Along with the DAW integration, the Launch Control XL 3 can send MIDI data from its USB and MIDI Out ports to work with other MIDI-capable software or hardware, in both musical and non-musical applications.
To send MIDI data from the Launch Control XL 3 you need to use one of the Custom Modes.
In each Custom Mode, you can assign different MIDI CC, Note, program change, NRPN , keystroke data to controls on the Launch Control XL 3 and send this to the corresponding software or hardware.
Note
The types of message you can assign varies per control.
You can edit the MIDI data the following controls send out using Novation Components:
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Encoders
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Faders
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Buttons
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The following are examples of what you could do, how you'd set it up and what connections you need to make. Exact functionality of every synth, drum machine, lighting software or editing suite varies, so it's best to check the user guides for your other gear in combination with these examples.
The simplest setup is using the Launch Control XL 3 to control one device with a single MIDI cable.
This is useful if the device you're controlling doesn't have any controls, or you're looking to expand the number of controls.
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In this example, the Launch Control XL 3 MIDI Out is connected to a synth's MIDI In to control its parameters.
Using one cable allows you to send MIDI data from the Launch Control XL 3 to control the synth, or other MIDI device.
When you're doing this, make sure:
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The Launch Control XL 3's controls send on the MIDI channel the device is set to. You can assign every control to a different MIDI channel.
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The Launch Control XL 3's controls are set to the correct message type and range. For more information, look at the MIDI implementation chart for the device you want to control's user guide.
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In this setup, the Launch Control XL 3 is a controller for two devices. It's controls are assigned to control synth on Custom Mode 1 and a drum machine on Custom Mode 2. Also connected to the MIDI In is a keyboard controller using the Launch Control XL 3‘s MIDI merge function (see Settings) to pass the keys’ data directly to the synthesiser.
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MIDI In comes from a controller keyboard.
The MIDI information coming into the Launch Control is passed to MIDI Out (DIN 1) in Custom Mode 1 and MIDI Out 2 in Custom Mode 2. To setup the MIDI routing use the Ext. MIDI In and Output Port settings in the Custom Mode Edit menu for each Custom Mode. This means you can play the synth with the keyboard and control the synth with the Launch Control XL 3.
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MIDI Out goes from the Launch Control XL 3 to a synth.
You can set the Synth to MIDI Channel 1 (for example) and set up a Custom Mode to use the encoders and faders to control the synth. For example, frequency controls, LFOs, and the faders for the ADSR envelopes.
You could use the buttons at the bottom to toggle switches on your synth like oscillator waveform, or bypassing effects.
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MIDI Out 2/Thru goes from the Launch Control XL 3 to a drum machine.
You could connect another synth, but in this case we're going for a full setup and adding drums. In a second Custom Mode, set the Output Port to DIN 2 (see Custom Mode Edit menu). Set the controls to map to the drum machine for example, encoders for pitch, decay etc. and faders for the main level for each drum.
You could also use the Launch Control XL 3's buttons to send note data to trigger drums sounds or control drum mutes.
Note
To change what the Launch Control XL 3 is controlling you need to use different Custom Modes. Each Custom Mode set to the channel of the device receiving MIDI.
In each Custom Mode you could assign every control to a parameter, but we've just used half for clarity.
In this setup, the Launch Control XL 3 acts as a controller and MIDI router in a hybrid setup (computer and hardware).
You can connect a MIDI keyboard to Launch Control XL 3's MIDI In and as you select different Custom Modes, the incoming keyboard MIDI data is merged with the Launch Control XL 3's controls and routed to different hardware devices.
In the software domain, both the MIDI keyboard and Launch Control XL 3 connect to Live and allow you to blend software sounds and DAW sessions with your hardware.
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A MIDI controller keyboard connects from its MIDI out to the Launch Control XL 3's MIDI In.
Connecting a MIDI keyboard to your synths via the Launch Control XL 3 allows you to route the incoming MIDI data to either MIDI Out ports on the Launch Control XL 3. For example, if you set Custom Mode 1 to route to DIN Out, both the MIDI keyboard and the Launch Control XL 3's controls route to the Peak. If you set Custom Mode to DIN Out 2 when you change Custom Mode both the keyboard and Launch Control XL 3 control the drum machine connected to DIN Out 2.
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A synthesiser (in this case Peak) is connected to the Launch Control XL 3's MIDI Out (this could be any other MIDI device with a MIDI input).
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A drum machine is connected to the Launch Control XL 3's MIDI Out 2 (this could be any other MIDI device with a MIDI input).
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In this hybrid setup, we've also connected both the MIDI controller keyboard and the Launch Control XL 3 to the computer via USB.
This allows us to bring a DAW into the workflow and use software sounds or pre-recorded material mixed with the hardware instruments. You can use the MIDI keyboard to play or control your DAW session and the Launch Control XL 3 in either of the DAW modes to have hands on control the DAW session.
Tip
The Launch Control XL 3's three MIDI ports and USB capabilities make it useful in many setups, hardware, software, or hybrid.
Although we've primarily designed the Launch Control XL 3 for music production it's well suited to controlling a range of non-musical software via MIDI. You can set up custom routing using Custom Modes, and map its knobs, faders and buttons to parameters in any software or hardware that accepts MIDI, for example:
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Video software like Resolume.
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Lighting software or DMX mixers via MIDI inputs.
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Controlling other creative software like Adobe Lightroom and Premiere Pro.