback (rather than a ring, etc.)
- 8 assignable buttons (think Solo, Arm, Mute, or Select tracks in DAW mode, but also assignable there or in other tools)
- MIDI in, out, and out2/thru — and full standalone operation (so you’re not tethered to a computer)
- USB-C and class-compliant MIDI drivers for connecting to all computer-like devices
Other than that, you have all the integration you’d want: Mackie HUI as a common denominator (which supports just about anything), plus specific integration with Ableton Live, Logic Pro, FL Studio, Cubase, and Bitwig Studio.
And you can store up to seven Custom Modes.
There’s also a surprisingly interesting software bundle, as in “things you might like to use,” in addition to the started DAW tools in case you’re buying this for a newbie (as a gift, for instance). That’s Ableton Live Lite and Cubase LE, Klevgrand’s Fosfat, Baby Audio’s Parallel Aggressor, and Output’s Movement.
What do you give up? That extra row of assignable buttons and the nine faders (plus you can store more modes).
This is just really well done. There are people who want knobs instead of encoders, or different arrangements of encoders, or a different form factor — and those devices all exist. But Launch Control overnight becomes the little encoder box to beat.
Unless you want faders. And then XL.
See, somehow the XL even seems nicer now that there’s a choice (and visa versa). And I’m also happy this isn’t overly cheap. Both Launch Control devices are affordable but feel really solid, and the encoders and buttons are each a delight. And I think that’s what you want, not only for the environment, but so you actually build a relationship with it. This might be the twisty controller we’ve been waiting for since the Evolution UC-33e, even, for my elderly audience!
Pricing: US$169.99, £129.99, €126,04 — US pricing can always change because of the volatile state of US trade policy.
https://novationmusic.com/launch-control
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