Novation Launchpad Pro MK3 User manual

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Caution:

The normal operation of this product may be affected by a strong electrostatic discharge (ESD).

In the event of this happening, simply reset the unit by removing and then replugging the USB

cable. Normal operation should return.

Trade Marks

The Novation trade mark is owned by Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd. All other brand, product and

company names and any other registered names or trade marks mentioned in this manual belong to

their respective owners.

Disclaimer

Novation has taken all possible steps to ensure that the information given here is both correct and

complete. In no event can Novation accept any liability or responsibility for any loss or damage to the

owner of the equipment, any third party, or any equipment which may result from use of this manual

or the equipment which it describes. The information provided in this document may be modified

at any time without prior warning. Specifications and appearance may differ from those listed and

illustrated.

Novation is a registered trade mark of Focusrite Audio Engineering Limited. Launchpad Pro is a trade

mark of Focusrite Audio Engineering Plc.

Novation

Tel: +44 1494 462246

A division of Focusrite Audio Engineering Ltd.

Windsor House, Turnpike Road

Cressex Business Park , High Wycombe

Buckinghamshire , HP12 3FX

Fax: +44 1494 459920

e-mail: sales@novationmusic.com

Web: www.novationmusic.com

United Kingdom

Contents

1. Introduction ..........................................................................................................................6

1.1 Launchpad Pro Key Features ....................................................................................................6

1.2 In the Box .................................................................................................................................7

2. Getting Up and Running .......................................................................................................7

2.1.1 If you’re on a Mac: ...............................................................................................................................................................7

2.1.2 If you’re on Windows: .........................................................................................................................................................8

2.2 Launchpad Intro ......................................................................................................................9

2.3 Ableton Live ...........................................................................................................................10

2.4 Using with Other Software .....................................................................................................10

2.5 Using Standalone ...................................................................................................................10

2.6 Having Trouble? .....................................................................................................................10

3. Hardware Overview............................................................................................................11

4. Launchpad Pro Interface .....................................................................................................12

4.1 Modes ....................................................................................................................................12

4.2 Shift ........................................................................................................................................13

5. Session Mode ......................................................................................................................14

5.1 Ableton Live’s Session View ...................................................................................................14

5.2 Session Overview ...................................................................................................................16

5.3 Clip Functions ........................................................................................................................16

5.3.1 Select a clip or empty clip slot .........................................................................................................................................16

5.3.2 Clear a clip .........................................................................................................................................................................17

5.3.5 Quantise a clip ...................................................................................................................................................................17

5.4 Track Controls .........................................................................................................................18

5.4.1 Record Arm ........................................................................................................................................................................19

5.4.2 Mute ...................................................................................................................................................................................19

5.4.3 Solo .....................................................................................................................................................................................19

5.4.4 Volume ...............................................................................................................................................................................19

5.4.5 Pan ......................................................................................................................................................................................19

5.4.6 Send ...................................................................................................................................................................................19

5.4.7 Device.................................................................................................................................................................................19

5.4.8 Stop Clip ............................................................................................................................................................................19

5.4.9 Fader orientation ...............................................................................................................................................................20

5.5 Record Arm & Recording .......................................................................................................20

5.6 Production Controls ...............................................................................................................20

5.6.1 Undo ...................................................................................................................................................................................21

5.6.2 Redo ...................................................................................................................................................................................21

5.6.3 Tap (Tap Tempo) ................................................................................................................................................................21

5.6.4 Click (metronome) .............................................................................................................................................................21

5.7 Momentary View Switching ....................................................................................................21

6. Note mode ..........................................................................................................................22

6.1 Overview ................................................................................................................................22

6.2 Chromatic Mode ....................................................................................................................22

6.3 Scale Mode ............................................................................................................................23

6.4 Note Mode Settings ...............................................................................................................24

6.5 Overlap...................................................................................................................................25

6.6 Drum Mode ............................................................................................................................26

7. Chord Mode ........................................................................................................................27

7.1 Overview ................................................................................................................................27

7.2 Triads ......................................................................................................................................27

7.3 The Note Area ........................................................................................................................27

7.4 Saving Chords & Playing them back ......................................................................................28

7.5 Sustain control ........................................................................................................................28

8. Custom Modes ....................................................................................................................29

8.1 Overview ................................................................................................................................29

8.2 Default Custom Modes ..........................................................................................................29

8.3 Custom Mode Master MIDI Channel .....................................................................................30

8.4 Setting up a Custom Mode ....................................................................................................31

8.5 Lighting Pads with external MIDI ...........................................................................................32

9. Sequencer ...........................................................................................................................33

9.1 Sequencer Overview ..............................................................................................................33

9.2 Steps View .............................................................................................................................33

9.2.1 Using the Play Area ...........................................................................................................................................................33

9.2.2 Assigning to steps .............................................................................................................................................................34

9.2.3 Clearing steps ...................................................................................................................................................................34

9.2.4 Duplicating steps ..............................................................................................................................................................34

9.2.5 Playback .............................................................................................................................................................................35

9.2.6 Recording into the sequencer ..........................................................................................................................................35

9.2.7 Setting gate length ...........................................................................................................................................................35

9.2.8 Using multiple sequencer tracks ......................................................................................................................................36

9.2.9 Using the Sequencer with Ableton Live ..........................................................................................................................36

9.3 Patterns View ..........................................................................................................................37

9.3.1 Chaining Patterns .............................................................................................................................................................38

9.3.2 Queuing Patterns ..............................................................................................................................................................38

9.3.3 Clearing a Pattern .............................................................................................................................................................38

9.3.4 Duplicating a Pattern ........................................................................................................................................................38

9.3.5 Instant Pattern Change .....................................................................................................................................................38

9.4 Scenes ....................................................................................................................................39

9.4.1 Assigning to Scenes ..........................................................................................................................................................39

9.4.2 Chaining Scenes ................................................................................................................................................................39

9.4.3 Queuing Scenes ................................................................................................................................................................39

9.4.4 Clearing a Scene ...............................................................................................................................................................40

9.5 Pattern Settings ......................................................................................................................40

9.5.1 Pattern Sync Rate ..............................................................................................................................................................40

9.5.2 Pattern Playback Direction ...............................................................................................................................................41

9.5.3 Pattern start and end points .............................................................................................................................................42

9.6 Velocity ...................................................................................................................................42

9.6.1 Step Velocity edit ..............................................................................................................................................................42

9.6.2 Live Recording with Velocity .............................................................................................................................................43

9.7 Probability .............................................................................................................................43

9.7.1 Editing Step Probability ....................................................................................................................................................43

9.7.2 Printing Probability ............................................................................................................................................................44

9.8 Mutation .................................................................................................................................45

9.8.1 Editing Step Mutation .......................................................................................................................................................45

9.8.2 Printing Mutation ..............................................................................................................................................................45

9.9 Micro Steps ............................................................................................................................46

9.9.1 Editing Micro Steps ...........................................................................................................................................................46

9.9.2 Clearing micro steps ........................................................................................................................................................46

9.9.3 Duplicating steps ..............................................................................................................................................................46

9.10 Tempo and Swing .................................................................................................................47

9.10.1 Editing Tempo and Swing ..............................................................................................................................................47

9.11 Print to Clip ..........................................................................................................................48

9.12 Projects .................................................................................................................................49

9.12.1 Saving your Sequencer Project ......................................................................................................................................49

9.12.2 Backing up your Projects ................................................................................................................................................49

9.13 Sequencer Settings .............................................................................................................50

9.13.1 Accessing Sequencer Settings .......................................................................................................................................50

9.13.2 Track Types .......................................................................................................................................................................50

9.13.3 Root Select/Scale Viewer ................................................................................................................................................50

9.13.4 Selecting the Scale ..........................................................................................................................................................51

9.13.5 Setting MIDI Channel ....................................................................................................................................................51

10. Setup ................................................................................................................................52

10.1 Setup Menu ..........................................................................................................................52

10.2 LED Settings .........................................................................................................................52

10.3 Velocity Settings ...................................................................................................................53

10.4 Aftertouch Settings ..............................................................................................................54

10.5 MIDI Settings ........................................................................................................................55

10.6 Fader Settings ......................................................................................................................56

10.7 Live and Programmer Mode ................................................................................................57

10.8 Bootloader Menu .................................................................................................................58

A. Appendix ............................................................................................................................59

A.1 Default MIDI mappings ..........................................................................................................59

A.1.1 Custom 1 ........................................................................................................................................................................... 59

A.1.2 Custom 2 ........................................................................................................................................................................... 60

A.1.3 Custom 3 ........................................................................................................................................................................... 60

A.1.4 Custom 4 ........................................................................................................................................................................... 61

A.1.5 Custom 5 ........................................................................................................................................................................... 61

A.1.6 Custom 6 ........................................................................................................................................................................... 62

A.1.7 Custom 7 ........................................................................................................................................................................... 62

A.1.8 Custom 8 ........................................................................................................................................................................... 63

A.1.9 Programmer Mode ........................................................................................................................................................... 63

A.2 Overlap Layouts .....................................................................................................................64

A.1.1 Overlap - 5 Finger ............................................................................................................................................................. 64

A.1.2 Overlap - 4 Finger ............................................................................................................................................................. 65

A.1.3 Overlap – Sequential ........................................................................................................................................................ 66

1. Introduction

Launchpad Pro is our most powerful grid controller for producing: both in Ableton Live and with your

hardware. It gives you everything you need to create and perform your tracks.

Launchpad Pro is the perfect beating heart of your studio. Use the powerful 32-step sequencer to

create tracks with your hardware and software and create evolving and intricate sequences with

probability and mutation. Get complete control of your studio with Custom Modes and send MIDI to

your hardware via the two MIDI out ports.

Launchpad Pro will allow you to quickly lay down expressive beats, play intricate melodies and launch

Ableton Live clips with the 64 velocity and pressure sensitive pads. Every control is RGB backlit, so

you know exactly which clips you’re launching, which notes you’re playing, or which steps you’re

sequencing.

Launchpad Pro is a fully standalone unit that doesn’t require a computer to operate. Simply plug in

Launchpad Pro with the included wall plug directly to the USB-C port.

This manual will help you to understand every feature of your new Launchpad Pro and show you how

you can use it to push your production and performance to the next level.

1.1 Launchpad Pro Key Features

• Our deepest Ableton Live Integration: play,

record and produce your tracks, all without

touching your mouse

• 64 super-sensitive RGB pads: large velocity

and pressure sensitive pads for playing your

sounds expressively

• Powerful four-track sequencer: 32 step

patterns, scenes for arrangement, and

probability and mutation controls to keep

your tracks evolving

• Chord mode: easily explore, build, save and

• Dynamic Note and Scale modes: effortlessly

play perfectly in-key basslines, melodies,

chords and leads. Launchpad Pro even

knows when you’re drumming and shows

your drum rack on the grid

• MIDI In, Out 1, Out 2/Thru: Control anything

MIDI in your studio directly from Launchpad

Pro

• Eight Custom Modes: use Novation

Components to customise MIDI mappings

for your unique performance needs

play complex chords straight from the grid

and quickly find new harmonies

1.2 In the Box

• Launchpad Pro

• USB-C to USB-A cable

• USB-C to USB-C cable

• USB-A power adapter

• 3x TRS Minijack to DIN MIDI Adapter

2. Getting Up and Running

We’ve made getting up and running with Launchpad Pro as easy as possible, whether you’re a brand

new beatmaker or a seasoned producer. Our Easy Start Tool provides a step-by-step guide on getting

set up that is tailored to your needs, whether you’ve never made music before or you just want to

download your included software.

To access the Easy Start Tool, first plug in your Launchpad Pro.

2.1.1 If you’re on a Mac:

1. On your Desktop find and open the folder “LAUNCHPAD”.

2. Inside the folder, click the link: “Click Here to Get Started.html”

3. You’ll be taken to the Easy Start Tool where we’ll get you set up.

2.1.1.A – Plug in Launchpad Pro to find the LAUNCHPAD folder on your desktop

Alternatively, if you have Google Chrome open upon plugging in Launchpad Pro, a pop-up will appear

that will take you straight to the easy start tool.

2.1.1.B – Easy Start Tool pop-up upon plugging in Launchpad Pro

2.1.2 If you’re on Windows:

1. Press the Start button and type “This PC”, then press enter.

2. In This PC, find the drive: “Launchpad Pro”, and double click.

Inside the drive, click the link: “Click Here to Get Started.html” 4. You’ll be taken to the Easy Start

Tool where we’ll get you set up.

2.1.2.A – Open the Launchpad Pro drive to view its contents

2.1.2.B – Click “Click Here To Get Started” to go straight to the Easy

Start Tool

2.2 Launchpad Intro

If you’re brand new to Launchpads, Launchpad Intro is a great place to start. Choose from a variety

of curated packs from Ampify Music and start performing immediately. Your Launchpad Pro will match

the on-screen grid - press pads to launch loops and one-shots to build up your track.

To get there, plug your Launchpad Pro into your computer and visit intro.novationmusic.com/. Your

Launchpad Pro will be automatically detected and you’ll immediately be able to play beats using our

curated packs.

Warning: To access Launchpad Intro, you must use a WebMIDI enabled browser. We recommend

Google Chrome or Opera.

2.2.A – Launchpad Intro

2.3 Ableton Live

Ableton Live (often referred to as Live) is a unique and powerful piece of software for music creation.

Ableton Live 10 Lite is provided with your Launchpad Pro, which gives you all the tools you’ll need

to get started with making your own music. Launchpad Pro’s Session Mode is designed to control

Ableton Live’s Session View.

If you’ve never used Ableton Live before, we recommend visiting our Easy Start Tool (see 2. Getting

up and Running) which will walk you through registering your Launchpad Pro and getting your

included copy of Ableton Live 10. You’ll also find videos covering Ableton Live’s core features and

how to get started with making music using your Launchpad Pro.

When you open Live your Launchpad Pro will be automatically detected and it will enter Session

Mode.

More resources on using Ableton Live’s many functions may be found on Ableton’s site at:

www.ableton.com/en/live/learn-live/.

You may register your Launchpad Pro and obtain your Ableton Live 10 Lite license at:

customer.novationmusic.com/register.

2.4 Using with Other Software

If you’re using other music production software, visit support.novationmusic.com for more information

on how to set up your Launchpad Pro. Keep in mind that the information displayed in Session Mode

and Note Mode may vary depending on which software you are using.

2.5 Using Standalone

To use Launchpad Pro standalone, plug the unit in via the included wall-plug with the USB-A to USB-C

cable. Use the included TRS Minijack to DIN MIDI adapters, along with a MIDI cable, to connect to

your external hardware. The Sequencer, Custom Modes, Note Mode, Chord Mode and Programmer

Mode will all send out MIDI data via the MIDI Out ports.

2.6 Having Trouble?

In case you’re having any trouble getting setup, don’t hesitate to contact our support team! You can

find more information and answers to FAQs in the Novation Help Centre at support.novationmusic.

com.

3. Hardware Overview

Access to Shift functions

Custom Mode Standalone Sequencer Sequencer Projects

8x8 Pad grid Scene Launch & Sequencer Buttons

Navigational buttons Note Mode

Ableton Track ControlsTrack Select Buttons

Session

Navigational buttons

Record & Capture MIDIPlay

Chord Mode

Setup

USB-C Socket

MIDI In, Out 1, Out2/Thru on standard TRS Minijack

4. Launchpad Pro Interface

4.1 Modes

Modes are the core of the Launchpad Pro interface. They allow you to switch between views, offering

different functionality in each.

There are five different modes available – Session, Note, Chord, Custom and Sequencer.

4.1.A – Launchpad Pro’s Mode buttons

Press a mode button (above) to enter the respective mode. The currently active mode will be lit pale

green. Currently available modes will be lit white.

Additionally, Projects gives you access to your saved sequencer projects. The Projects page is treated

as a sub-mode of Sequencer.

There are 8 Custom modes available on Launchpad Pro. Custom Modes allow you to control your

hardware and software via MIDI (see 8. Custom Modes for more information). When the Custom

button is pressed you will enter the last Custom Mode used (Custom Mode 1 by default). Access each

of the 8 Custom Modes by pressing the Track Select buttons after the Custom button is pressed. The

Custom Mode lit in pale green is selected, while available ones will be lit dim white. Using Novation

Components, you are able to edit these eight modes and customise them to your needs (see Custom

Modes).

4.2 Shift

Shift is a consistent control throughout Launchpad Pro [MK3]. Shift functions can be identified by

the small text on the bottom of relevant buttons – see below, where Save is the shift function for the

Projects button.

4.2.A – The Projects button has Save as its Shift function

When Shift is held, available functions will be lit gold, while unavailable functions will be unlit. Toggle

functions that are accessed with Shift (Record Quantise, Continue and Click) will be lit red when

disabled, or green when enabled.

Available functions vary by mode. For example, Save is only available to press when in Sequencer

Mode.

5. Session Mode

5.1 Ableton Live’s Session View

Session mode is designed to control Ableton Live’s Session view, seen below.

If you’ve never used Ableton Live before, we recommend visiting our Easy Start Tool (see page 5).

Here you’ll find your included Ableton Live 10 Lite download code (if you choose to register your

Launchpad Pro), alongside videos covering installing, the software’s basic features, and how to get

started making music with your Launchpad Pro in Ableton Live.

Session view is a grid that consists of clips, tracks (columns) and scenes (rows).

Session mode provides an 8x8 view of your clips in Session view on Launchpad Pro.

Clips are typically loops that contain MIDI notes or audio.

Tracks represent virtual instruments or audio tracks. MIDI clips placed on instrument tracks will play

back on the instrument that is assigned to that track.

Scenes are rows of clips. Launching a scene will launch all clips in that row. This means that you can

arrange clips into horizontal groups (across tracks) to form a song structure, launching scene after

scene to progress through a song.

A row

Clip

The yellow

column shows a

track, titled “1

Rhodes”

represents

a scene,

highlighted

is scene “9”

The ▲▼◄ ► buttons let you navigate session view. The outline in the Session View grid shows the

area currently visible on Launchpad Pro.

• Press a pad to play the corresponding clip in Ableton. The colour will match between the screen and

pads.

• When a pad is pressed it will flash green, indicating that the clip is queued and will soon begin to

play. When a clip is playing, the pad will pulse green.

• Only one clip may play at a time per track. Pressing an empty clip will stop the current one on that

track.

• A horizontal line of clips is called a Scene. Scenes can be triggered using the > (scene launch)

buttons on the right-hand side of Launchpad Pro.

5.1.B – Session View seen in Ableton Live and on Launchpad Pro

When a track is record armed, you may use the Session Record button [O] to enable overdub

recording of the currently playing clip.

5.1.C – The Session Record Button, which has Capture MIDI as its shift function

Press Shift and Session Record to access Ableton Live’s Capture MIDI function. Live 10 is always

listening to MIDI input on armed or input-monitored tracks andcapture MIDI lets you retrieve the

material you’ve just played on those tracks. If no clip was playing on the armed track, Ableton Live

will place the MIDI notes into a new clip. If a clip was playing, the MIDI notes will be overdubbed onto

that clip.

Press the Play button to play the currently active clips while they are stopped. Press Play during

playback and playback will stop.

5.2 Session Overview

Access Session Overview by holding Session when in Session Mode. This will display a zoomed-out

version of the Session view grid, with each pad representing an 8x8 block of clips. Pressing a pad

will navigate to that 8x8 block, providing a fast way to navigate large Live sets. Alternatively, the

navigational arrow buttons may be used to navigate the Session Overview.

The currently viewed 8x8 block will be lit light brown, while other blocks are blue. If a clip is playing in

a block that is not being viewed, the block will pulse green.

5.3 Clip Functions

Beyond launching and stopping clips, Launchpad Pro provides additional clip functionality that’s great

for production in Live.

5.3.1 Select a clip or empty clip slot

To select a clip without Launching it, hold shift and press the clip. This also works for empty clip slots.

Notice in Live that the selected clip and track will change, and it will become the focused clip. This is

useful for choosing a location to print clips to from the sequencer.

5.3.2 Clear a clip

Hold clear and press a clip on the 8x8 grid to clear it, deleting it from the Session View grid.

If in Note Mode, pressing Clear will instantly clear the currently selected clip.

5.3.3 Duplicate a clip

Hold duplicate and press a clip on the 8x8 grid to copy it to the clip slot below. This will overwrite

existing clips.

If in Note Mode, pressing Duplicate will instantly duplicate the currently selected clip and select the

newly created duplicate. This is useful when you want to create a new clip that is a variation on a

previous one.

5.3.4 Double a clip’s length

Double may be used to double a clip’s length. For example, a 2-bar clip becomes 4 bars.

• In Session Mode, hold Shift and Duplicate then press a pad to double the corresponding clip’s

length.

• If a clip is selected and playing in either Note or Device Mode, one press of Duplicate while holding

the Shift button will double clip length.

If in Note Mode, pressing Double will instantly double the currently selected clip. This is useful if you

want to create a variation of a loop and overdub it.

5.3.5 Quantise a clip

Hold quantise and press a clip on the 8x8 grid to quantise its contents. The MIDI notes in the clip will

be snapped to the grid to the closest 16th note interval.

5.3.6 Record Quantise

With Record Quantise enabled, any recorded MIDI will be automatically quantised to the grid with the

current quantisation setting.

Hold shift to see if Record Quantise is enabled or disabled. If the Quantise button is lit red, record

quantise is disabled. If it is lit green, Record Quantise is enabled. With shift held, press Quantise to

enabled or disable Record Quantise.

To change the quantisation setting in Live, navigate to the top bar and press Edit, then Record

Quantisation, then select from the available options.

5.3.7 Fixed Length

Fixed Length allows you to define a bar length for any new clips that are recorded. Press Fixed length

to enable or disable this behaviour. The Fixed Length button will be lit white when it is disabled and

lit blue when it is enabled.

The number of bars that will be recorded when Fixed Length is enabled can be defined. Hold

Fixed Length briefly and the Track Select buttons will begin to pulse blue. Each Track Select button

represents one bar – press a track select to determine a bar length from 1 to 8 bars. Recording will

stop automatically once the set number of bars is reached, and the recorded clip will loop.

The left-hand image shows fixed length is set to 1 bar, while the right-hand image shows that it is set

to 4 bars.

5.3.7.A – Setting the number of bars with the Track Select Buttons for Fixed Length. A fixed length

of 1 bar is seen on the left image, and 4 bars on the right.

5.4 Track Controls

Launchpad Pro’s Track Controls allow you to control various track parameters in Ableton Live 10. The

Track Controls are found on the bottom row of Launchpad Pro, beneath the Track Select buttons.

Track Select

buttons

Track

Controls

5.4.A – Track Select Buttons & Track Controls on Launchpad Pro

The Track Controls are located on the bottom row of the Launchpad Pro. These functions work in

conjunction with the row of 8 Track Select buttons just above it as well as with the 8x8 area.

5.4.1 Record Arm

Overlay the Track Select buttons with Record Arm track toggles. When pressed, the clip in the

corresponding track will stop playing.

5.4.2 Mute

Overlay the Track Select buttons with Mute track toggles. When pressed, the clip in the

corresponding track will stop playing.

5.4.3 Solo

Overlay the Track Select buttons with Solo track toggles. When pressed, the clip in the corresponding

track will stop playing.

5.4.4 Volume

Control the volume levels of the tracks within the currently selected 8x8 area in Session view. Volume

faders are vertical.

5.4.5 Pan

Control the stereo panning of the tracks within the currently selected 8x8 area in Session view. Pans

will show horizontally - the top pan represents the leftmost track, and the bottom represents the

rightmost.

5.4.6 Send

Control the send level of the tracks within the currently selected 8x8 area in Session view to Send A.

Send faders are vertical.

5.4.7 Device

Overlay the row of pads above the mixer function with device select (first to eighth in the track’s

chain). Once a device in the chain is selected, control the value of the 8 macro parameters controls

within the currently selected 8x8 area in Session view. Macro parameters faders are vertical.

5.4.8 Stop Clip

Overlay the Track Select buttons with Stop Clip triggers. When pressed, the clip in the corresponding

track will stop playing at the end of the phrase.

5.4.9 Fader orientation

Volume, Pan, Sends and Device are each sets of 8 faders. The faders are vertical for Volume, Sends

and Device, whereas they are horizontal for pans (see below). Press a pad to move the fader position

up and down (or left to right).

For Volume and Send faders, tracks are arranged horizontally across the pads. For Pan faders, tracks

are arranged vertically.

5.4.9.A – Faders for track pans (left) and volume (right)

5.5 Record Arm & Recording

When a track is record armed, all empty clips in a column will be dimly lit red. When a clip is pressed

it will flash red to show that it is queued to record (the record button will also flash in unison). The

pad will pulse red once recording begins, with the record button lit bright red. If the record button is

then pressed, the clip will flash red to indicate that it will soon stop recording. If the track is un-armed

during recording, the clip will immediately stop recording.

5.6 Production Controls

Launchpad Pro offers several shortcuts to aid production within Ableton Live.

5.6.1 Undo

Hold Shift and press Record Arm to Undo your last action. Press it again to undo the action before

that, and so forth.

5.6.2 Redo

Hold Shift and press Mute to Redo the last Undone action.

5.6.3 Tap (Tap Tempo)

Hold Shift and repeatedly press Sends to set the tempo at the rate would like to set.

5.6.4 Click (metronome)

Hold Shift and press Solo to toggle Ableton Live’s click function on or off.

5.7 Momentary View Switching

Views within Session Mode can be switched between momentarily, which is great for live performance.

For example, you may currently be viewing your track mutes, but you want to quickly visit your volume

faders to turn a track up. Press and hold Volume, edit a volume fader, and release Volume to return to

Mute view.

6. Note mode

6.1 Overview

Use Launchpad Pro’s Note Mode to play drums and melodic instruments expressively with the velocity

and pressure sensitive 8x8 grid.

The layout of Note mode is variable, with the option to have a chromatic, scale, or drum layout. You

are able to customise Launchpad Pro’s playing surface to suit you.

When in any layout, use ▲▼ to increase or decrease the octave, and use ◄ ► to transpose the grid

by a semitone up or down.

Note Mode will react dynamically to the currently armed instrument in Ableton Live. When a track

with a Drum Rack is armed in Live, Note Mode will automatically switch to a Drum layout, and vice

versa for any other instrument.

In Ableton Live, load an instrument into a MIDI track by selecting an instrument from the browser and

double clicking it (or alternatively drag it to a track). If you cannot hear anything, ensure that the track

is record armed and that monitoring is set to auto.

Monitor is set to

Auto.

Red arm button

indicates that track

is record armed.

6.1.A - Ensure that tracks in Ableton Live are set up correctly

for a smooth experience

6.2 Chromatic Mode

Chromatic Mode is the default layout of Note mode. Press pads in the 8x8 grid to trigger notes.

While Chromatic Mode allows all notes to be played, a visual indication for which notes are in scale is

provided.

6.2.A – Note Mode in Chromatic Mode with 5-finger overlap selected

Blue pads represent notes in the currently selected scale (C Minor by default), purple pads represent

the root of the scale, and blank pads represent notes outside of the scale.

The default chromatic layout seen here is similar to that of a guitar, with an octave being two pads up

and two pads across. This allows for guitar chord shapes to be used. Additionally, the sixth column of

pads will play the same notes as the first column on the row above, further mimicking a guitar layout.

The layout of chromatic mode can be altered in Note Mode settings, accessed by holding Shift and pressing Note. See 6.4 Note Mode Settings for details.

6.3 Scale Mode

In Scale Mode, Launchpad Pro will only display notes in the current scale. This allows you to play

freely without ever going out of key.

As with Chromatic Mode, Blue pads represent notes in the currently selected scale, while purple pads

represent the root of the scale. Here, blank pads show that no note exists at their location as pads are

outside of playable range. This out of range behaviour also applies to Chromatic Mode.

The layout of chromatic mode can be altered in Note Mode settings, accessed by holding Note. See

6.4 Note Mode Settings for details.

6.3.A – Note Mode in Scale Mode with Sequential overlap selected

6.4 Note Mode Settings

Note Mode settings allow you to switch between Chromatic Mode and Scale Mode, change the

currently selected scale and root note, alter Note Mode’s layout with overlap controls, and change

Note Mode’s MIDI channel.

Enter Note Mode settings by holding Shift and pressing Note or Chord. Note and Chord will pulse

green when in Note Mode settings. These settings are shared between Note and Chord – they share

the same scale, root note and MIDI channel.

6.4.A – Note Mode Settings

The Chromatic/Scale toggle will switch between Chromatic Mode (lit dim red) and Scale Mode (lit

bright green) upon being pressed.

Overlap allows you to alter the layout of both Chromatic Mode and Scale Mode. See 6.5 Overlap for

a detailed explanation.

The Scale Viewer shows which notes are in the currently selected scale on a piano layout keyboard.

Blue pads show notes in the scale, the purple pad shows the root, and the dimly lit white pads show

notes outside of the scale. Press a pad in the Scale Viewer to change the root note of the scale.

Scale select lets you choose from 16 different scales. Press a pad to select a scale. The selected scale

will be lit bright white, while unselected scales will be lit dim blue.

The available scales are:

• Natural Minor

• Natural Major

• Dorian

• Phrygian

• Mixolydian

• Melodic Minor

The MIDI channel that Note Mode transmits on may be selected between 1 and 16. This is useful

when you want to send notes to a specific track when you have multiple tracks record armed.

• Harmonic Minor

• Bebop Dorian

• Blues

• Minor Pentatonic

• Hungarian Minor

• Ukrainian Dorian

• Marva

• Tod i

• Whole Tone

• Hirajoshi

6.5 Overlap

Overlap determines the relationship between notes on different rows. An overlap of 5 means that the

leftmost pad on a row will play the same note as the sixth pad across on the row below (see A.1.1

Overlap - 5 Finger).

Each overlap level represents how many fingers are needed to play a scale (excluding sequential

layout). For example, with the 4 finger overlay you are able to play a scale going vertically up the grid

with only 4 fingers (see A.1.2 Overlap - 4 Finger)

The sequential overlay behaves differently from the 2, 3, 4 and 5 finger overlays. In Chromatic Mode,

notes will be laid out linearly and are unique to each pad. In Scale Mode, only octaves of the root will

be overlaid. Sequential layout in Scale Mode is similar to the layout on the Novation Circuit range,

and offers a great way to play scales over a range of octaves easily (see A.1.3 Overlap – Sequential).

6.6 Drum Mode

If an Ableton Live Drum rack is loaded to the currently armed track, Note Mode will represent the

current state of the drum rack, showing which slots are currently filled.

In Ableton Live, load a drum kit into a MIDI track by selecting a Drum kit from the browser and double

clicking it (or alternatively drag it to a track). If you cannot hear anything, ensure that the track is

record armed and that monitoring is set to auto (see 5.5 Record Arm & Recording).

The view is divided into four 4x4 areas, each of which represents the areas of the Drum rack, shown

below.

6.6.A – How Launchpad Pro’s Drum layout relates to a Drum Rack in Live

The visible area of the Drum rack may be scrolled through in sets of 16 slots using the ▲▼ buttons,

or in sets of 4 slots using the ◄ ► buttons. The bottom left 4x4 area will always correspond with the

currently visible slots in the Ableton Drum rack.

If there is a sample loaded in the areas 2, 3 or 4 in the diagram above, it will be visible as a brightly lit

yellow pad, exactly as seen in area 1.

When a drum pad is pressed, the pad will turn blue to indicate that it is selected. The sample present

in this slot may then be edited from within the Ableton Drum Rack.

When any other instrument is on the currently armed track, the grid will revert to Scale Mode or

Chromatic Mode.

In Ableton Live, load an instrument into a MIDI track by selecting an instrument from the browser and

double clicking it (or alternatively drag it to a track). If you cannot hear anything, ensure that the track

is record armed and that monitoring is set to auto.

7. Chord Mode

7.1 Overview

Chord Mode allows you to explore, build, and save complex chords easily. Chord Mode’s layout is

designed specifically for playing chords that always work together.

7.1.A – Chord Mode layout

7.2 Triads

The orange column of pads in Chord Mode represents triads. Pressing one of these pads will play

back three notes that form a triad, such as C, E and G to form a C Major chord. As you progress

vertically up the grid, the root note will rise, but the notes of the triads will remain within the currently

viewed octave of the scale. This ensures a natural sounding voicing of the chords within the octave.

7.3 The Note Area

The left-hand column of the Note Area represents the currently selected scale (scales may be selected

in the Note Mode Settings which are shared between Note and Chord Mode). Playing from the

bottom left pad to the top left pad will play through the notes of the scale (if the scale has fewer than

7-notes, the octave will be reached on the 6th or 7th pad).

Horizontal rows in the Note Area represent chords. Play any three adjacent horizontal notes to play a

triad. To find nice chords particularly easily, try playing chords across only one horizontal row at a time

and including the left-most pad in each chord.

The three leftmost notes in each row play a basic triad, with the 3rd interval raised an octave. The

fourth note from the left plays a 7th, while the fifth note along plays a 5th raised an octave.

7.4 Saving Chords & Playing them back

Chords may be saved to the chord bank, represented by the 14 white pads on the right-hand side of

the grid. To assign to a chord slot, hold an empty chord slot in the bank and press notes in the Note

Area or triads. Alternatively, you may hold notes first, then assign them to a slot.

To play a chord that is saved to the Chord Bank, press the corresponding pad in the bank. Chord bank

slots that contain a saved chord are lit bright white, while unassigned slots are lit dim white.

The Chord Bank Lock control on the bottom right pad allows you to lock the Chord Bank. When it is

locked, you may play chords in the bank while still playing notes in the Note Area without assigning to

the bank. This way you are able to play melodies on top of saved chords, while playing those chords

with a single finger.

7.5 Sustain control

Chord Mode’s Sustain pad will hold pressed notes in a similar way to a sustain pedal. This is a great

way to build up chords progressively. Pressing a sustained note again will re-trigger it with the new

velocity.

8. Custom Modes

8.1 Overview

Custom Modes turn Launchpad Pro’s 8x8 grid to be a deeply customisable control surface.

Custom Modes can be created & edited using Novation Components – our online hub for all

Novation products. You may also back up any Custom Modes you create here. We have several

Custom Mode templates for you to download and explore on Components.

To access Components, visit components.novationmusic.com/ using a WebMIDI enabled browser (we

recommend Google Chrome or Opera).

Alternatively, download the standalone version of Components from your Account page on the

Novation site.

Custom modes are fully compatible between Launchpad Mini [MK3], Launchpad X and Launchpad Pro.

8.2 Default Custom Modes

Eight custom modes are available by default on the device.

To access custom modes, press the Custom button. The Track Select buttons will be lit white, with

the currently selected Custom Mode lit pale green. Press the Track Select buttons to select between

Custom Modes.

Custom 1 provides 8 unipolar vertical faders set to CCs 7 through to 14. These can be MIDI mapped

in your DAW.

Custom 2 provides 8 bipolar horizontal faders set to CCs 15 through to 22. These can be MIDI

mapped in your DAW.

Custom 3 is a Drum Rack layout that matches Note Mode’s Drum Rack layout. This is a static layout –

it is not representative of the current Ableton Drum Rack.

Custom 4 is a chromatic layout that is representative of a traditional keyboard with black and white

notes.

Custom 5 provides Program Change messages 0-63.

Custom 6 provides Program Change messages 64-127.

Custom 7 is a non-lit version of Custom 3. Sending MIDI notes to this layout will light the pads in a

colour that corresponds to the velocity of the incoming notes. This is a legacy layout that matches

User 1 from previous Launchpads

Custom 8 is a non-lit layout that matches the layout of Programmer Mode. Sending MIDI notes to this

layout will light the pads in a colour that corresponds to the velocity of the incoming notes. This is a

legacy layout that matches User 2 from previous Launchpads.

8.3 Custom Mode Master MIDI Channel

The Master Channel for a Custom Mode may be set by holding shift and pressing Custom.

The bottom two rows of pads will present the Master MIDI channel for the selected Custom Mode

from Channel 1-16. Each Custom Mode may have its own independent Master Channel.

Select different Custom Modes using the Track Select buttons. The currently selected Custom Mode

will be lit green, as will its selected Master Channel. The Master Channel of unselected Custom Modes

will be shown as dim red.

8.3.A – Selecting Custom Mode Master Channel

8.4 Setting up a Custom Mode

To set up a Custom Mode, open Novation Components and connect your Launchpad Pro.

8.4.A – Setting up a Custom Mode in Novation Components

Within a Custom Mode, each pad within the 8x8 grid may act as a Note, a CC (control change), or a

Program Change message.

The pads may behave either as toggles, triggers or momentary switches. Momentary behaviour will

turn on a note when the pad is pressed and release the note when un-pressed. Triggers will always

send a specified CC value or program change message.

Full rows and columns of pads may also act as faders. Faders can be assigned CC values and may be

unipolar or bipolar. Faders may also be positioned horizontally or vertically.

Pads within a Custom Mode may be assigned an “on” and “off” colour for when pads within the 8x8

grid are pressed/toggled. (e.g. when a note is being played or a temporary CC change is toggled).

There may only be one “on” colour per Custom Mode, but each pad may have a unique “off” colour.

Custom Modes may have any combination of notes, CCs, program changes and faders – you can set

up your own personalised control surface for your studio.

For more hands-on information on how to create your own Custom Modes, visit components for an

interactive tutorial.

8.5 Lighting Pads with external MIDI

By default, Custom 7 & 8 have all pads unlit. MIDI Note messages sent to Launchpad Pro will light

pads according to note number and velocity. The note sent will determine which pad lights up, and

the note’s velocity will determine the colour.

The RGB LEDs are capable of outputting 127 colours, the index of which can be found in the

Programmer’s Reference Guide.

Additionally, all pads and buttons can be lit in Programmer Mode.

For detailed information on lighting pads and using Launchpad Pro as a control surface for software,

see the Programmers Reference Guide which can be downloaded at customer.novationmusic.com/

support/downloads.

9. Sequencer

9.1 Sequencer Overview

Launchpad Pro features a powerful 4-track sequencer that may be used with both software and

hardware equipment. It features many powerful and creative functions to help you to generate

interesting musical ideas.

To sequence your software, connect Launchpad Pro to your computer via USB. Ensure that your

software is set to the same MIDI channel as the sequencer track you wish to control it. See 9.13

Sequencer Settings for details on changing the Launchpad Pro Sequencer track MIDI channels.

Sequencer data is sent out the MIDI Out ports in addition to the To sequence your hardware, use

the included TRS Minijack to MIDI DIN adapter as well as a MIDI cable to connect to your gear.

Launchpad Pro’s sequencer can be used entirely without a computer – just power the device using the

included wall-plug and USB-C cable.

9.2 Steps View

In steps view, the top half of the grid represents the 32 steps of a pattern. Press the Play button to

see the white playhead progress through the steps of the pattern, and back around to the beginning.

Press play once again to stop playback – you’ll notice the white playhead has stopped.

The bottom half of the grid represents the Play Area, which allows you to play notes when pressed.

9.2.1 Using the Play Area

The notes in the Play Area may be shifted up or down an octave with the up and down buttons for

Chromatic or Scale track types, or by 16 notes (a full 4x4 grid) from Drum tracks. The left and right

buttons can be used to offset Drum tracks by a single row (four notes) at a time.

Sequencer

Play Area in

Drum Layout

9.2.1.A – The layout of Steps View

9.2.2 Assigning to steps

Notes may be assigned to steps by holding a note in the Play Area and pressing a step. Up to 8

notes may be assigned to each step. When a step is held, notes which are assigned to it will turn red

in the Play Area. The step will also be previewed when pressed.

Alternatively, you may hold a step first, then press notes in the Play Area to assign notes to steps.

Hold a note in the Play Area to see which steps it is assigned to - after holding the note briefly, the

steps it is assigned to will turn red. If multiple notes (e.g. a chord) are held, steps which contain all

held notes will go red.

9.2.3 Clearing steps

Notes may be cleared from steps by holding Clear and pressing the step you wish to clear. Individual

notes may be removed from a step by holding the step and pressing assigned (red) notes in the Play

Area.

9.2.4 Duplicating steps

To duplicate a step, hold Duplicate and press a step to copy it. While still holding Duplicate, press

another step to paste the copied step there. A duplicated step can be pasted multiple times as long

as duplicate is held down.

9.2.5 Playback

Press the Play button to begin playback from the start of your patterns. You can resume from the

middle of a stopped sequence by holding shift & pressing play. Notice that play turns gold when shift

is held.

9.2.6 Recording into the sequencer

Press the Record [O] button to enable live recording to the sequencer. Recording is enabled when

the record button is red. When enabled, notes played in the Play Area during sequencer playback will

be recorded into the sequencer. MIDI received externally via USB or the TRS MIDI In port will also be

recorded.

9.2.7 Setting gate length

To set the gate length of notes on a step, press the step and hold it briefly until it pulses green. Now,

with the step still held down, press any other step in the pattern to set a length – the notes will be

held for the duration of the green pulsing steps.

To reduce the gate length back to a single step, press the pad that would assign a gate length of 2

twice. The second press will reduce the gate to 1 step.

In the image below the held step has a gate length of 10 steps, indicated by the 10 green pads.

9.2.7.A – The gate length of the 9th step in this pattern is set to 10 steps, indicated by the 10 green pads

9.2.8 Using multiple sequencer tracks

Four independent sequencer tracks are available on Launchpad Pro. Press the lit track select buttons

to select between them. Each track has a specific colour, which is matched between the track select

buttons and the Play Area. All four tracks play simultaneously.

9.2.8.A – The four sequencer tracks are colour coded

9.2.9 Using the Sequencer with Ableton Live

Be aware of which MIDI channels you wish to send each track to in Ableton Live. By default, MIDI

tracks in Live will accept input from any channel. This means that when you have patterns playing on

multiple sequencer tracks, the notes will play in all record armed Ableton Live tracks by default.

Setting up the sequencer tracks to play with Live can be done in several ways – an example follows:

Set the tracks you wish to use in Live to receive MIDI from “Launchpad Pro MK3 (LPProMK3 MIDI)” if

you’re on a Mac.

If you’re on Windows, set MIDI From to “LPProMK3 MIDI (MIDI 1)”.

9.2.9.A – (Mac) Setting MIDI to come from the correct Launchpad Pro port

Next, set each track to receive MIDI on different channels that correspond to your Launchpad Pro’s

sequencer tracks. By default, these are Channels 1, 2, 3 and 4 for Tracks 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. See

9.13 Sequencer Settings for details on how to change sequencer track MIDI channels.

9.2.9.B – Setting the MIDI channel of each track to match Launchpad Pro

Make sure Monitor is set to Auto, then arm all 4 tracks by holding command (Mac) or control

(Windows) as you click each record arm button. Alternatively, disable ‘Arm Exclusive’ by right clicking

the record arm button. This allows you to arm multiple tracks without holding command/control.

9.2.9.C – Setting Arm Exclusive in Ableton Live

9.3 Patterns View

In the Launchpad Pro sequencer, each 32-step sequence is a Pattern. Patterns allow you to build up a

track consisting of multiple sections. Each track has access to 8 patterns per project - navigate to the

Patterns page to see your patterns. The currently playing pattern will be pulsing. This is the pattern

that will be seen in Steps View.

9.3.A – Patterns View

9.3.1 Chaining Patterns

Patterns may be chained together by pressing two patterns simultaneously – these two presses will

define the start and end point for the chain. When you press play, the patterns will play one after

another. A chain may consist of up to 8 patterns, for a total of 256 steps.

9.3.2 Queuing Patterns

During playback, press a Pattern (or a Pattern chain) to queue it to play next. The queued pattern (or

chain) will flash to indicate that it is queued and will begin playing at the end of the current pattern.

9.3.3 Clearing a Pattern

To clear a Pattern, hold Clear and press a Pattern.

9.3.4 Duplicating a Pattern

To duplicate a Pattern, hold Duplicate and press a Pattern to copy it. While still holding Duplicate,

press another Pattern slot to paste the copied pattern there. If you keep Duplicate held, you can

paste the copied Pattern multiple times.

9.3.5 Instant Pattern Change

You may instantly switch between Patterns while the sequencer is playing. Hold shift and select a

pattern (or pattern chain) to instantly switch. The sequencer will count into the new pattern as if it had

been playing from the start of playback.

Tip:If queued switching between patterns of different lengths has left your track out of sync, use an

instant pattern switch to knock it back in time.

9.4 Scenes

Scenes allow you to trigger multiple patterns for all tracks in a single press and may be chained to

build up a longer song structure. Scenes are represented by the 16 white pads at the bottom of

Patterns view.

9.4.1 Assigning to Scenes

Hold a Scene to preview which Patterns are assigned to it. After a short delay, the assigned Patterns

(or Pattern Chains) will light red.

To assign a Pattern to the Scene, press a Pattern (or Pattern Chain) while holding a Scene. This will not

affect what the sequencer is currently playing. The newly assigned pattern chains will only take effect

if you reselect the scene or if the scene chain comes back round to this scene.Alternatively, you can

press and hold a pattern chain and then press a scene to assign it.

You can see whether the pattern chains have taken effect as the scene will turn from green to white if

the current pattern chains do not match what is stored in the current scene.

9.4.2 Chaining Scenes

You can chain together multiple Scenes by pressing two scenes at the same time. This will set the

start and end of your chain. When you press play, the scenes will play one after the other. A scene will

move on to the next scene when all tracks have completed their pattern chain at least once.

9.4.3 Queuing Scenes

Scenes may be queued in the same way as Patterns. While the sequencer is playing, selecting a new

scene (or scene chain) will queue it for playback. The queued scenes will flash and at the end of the

currently playing pattern on Track 1, the new scene (or scene chain) will begin playing from the start

without losing sync.

While the sequencer is playing, hold shift and select a scene (or scene chain) to instantly switch. The

sequencer will count into the new scene chain as if it had been playing from the start of playback.

Tip:If queued switching between scenes of different lengths has left your track out of sync, use an

instant scene switch to knock it back in time.

9.4.4 Clearing a Scene

To clear a Scene, hold Clear and press the Scene you wish to clear. This will return the Scene to its

default state (Pattern 1 for all tracks).

9.4.5 Duplicating a Scene

To duplicate a Scene, hold Duplicate and press a Scene to copy it. While still holding Duplicate, press

another Scene slot to paste the copied Scene there. If you keep Duplicate held, you can paste the

copied Scene multiple times.

9.4.5.A – Scenes occupy up the 16 bottom pads in Patterns View

9.5 Pattern Settings

Pattern Settings allow you to alter the way that steps are played back within Patterns.

When Pattern Settings is selected, the top half of the Play Area will be replaced with settings that

affect the playback of the current pattern.

9.5.1 Pattern Sync Rate

The eight peach-coloured pads control thesync rateof the pattern and determines the length of each

step and therefore the speed at which the pattern will play in relation to the current tempo.

The sync rates available are 1/4, 1/4T, 1/8, 1/8T, 1/16, 1/16T, 1/32, 1/32T, with T representing triplets.

1/16 is the default sync rate, where each step corresponds to a 16th note. Increasing the sync rate is

a great way to increase the sequencer’s step resolution at the cost of overall playback time. Reducing

the sync rate is useful for creating longer patterns that don’t require quite as fine detail, such as long,

evolving pads.

9.5.2 Pattern Playback Direction

The four pink pads control theplayback direction. The four playback directions are as follows (left to

right):

• Forward- plays steps incrementally from the start to the end of the pattern

• Backward- plays steps in reverse order, from the end to the start of the pattern

• Ping-Pong- alternates between forward and backward. The start and end steps are played twice to

maintain timing but the length of the pattern will double.

• Random- each step is chosen randomly at playback time. Each step could play any number of times

within a single pattern cycle but the length of the pattern is maintained when chaining with other

patterns.

If pattern settings are changed during playback, the new pattern settings will take effect when the

current pattern reaches the end of its current cycle.

9.5.2.A – The Pattern Settings view

9.5.3 Pattern start and end points

The start and end point of Patterns may also be changed when in Pattern Settings. Pressing a step will

select the end step of the currently viewed pattern, with the end step displayed in peach. Hold shift

to instead view the start step of the current pattern (also displayed in peach). While shift is held, the

start step may be adjusted in the same way as the end step.

Steps that have notes assigned but fall outside of the selected start and end points are displayed in

dim red, while unassigned steps are not lit.

9.6 Velocity

9.6.1 Step Velocity edit

You can view and edit the velocity of each step by pressing Velocity.

The top two rows of the Play Area become a “slider” for the velocity value of the currently selected

step. To select a step, press a pad in the top half of the grid. The velocity value for the step will be

displayed on the velocity slider.

Press a pad on the slider to change the velocity of the notes on the step from 1 (minimum) to 16

(maximum).

When you manually edit the velocity of a step with multiple notes, all notes on the step will be set to

the same velocity value.

9.8.1.A – The Velocity view

9.6.2 Live Recording with Velocity

When live recording, multiple notes with varying velocity values may be recorded to a single step. In

this case, range of velocities will be displayed using bright and dim pads. The bright pads indicate the

lowest velocity and the dim pads show the range up to the highest velocity.

9.7 Probability

Probability is a powerful tool that keeps your sequences evolving and moving. It can be a great way to

add variety and surprise to drum sequences.

9.7.1 Editing Step Probability

You can view and edit the probability that notes on a step are triggered by pressing Probability. The

top row of the Play Area becomes a “slider” for the probability value of the currently selected step.

9.7.1.A – The Probability view

To select a step, press a pad in the top half of the grid. The probability value for the step will be

displayed on the probability slider.

Press a pad on the slider to change the probability of the step from 1 (minimum) to 8 (maximum).

These values correspond to the following probabilities:

1. 13% (one pad lit)

2. 25%

3. 38%

4. 50%

5. 63%

6. 75%

7. 88%

8. 100% (eight pads lit)

For steps with multiple notes, the probability is independent for each note. That is, if a step has 2

notes with a probability of 50% assigned to the step, there is a 50% chance for each note to trigger.

This means sometimes only one note may play, sometimes both notes will trigger, and other times

neither note will trigger – their probabilities to play are exclusive.

A step may only have one probability value – it is not possible to have a 100% chance for one note to

trigger, and a 25% chance for another note on the same step to trigger.

The default Probability value when recording or assigning notes is 100% meaning that all the notes on

a step will always play. Clearing steps, patterns and projects will also reset all probabilities to 100%.

9.7.2 Printing Probability

Printing a clip to Ableton Live will calculate probability for each relevant step a single time. Print a

pattern several times to get repeatable variations of the pattern across multiple clips. See 9.11 Print

to Clip for more information on this function.

9.8 Mutation

Mutation allows you to add a further element of randomness to your sequences. Apply mutation to a

step to add a chance for the pitch of the notes to be altered upon playback.

9.8.1 Editing Step Mutation

You can view and edit the mutation that notes on a step possess by pressing Mutation.

9.8.1.A – The Mutation view

The top row of the Play Area becomes a slider for the value of the currently selected step. To select a

step, press a pad in the top half of the grid. The Mutation value for the step will be displayed on the

slider. There are 8 values for Mutation, with the minimum value (no mutation) on the far left, and the

maximum on the far right.

Newly assigned or recorded steps always start with no Mutation (one pad lit).

9.8.2 Printing Mutation

Printing a clip to Ableton Live will Mutate each relevant step a single time. Print a pattern several

times to get repeatable variations of the pattern across multiple clips. See 9.11 Print to Clip for more

information on this function.

Use Mutation and Probability together to create evolving and generative patterns, then print these to

Ableton Live to nail down new ideas quickly.

9.9 Micro Steps

Micro steps allow for access to an increased resolution for note placement. This is great for creating

strumming effects or quickly re-triggering a single note.

9.9.1 Editing Micro Steps

Press Micro Steps to edit the assignment of notes. The 6 leftmost pads on the top row of the Play

Area represent the micro steps for the currently selected step. To select a step, press a pad in the top

half of the grid.

Hold a note in the Play Area and press a micro step to assign directly to that micro step. De-assign

notes by holding a micro step and pressing the assigned notes (red) in the Play Area.

9.9.1.A – The Micro Step editing view

9.9.2 Clearing micro steps

Notes may be cleared from micro steps by holding Clear and pressing the micro step you wish to

clear. Individual notes may be removed from a step by holding the step and pressing assigned (red)

notes in the Play Area.

9.9.3 Duplicating steps

To duplicate a micro step, hold Duplicate and press a micro step to copy it. While still holding

Duplicate, press another micro step to paste the copied step there. If the number of notes on the

whole step exceeds the maximum of 8 when attempting to duplicate a micro step, duplication will not

occur.

9.10 Tempo and Swing

The Tempo and Swing views allow you to adjust the bpm (beats per minute) and swing of your track.

9.10.1 Editing Tempo and Swing

Enter the Tempo or Swing view by holding shift and pressing Device or Stop Clip respectively.

In Tempo view (blue/white), the number displayed represents the current tempo in bpm.

In Swing view, (orange/white) the number displayed represents the current swing value. Numbers

above 50 represent positive swing, where the off-beat notes will trigger late, while numbers below 50

represent negative swing, where off-beat notes will trigger early.

The up and down arrow buttons on the left are used to change Tempo or Swing, and may be held to

cycle through values quickly.

9.10.1.A – Tempo and Swing views

9.11 Print to Clip

Sequencer patterns may be instantly transferred from Launchpad Pro to Ableton Live and placed in

clip slots, with no need to record them. Print to Clip is extremely useful for taking your ideas from the

sequencer into more complete tracks within Ableton Live.

This function is accessed via the Print to Clip button.

When you have created a sequence with the Launchpad Pro that you would like to transfer to Ableton

Live, select a clip slot in Live by clicking it with your mouse, then press Print to Clip on Launchpad Pro.

The current pattern or pattern chain for the selected track will be transferred to Live.

9.11.A - A selected empty clip slot

Alternatively, a clip slot in may be selected using Launchpad Pro by navigating to Session View,

holding shift, and pressing a pad on the 8x8 grid.

If you had an empty clip slot selected, the printed pattern will now be in that slot as a clip. If you

press Print to Clip while an occupied clip slot is selected, the sequencer pattern will be printed to the

next empty clip slot below. This enables you to print a pattern multiple times without overwriting any

clips.

You can also use Print to Clip in Patterns view. To do so, hold Print to Clip and press a track select

button. Notice that the track buttons will pulse while Print to Clip is held. The currently selected

pattern or pattern chain on chosen track will be transferred to Ableton Live.

If you are using Ableton Live Lite and all 8 available clip slots for a track are full, the Print to Clip

9.11.B – The same clip slot, now filled after pressing Print

to Clip

button will become unlit to indicate that there are no available clip slots to transfer to.

9.11.C – (Ableton Live Lite only) When 8 clip slots are full, Print to Clip will be unavailable.

The Print to Clip button function will only be available when connected to Ableton Live.

9.12 Projects

A Project is an entire copy of the Sequencer state, including Patterns, Scenes, Scale/Root, Track Types

and Track Channels. There are 64 project slots that may be saved to, allowing you to build many

tracks on Launchpad Pro.

9.12.1 Saving your Sequencer Project

A project can be saved from any of the Sequencer views (Steps view, Projects view or Patterns view).

When in the Steps, Projects or Patterns view hold shift and press Project to initiate saving. This will

cause the Save button to pulse green. Press Projects once again while in this state to save the current

Project to the active Project slot. The Save button will flash briefly to indicate the device is saving

during which any interaction is disabled. Alternatively, you can exit saving by pressing any button

other than Shift, Projects or Setup.

While in the Project view it is also possible to save the current project to another Project slot. To do

this hold shift and press Projects to initiate saving which will cause the Save button to pulse white. At

this point you may use the Track select buttons to select between 8 colours for the Project to save as.

Now press any Project slot to save the currently active session to that slot. The Save button and pad

will both flash briefly to confirm that the project saved.

A saved Project also stores the Note/Chord mode settings, as well as all Custom Mode Master MIDI

Channels.

9.12.2 Backing up your Projects

Using Novation Components, you are able to back-up your projects online.

Novation Components is our online editor and librarian for all Novation products. You can access

Components in a Web-MIDI compatible browser (we recommend Google Chrome or Opera), or you

can download a standalone version from the Novation Customer Portal.

9.13 Sequencer Settings

In Sequencer settings you are able to change the current scale and root note, each Track’s type

(Drum, Scale, Chromatic), and the MIDI channel each track sends on.

9.13.1 Accessing Sequencer Settings

Sequencer settings may be accessed by holding shift and pressing Sequencer.

9.13.1.A - Sequencer Settings view

9.13.2 Track Types

The three track types available are Drum, Scale and Chromatic. Select between these three options

using the 3 pads at the top right of the grid. Choose which track you are altering by pressing the

Track Select buttons.

A preview of track type is given in the top left 4x2 section of the page. This represents the left-hand

side of the Play Area layout for each track type.

9.13.3 Root Select/Scale Viewer

The Root Select/Scale Viewer shows which notes are in the currently selected scale on a piano layout

keyboard. Blue pads show notes in the scale, the purple pad shows the root, and the dimly lit white

pads show notes outside of the scale. Press a pad in the Scale Viewer to change the root note of the

scale. The selected root note will persist throughout Note, Chord and Sequencer Mode.

9.13.4 Selecting the Scale

Scale select lets you choose from 16 different scales. Press a pad to select a scale. The selected scale

will be lit bright white, while unselected scales will be lit dim blue. The selected Scale will persist

throughout Note, Chord and Sequencer Mode.

The available scales are:

Natural Minor

Natural Major

Dorian

Phrygian

Mixolydian

Melodic Minor

Harmonic Minor

Bebop Dorian

Blues

Minor Pentatonic

Hungarian Minor

Ukrainian Dorian

Marva

Tod i

Whole Tone

Hirajoshi

9.13.5 Setting MIDI Channel

The MIDI channel that each Track transmits on may be selected between 1 and 16. This is useful when

you want to send notes to multiple instruments in Ableton Live, or when you want to control different

pieces of hardware.

10. Setup

10.1 Setup Menu

Launchpad Pro’s setup menu allows you to set your preferences across many aspects of the controller.

There are five pages available: LED, Velocity, Aftertouch, MIDI, and Fader Behaviour.

To enter the Setup menu, press and hold Setup. The top 4 rows will display the characters LED,

indicating the topic of the menu. Use the five leftmost Track Select buttons to access the different

Setup pages.

10.2 LED Settings

10.2.A - LED Settings view

The first Track Select button accesses the LED settings for Launchpad Pro. Here you can change LED

brightness, LED feedback, and enter LED sleep

The LED brightness level slider has 8 levels, from minimum to maximum brightness. The brightly lit

white pad indicates which level is currently selected.

The Vegas Mode Toggle may be pressed to enable or disable the Vegas Mode. Vegas Mode will

occur after 5 minutes of inactivity. If the toggle is red, Vegas Mode is disabled, or green if it is

enabled.

10.3 Velocity Settings

The second Track Select button accesses the velocity (VEL) settings for Launchpad Pro.

10.3.A - Velocity Settings view

Press the Enable/Disable Velocity toggle to enable or disable velocity globally on Launchpad Pro.

The pad will be lit bright green when velocity is enabled, and dim red when disabled.

Three Velocity Curves may be selected between. Low requires higher force to trigger high velocity

values, and high requires lower force for high values. The selected curve is lit bright orange, while the

others are lit dim white.

10.4 Aftertouch Settings

The third Track Select button accesses the aftertouch (AFT) settings for Launchpad Pro.

10.4.A - Aftertouch Settings view

The Pressure Mode can be chosen to be Aftertouch disabled, Polyphonic Aftertouch or Channel

Pressure. The selected mode will be brightly lit, the other dimly lit.

Channel Pressure sends out a single pressure value for all pads/notes. The highest pressure value

across the 8x8 grid will be transmitted. Polyphonic Aftertouch allows for each pad/note to send out

its own pressure value. This allows for expressive playing of supported instruments.

Polyphonic Aftertouch is not currently supported in Ableton Live, and Channel Pressure should be

used in this case.

The Aftertouch Threshold can be set to be off, low, or high. When set to off, pressure messages will

be sent out as soon as a pad/note is pressed. When set to low, a threshold pressure must be reached

before pressure messages will be sent out. When set to high, a higher pressure is required before

pressure messages will be sent out.

Using an Aftertouch Threshold is useful for when you do not want to immediately engage the

parameter related to aftertouch whenever a pad is pressed.

10.5 MIDI Settings

The fourth Track Select button accesses the MIDI settings.

Press Receive Clock (Rx) to toggle this behaviour on and off. When disabled, incoming clock

messages will be ignored. The default setting is On.

Press Transmit Clock (Tx) to toggle this behaviour on and off. When disabled, Launchpad Pro will not

transmit clock messages. The default setting is On.

Use Out2/Thru select to choose the behaviour of this MIDI port. Out 2 will duplicate the output of

Out 1. Thru will forward messages received via MIDI In.

10.5.A - MIDI Settings view

10.6 Fader Settings

The fifth Track Select button accesses the fader (FAD) settings. Here you may enable or disable

velocity sensitivity for faders independently of global velocity sensitivity.

10.6.A. Fader Settings view

Enable or Disable Velocity for Faders by pressing the pad. The pad will be lit bright green when

fader velocity is enabled, and dim red when it is disabled.

10.7 Live and Programmer Mode

In Live Mode, all functions described elsewhere in this manual are available, such as Session Mode,

Note Mode, Chord Mode, Custom Modes & the Sequencer. Live Mode is the default state of

Launchpad Pro.

Programmer Mode is an alternate state that may be used to control Launchpad Pro’s surface

externally via MIDI messages. In Programmer Mode, Launchpad Pro loses access to all other modes

and functionality. Each pad and button will send out and respond to a specified MIDI message when

pressed.

To switch between Live Mode and Programmer Mode, first enter the setup menu by holding Setup.

Press the green Scene Launch button to enter Live Mode, or the orange Scene Launch button to

enter Programmer Mode (see image on p.19). The Mode will not be entered until the Setup button is

released.

Launchpad Pro will always power on into Live Mode.

10.7.A. Live/ Programmer mode select

The pads and buttons may be lit up by sending their corresponding MIDI messages to Launchpad Pro.

For more information see the Programmer Reference Guide, which can be downloaded at:

https://customer.novationmusic.com/support/downloads.

10.8 Bootloader Menu

Launchpad Pro’s bootloader menu allows you to change LED brightness, LED feedback, mass storage

device availability, and device ID.

To enter the bootloader menu, hold Setup when plugging in Launchpad Pro.

10.8.A Bootloader menu view

The LED brightness level slider has 8 levels, from minimum to maximum brightness. The brightly

lit white pad indicates which level is currently selected. Certain USB host devices may not provide

sufficient power to fully boot Launchpad Pro. The power consumption may be reduced by using lower

brightness levels, allowing these devices to fully boot Launchpad Pro.

Use the Bootloader Version and App Version pads to view what is currently installed on Launchpad

Pro.

Pressing the Boot-up button will start Launchpad Pro normally, exiting the bootloader menu.

Device ID allows you to use multiple Launchpad Pro units with Ableton Live at once. When different

ID values are selected on each Launchpad Pro, they will each have their own Session View outline and

thus can navigate the Live session independently.

MSD Mode toggles the mass storage device behaviour of Launchpad Pro on or off. Once you’re set

up with Launchpad Pro you may no longer want it to appear as a mass storage device. Use this toggle

to disable the behaviour completely. When the pad is brightly lit MSD mode is enabled, and it is dimly

lit when disabled.

MSD Mode is enabled by default. This is why Launchpad Pro appears as a mass storage device when

plugged in to your computer. Inside the LAUNCHPAD folder is a link to our Easy Start Tool, which will

help to get you set up with your Launchpad Mini (see 2. Getting Up and Running).

A. Appendix

A.1 Default MIDI mappings

A.1.1 Custom 1: 8x8 Grid, 8 Vertical Unipolar Faders, CC numbers below

A.1.2 Custom 2: 8x8 Grid, 8 Horizontal Bipolar Faders, CC numbers below

A.1.3 Custom 3: 8x8 grid, Momentary Note On messages (note numbers below)

A.1.4 Custom 4: 8x8 grid, Momentary Note On messages (note numbers below)

A.1.5 Custom 5: 8x8 grid, Program Change messages

A.1.6 Custom 6: 8x8 grid, Momentary Note On messages (note numbers below)

A.1.7 Custom 7: 8x8 grid, Momentary Note On messages (note numbers below)

A.1.8 Custom 8: 8x8 grid, Momentary Note On messages (note numbers below)

A.1.9 Programmer Mode: Includes buttons and pads (full 9x9 grid), logo LED may

be addressed, Momentary Note On messages (note numbers below)

For more detailed information regarding the MIDI implementation of Launchpad Pro, please see the programmer’s reference guide at www.novationmusic.com.

A.2 Overlap Layouts

A.2.1 Overlap - 5 Finger

A.2.2 Overlap - 4 Finger

A.2.3 Overlap – Sequential