The next few pages give you an idea of what the controls on Launch Control XL 3 do. For DAW integration see Controlling your DAW with the Launch Control XL 3, for using Launch Control XL 3 in non-DAW applications, see Using Launch Control XL 3 outside of a DAW.
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Screen - displays important information.
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Page buttons - navigate through different parts of your Launch Control XL 3. The buttons light when available.
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Track buttons - move through tracks in your DAW.
To access Settings, hold both Track ◀ ▶ buttons for 300 milliseconds.
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Record button ⏺ - toggles record on/off in your DAW.
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Play ▶ button - controls and matches your DAW’s play button behaviour.
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Shift button - access Shift functions and preview controls without changing values (hold Shift and move a control).
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Mode button - select what the Launch Control XL 3 is controlling, DAW Mixer, DAW Control, or a Custom Mode.
Hold Shift and Mode to access the Custom Mode Edit menu.
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Solo/Arm button - in DAW Modes, change what this button row controls.
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Mute/Select button - in DAW Modes, change what this button row controls.
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Novation button - nothing… yet.
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Encoders - assignable encoder controls.
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Faders - assignable fader controls.
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Buttons 1 - 16 - Solo / Arm or Mute / Select buttons in DAW mode, or assignable button controls in Custom Modes.
Page up and down are the first horizontal button pair under the screen, on the left-hand side of the Launch Control XL 3.
The buttons light when they're available and allow you to navigate through many areas of the Launch Control XL 3. For example, if you're at the first or last page, only one of the two buttons lights.
When you press either button, the screen shows what's changed.
The Track <> left, and Track right buttons are the second horizontal button pair under the screen, on the left-hand side of the Launch Control XL 3.
The buttons light when they're available and allow you to navigate through many areas of the Launch Control XL 3. For example, if you're at the first or last page, only one of the two buttons lights.
When you press either button, the screen shows what's changed.
To access Settings, press and hold both Track <> buttons for 300 milliseconds.
For more information, see Launch Control XL 3's Settings page.
In DAW mode, Record ⏺ mimics record on/off in your DAW.
Record ⏺ is the top half of the third button pair below the screen.
For more information, see Controlling your DAW with the Launch Control XL 3.
In DAW mode, Play ▶ mimics your DAWs play button behaviour.
Play ▶ is the bottom half of the third button pair below the screen.
For more information, see Controlling your DAW with the Launch Control XL 3.
Shift allows access to secondary functions on many buttons. Hold Shift, and press any button with a secondary shift function.
Tip
It's possible to latch the Shift button. Double press it to latch.
Shift is the top half of the fourth button pair.
Shift lets you preview controls. Hold Shift and move a control; the screen shows you the value without changing it.
Tip
When you hold the Shift button, any other buttons with an available shift function light up.
Mode lets you choose which mode the Launch Control XL 3 is in. The Mode defines the function of all the controls.
Your Launch Control XL 3 has two DAW modes (DAW Control and DAW Mixer), 15 Custom Modes, and one Default mode (slot 16).
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DAW Modes map your Launch Control XL 3 to preset mappings in your DAWs, see Controlling your DAW with the Launch Control XL 3.
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You can edit the controls in Custom Modes, see Custom Modes.
To select a Mode:
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Press the Mode button to enter mode selection.
The 16 buttons light, the currently selected Mode is white, the rest are blue.
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Press a blue button to change the mode. The screen shows the name of the mode.
Mode is a toggle button; it stays active when you press it once. You can switch modes multiple times using the buttons, and the other controls update in real time. This lets you quickly toggle between encoder and fader controls.
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Press the Mode button again to exit mode selection.
Tip
If you want to change quickly, hold the Mode button, to make it momentary, and press buttons to access the correct Mode. Then release Mode to return to the mode you selected.
The Edit half of the Mode button accesses the Custom Mode Settings Edit menu. Each Custom Mode on Launch Control XL 3 has it's own Edit menu to configure how the Custom Mode interacts with the MIDI ports.
To enter the Custom Mode settings menu, hold Shift and press the Mode (Edit) button.
To exit Custom Mode settings edit menu, press the Mode button.
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To find a setting, press Page ▲▼ up and down.
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To adjust a setting use the Track <> buttons.
You can change the following settings per Custom Mode.
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Setting |
Value range |
Description |
Default value |
|---|---|---|---|
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Ext. MIDI In |
On Off |
Merges incoming MIDI data at the In port with MIDI data in the Custom Mode and routes it to MIDI Out port 1. |
On |
|
Output Port |
USB DIN 1 DIN 2 All |
Sets which port the Custom Mode transmits its MIDI data to. All sends the MIDI data to the USB and both DIN ports. Output Port does not affect the MIDI In routing. |
All |
The Launch Control XL 3 has 24 endless encoders, in rows of eight, with LEDs to light depending on the mode.
When you move controls, the screen shows the name and value. To preview a control onscreen, without changing it, hold Shift and move the control.
The encoders have different modes, varying by DAW, or you can customise them in Custom Modes.
In DAW modes, the encoders have two areas:
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Rows 1 and 2 control one element of the DAW (e.g. plugins or sends).
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Row 3 controls another element (e.g. transport or pan).
To learn more about encoder modes:
Tip
Endless encoders are rotary knobs that spin continuously. This stops jumps in settings when switching modes or tracks. Your Launch Control XL 3 always stays synchronised with your DAW or other devices.
The Launch Control XL 3 has eight faders. You can use the faders to control the mixer levels in your DAW or send custom MIDI messages to control other devices, like hardware or plugins.
When you move controls, the screen shows the name and value. To preview a control onscreen, without changing it, hold Shift and move the control.
The Launch Control XL 3's faders.
To learn more about fader modes:
At the bottom of your Launch Control XL 3 top panel are two rows of buttons, 19 in total.
When your Launch Control XL 3 is controlling a DAW, the buttons under the faders act as Solo/Arm (top row) or Mute/Select (bottom row) buttons. The far-left buttons toggle between the settings, see the following sections for more information:
When you're not using a DAW, the buttons send custom messages such as MIDI Notes, CCs, Program Changes, NRPNs, and keystrokes.
See Using Custom Modes on the Launch Control XL 3 for more information.
Press the Solo/Arm button, to the left of the top button row, to change the top button row between track Solo and record Arm controls.
When the buttons are in Solo mode, pressing a button changes the Solo state of the corresponding DAW track.
Press the Mute/Select button, to the left of the bottom button row, to change the bottom button row between Mute and Select controls.
When the buttons are in Mute mode, pressing a button changes the Mute state of the corresponding DAW track.
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USB - USB Type-C to connect your Launch Control XL 3 to your computer using the included USB cable.
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MIDI Out2/Thru - 5-Pin MIDI DIN connector for either sending MIDI data independently of the MIDI Out, or sending a copy of the MIDI In signal.
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MIDI Out – 5-Pin MIDI DIN connector for connecting to external MIDI hardware.
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MIDI In - 5-Pin MIDI DIN connector for receiving MIDI data from external MIDI hardware (such as a MIDI keyboard) to your Launch Control XL 3 in a chain of equipment.
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- Kensington Lock, use a lock to secure your Launch Control and deter theft.
The MIDI ports allow you to use the Launch Control XL 3 in hardware and hybrid setups. For example, expanding or adapting the physical controls on a synthesiser, drum machine, or groovebox.
The 5-Pin MIDI DIN In port allows you to send data from other MIDI-enabled devices to your Launch Control XL 3.
For example, to use your Launch Control XL 3 with a MIDI keyboard and control multiple devices, or for daisy-chaining Launch Control XL 3's to increase your control.
For more information, see section Using Launch Control XL 3 outside of a DAW.
The MIDI Out port allows you to send the MIDI messages from the encoders, faders, and buttons to hardware with MIDI inputs.
This is useful for adding extra control to hardware: synthesisers, drum machines, and grooveboxes, or having instant access to parameters without having to menu dive on your hardware instruments.
For more information, see section Using Launch Control XL 3 outside of a DAW.
The MIDI Out 2/Thru port allows you to choose between having a second MIDI out, or a MIDI thru port. You can change this in the Settings menu.
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In MIDI Out 2 mode - the port works the same as MIDI Out, you can send MIDI messages from the controls to hardware with MIDI inputs.
This is useful when:
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You need to send send MIDI messages to hardware independent from MIDI Out. For example, controlling two devices using two Custom Modes.
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In MIDI Thru mode - the port works by forwarding a copy of all the MIDI messages coming into the Launch Control XL 3's MIDI In DIN port.
This is useful when:
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your Launch Control XL 3 is part of a larger MIDI chain, and you need to transmit MIDI messages from both your Launch Control XL 3 and another device earlier in the chain such as a controller keyboard.
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you have two Launch Control XL 3s and you want to control a set of devices without having to change templates on a single Launch Control XL 3.
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For more information, see Using Launch Control XL 3 outside of a DAW.
The Launch Control XL 3 has a USB 2.0 Type-C port. This allows you to connect your Launch Control XL 3 to your computer or a USB MIDI host.
The USB port has a few key purposes:
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It provides the Launch Control XL 3 with power, both when connecting to a computer, or in standalone mode.
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It sends and receives MIDI data, either to your DAW, MIDI applications or via a USB MIDI host.
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It allows you to install firmware updates and manage Custom Modes for your Launch Control XL 3 via Components.