#Djay pro novation launchpad control update

Continue adding drum sounds, and the entire grid will be populated, accessing up to 64 drum pads simultaneously, and you can scroll through another 64 if you have a monster drum kit. Load a typical Live Drum Rack, enter Drum mode, and see the trademark 16 yellow pads at the bottom-left.

The Pro is small enough to put on your knee and jam with it’s very playable – I’d suggest that these modestly-proportioned pads are the ideal size for finger-style grid performance. I’m sure we’ll see further developments on the scale front, maybe from Novation, or the active user community that will undoubtedly embrace the Pro until then, if you want to be ‘locked’ into a scale, use Live’s Scale MIDI effect device. Some extra scale choices would be nice, but a simple chromatic keyboard layout is totally playable as it is. The root notes are lit pink, and other notes in the scale are blue all other notes are unlit but still playable. That’s all good enough in itself, but there’s more, as a press of the Note button transforms the Pro into a grid-based keyboard, with velocity sensitivity and aftertouch, defaulting to C major, starting with C1 at the bottom left. Navigation of large sets is achieved by pressing and holding the Session button and scene launching is done via the right-hand buttons.

#Djay pro novation launchpad control update

I opened an existing set, containing a few hundred clips arranged over 480 scenes, and began to enjoy the benefit of the update to full RGB colour LEDs clip launching with the Pro is an improved experience when it’s showing clip colours. I connected the Pro via USB, plugged in the mains supply and launched Live 9 – the unit quickly appeared as a control surface in MIDI Preferences.