Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2017
I ordered this as a next-to-my-desk accessory to choose software synth patches, compose simple melodies, program drum beats, and use the RGB pads to liven up video work. Also, this purchase was a form of research to see if I should also purchase the Novation Launchpad Pro to complement my Launchkey 25. I bought the Launchkey with the expectation that I would love it and it would fit my needs perfectly. I'm okay with a cheap product if it delivers, and I purchased the Launchkey to replace a 10 year old synthesizer I was only using as a MIDI controller. The synth, with a full internal sound engine and microphone for its vocoder, was $450 new, not high end at all, and quite outdated in 2017.
- Opinion: 25 keys are too few for melody writing. 37 keys offer a lot more room for melody writing in any key without having to jump around octaves continuously.
- Opinion: the 3/4th inch pads are too small to play comfortably. The full 1 inch pads of my Maschine Mikro are significantly easier to play.
- Opinion: Novation support had long hold times, and the support agent that helped me was both rude and condescending to me as I was polite to him while trying to solve my issues. (See update below.)
- Fact: the build quality is quite poor. The frame feels light and plasticky (compared to my other plastic keyboards). Some of the keys sit lower than other keys, some of the keys require more or less force than others to press, some of the keys make a scraping sound when pressed, and some of the keys making a clicking sound when pressed. (See update below.)
- Fact: the MIDI pads are quite physically unresponsive. With all 16 of the pads, I have to tap with significant force to trigger sound consistently. If I tap with moderate force, about half of my taps aren't registered at all, and the ones that are registered come across as moderate volume, not soft volume. Technically speaking, the pads are velocity sensitive, but instead of a full range of "very soft" to "very loud" (as I have with my Maschine Mikro), it's only possible to play them from "moderate" to "loud" if you're comfortable with note dropouts, or from "loud" to "loud" (virtually no dynamic range) if you aren't comfortable with notes that fail to register. There are four settings for velocity sensitivity: "low", "high", "fixed", and "off". I tried all of them, and none of them allowed for softer velocity values to be played or for increased note-detection consistency. (See update below.)
- Fact: phone support insisted that updating the device firmware and USB driver would resolve my velocity issues. After updating both in the order the support agent directed, the pad velocity issues remained, and the keys lost all velocity sensitivity! A non-velocity-sensitive keyboard is virtually useless as an instrument, making all virtual instruments sound flat like toys, and these Novation updates broke core functionality for the keyboard. Yikes! (See update below.)
- Fact: the pads are only RGB when using Ableton Live. This was a big surprise to me. In any other DAW, the pads will have no backlight while not being pressed, and will flash red when being pressed. There are no software settings or physical controls that can change this. If you're expecting full RGB-glory and you use any DAW other than Ableton Live, you'll be disappointed that the keyboard looks like it's turned off compared to all the pictures of the Launchkey you've seen online and in product descriptions.
Additional info:
Ableton Live is an effective DAW for many, particularly in the electronic realm and especially for live performers of electronic music, but the workflow is uniquely complicated relative to other DAWs, the interface discourages third-party alternatives to poor sounding first-party plugins, and it lacks many professional features, particularly around recording and mixing audio. Ableton should not be a requirement for full functionality out of a MIDI controller. And if it is, it should be clearly stated in the description on all sales platforms.
I paid $130 for the keyboard, which is admittedly pretty cheap. It comes with Ableton Live Lite, $100 value and useful if you don't have a DAW. Also, it comes with a license for one Addictive Keys pack by XLN Audio, of $90 value. Addictive Keys is fantastic, and the best of the eight virtual pianos I own. This is a superb inclusion and definitely worth redeeming if you buy a Novation product.
Novation Support guided me through the updates that broke the velocity sensing of the keys. (See update below.) In the support rep's opinion, my unit is not defective, but representative of the product. He indicated that Novation's partnership with Ableton turns RGB support for other DAWs into a competitive disadvantage and said it wouldn't be pursued for at least 2-3 years, if at all. He also said that the MIDI pad sensors in this are same as those in the Launchpad Pro, so I won't be purchasing that product, unfortunately. He was sure that my velocity issues on the pads were related to which instrument I loaded, in that not all drum kits occupy every pad, though I explained myself clearly and demonstrated the velocity issue using a piano with all pads linked to piano notes, and in comparison to my Maschine Mikro's consistent, dynamic registering of varying velocity. And he said multiple times that it's my choice to not have RGB support for my Launchkey since I'm not willing to migrate from the full version of my professional DAW to the junior version of Ableton Live that's included.
I submitted to the Novation suggestion box that the pads should support RGB regardless of which DAW a person uses, and that Novation develop a "Launchkey Pro" line of products with higher build quality, responsive velocity, and consistent note recognition, even if this hypothetical "Launchkey Pro" costs twice the price of the Launchkey. Because, if we're being realistic, that's the product I'm looking for, and I would be willing to pay twice the price right now if Novation made such a product (and the quality was up to snuff). I love the Launchkey in theory: it's just that it falls flat on delivery.
Technically, the keyboard functions as a MIDI controller, and the pads are functional too. The RGB issue isn't an issue for Ableton users. But the reality, for people using any DAW other than Ableton, is that all marketed images of the Launchkey displaying RGB colors are a lie - if you're not in Ableton, your keyboard will have two rows of non-lit pads that flash only red when pressed, and there's nothing you can do about it.
I recommend this product only if you literally can't afford any other option, and I strongly recommend not updating the firmware and USB driver after purchasing. I returned my Launchkey and will look for a higher quality alternative from another brand.
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Update (December 2017): Novation support has been in contact with me, and all of the support agents I've corresponded with were far more polite than the phone support I described above. It looks like the build quality of my particular unit was unusually poor, and that the firmware breaking velocity sensing of the keys is something Novation would definitely have corrected or replaced.
They said that Studio One (and other DAWs) do have the capability of lighting up the midi pads, but that it takes significant back-end work to set up - enough that they don't believe it's worth the effort. But the product development team is working on adding built-in support for other DAWs. That's certainly good to hear for the future.
They also informed me that there are two reasons the Launchpad Pro should have better response than the Launchkey: first, the Launchpad Pro does indeed have higher quality pressure sensing pads, and second, if I'm understanding correctly, the velocity sensing options in the Launchkey affected the keys and not the pads (indicating my phone support was uninformed), and that the velocity sensing options on the Launchpad Pro will give it a wider palette of potential touch input. I'm not convinced it will be as good as a Native Instruments controller for finger drumming, but in all fairness, all of those are significantly more expensive.
I won't be re-purchasing this product - I've since had my old synth-as-midi-controller repaired and no longer need a Launchkey. But I would consider testing out a Launchpad Pro when I'm ready for that purchase, especially if they broaden DAW support without extra work required for RGB functionality.
In the future, I'll purchase something like the Launchpad Pro for my studio, and something like the Launchkey Mini for composition while traveling. If Novation's software improves, and especially if there's a new generation out, I'll consider Novation in my search.
And I would be happy if Novation launched a premium line of controllers with premium touchpads and feel (at a premium price). Hopefully this is something we'll see in a couple of years.
