Novation

ManualsBrandsNovation ManualsComputer AudioLaunchpad Mini MK3 64-Pad MIDI Grid Controller for Ableton Live

ovation’s Ableton

Live Launchpad

grid controllers

have been

massively popular

and that success

has spawned a

number of updates and variants with

differing price-tags. At £100 the

latest ‘mini’ incarnation (Mk3) is

very affordable and continues the

tradition of the Session View-ready

8x8 backlit launcher.

Out of the box it’s surprisingly

compact (a few mm smaller than the

Mk2) and visually at least looks like

a scaled-down Launchpad X.

Construction is solid and the

rubberised base keeps it stable.

Connectivity is via a USB C socket

and alongside this there’s also a

Kensington MiniSaver security slot.

The Mini Mk3 is USB bus-

powered and there’s no low-power

mode like there is on the Mini Mk2,

so older iPad users need the latest

Apple Camera Connection Kit, which

incorporates pass-through power.

There is also a programmer mode for

those who want to control the pad

colours remotely via MIDI. To get you

started, Mini Mk3 ships with Ableton

Live 10 Lite, a two-month trial for

Splice, and add-on software from

Softube, Klevgrand, XLN Audio and

Sound Collective.

InNovations

In terms of new features, two things

stand out. Firstly, the Mk3 now

includes RGB colour matching pads,

so you have a really accurate

representation of what you see in

your Live Session. Secondly, and in

addition to the Live Session layout,

there are three Custom layouts. Two

of these (Drums and Keys) are

preconﬁ gured as drum grids and a

chromatic keyboard respectively, and

the third (User) is blank. However,

all three can be edited using

Novation’s Components app.

Designed to support a range of

Novation devices and act as a

settings librarian, the app works

either in a browser (Chrome or

Opera) or in standalone form. If you

opt for the browser mode you can

also launch it from the mass storage

device folder that appears on your

computer desktop when you plug up

the Launchpad – a nice touch.

Components has a number of

widgets including unipolar and

bipolar faders (horizontal and

aftertouch, are important in

differentiating Launchpad Mini Mk3

from the Launchpad X, and although

I understand this need, there’s no

way to disguise the fact the Mk3 has

lost some of the Mk2’s functionality.

Even so, on the upside, the Mini

Mk3 is a much more customisable

MIDI controller, and in many ways

offers an overall slicker user

experience than its predecessor.

vertical), chromatic and scale

speciﬁ c keyboards, 4x4 drum grid,

MIDI note button, MIDI CC button

and MIDI Program Change. Each has

selectable MIDI channel, CC, value

and colour settings, and widgets can

be freely combined as long as they

ﬁ t within the 8x8 grid.

The Mini Mk3 has some further

changes, most notably the reworked

right-hand side perimeter buttons.

The top seven are dedicated Scene

launchers, while the bottom one

activates Stop/Solo/Mute

functionality across the bottom grid

row, for instant solo and mute.

Missing the Mk

What you won’t ﬁ nd is a mixer option

or a way to record arm tracks

(features that are available on the

Mini Mk2 and the Launchpad X)

and, although you can create some

of these functions via MIDI in

Custom mode, it’s not quite the

same thing. These aspects, alongside

the lack of pad velocity and

THE PROS & CONS

Incredibly compact

RGB backlit pads for

clear visual

integration with

Ableton Live’s

Session View

Customisable

MIDI functionality

No dedicated

Ableton Live

mixer option

Pads aren’t velocity

sensitive or

aftertouch capable

Older iPads will need

an additional power

source to provide

enough bus power

FM VERDICT

8.8

It’d be easy to criticise this

for what it doesn’t do, but

this super-compact, tactile

entry-level launcher still has

plenty to offer