Launchpad Pro [MK3] 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 [MK3] 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 Sequencer settings for details on changing the Launchpad Pro [MK3] 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 [MK3]’s sequencer can be used entirely without a computer – just power the device using the included wall-plug and USB-C cable.
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.
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.
The layout of Steps View
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Unquantised recording lets you record to micro steps in the sequencer. This is great for capturing the organic feel of your live playing and getting your beats off-grid.
With Record Quantise enabled, any recorded MIDI will be automatically quantised to the grid.
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 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.
Four independent sequencer tracks are available on Launchpad Pro [MK3]. 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.
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] MK3 (LPProMK3 MIDI)” if you’re on a Mac.
If you’re on Windows, set MIDI From to “LPProMK3 MIDI (MIDI 1)”.
Next, set each track to receive MIDI on different channels that correspond to your Launchpad Pro [MK3]’s sequencer tracks. By default, these are Channels 1, 2, 3 and 4 for Tracks 1, 2, 3 and 4 respectively. See for details on how to change sequencer track MIDI channels.
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.
In the Launchpad Pro [MK3] 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 eight 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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).
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.
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.
The four pink pads control the playback direction. The four playback directions are as follows (left to right):
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Forward - plays steps incrementally from the start to the end of the pattern
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Backward - plays steps in reverse order, from the end to the start of the pattern
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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.
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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.
The Pattern Settings view
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.
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.
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.
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.
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:
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%.
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 Print to clip for more information on this function.
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.
You can view and edit the mutation that notes on a step possess by pressing Mutation.
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).
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 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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
The Tempo and Swing views allow you to adjust the bpm (beats per minute) and swing of your track.
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.
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Tempo view. |
Swing view. |
Sequencer patterns may be instantly transferred from Launchpad Pro [MK3] 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 [MK3] 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 [MK3]. The current pattern or pattern chain for the selected track will be transferred to Live.
Alternatively, a clip slot in may be selected using Launchpad Pro [MK3] 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 button will become unlit to indicate that there are no available clip slots to transfer to.
The Print to Clip button function will only be available when connected to Ableton Live.
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 [MK3].
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.