Novation Launchkey 25 Mk2 Usb Keyboard Controller For Ableton Live

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Novation Launchkey 25 Mk2 Usb Keyboard Controller For Ableton Live

Regular price: £275.00
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Description

MK2 version of Novation's 25-note USB keyboard controller for Ableton Live
16 velocity-sensitive RGB pads, 8 knobs, and dedicated navigation and control buttons
Software for Mac and PC
Fully USB bus-powered and class compliant; works without drivers or power cable
Software for Mac and PC, Including: Ableton Live Lite, XLN Audio Addictive Keys, Novation Bass Station and V Station virtual instruments; 2-year limited warranty on manufacturing defects

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Customer Reviews

Very low value for the money, not fun to play, cheap and flimsyI bought the Novation Launchkey 61 MIDI controller to replace an old M-Audio AxiomPro that was really starting to show its age and cause issues. It was time to upgrade. I went with the Novation Launchkey 61 based on a few things: a few reviews I'd read (here on Amazon and elsewhere), basic functionality (I don't need much in a keyboard controller, just the essentials), the price (some MIDI keyboard controllers are priced unreasonably high, especially those with 61 keys), and seamless integration with my DAW. My immediate impressions when I unboxed it were that of disappointment - I immediately regretted my purchase. While it's very lightweight, which is nice, that's not all that important to me as it's just sitting in a studio and I don't intend to travel with it. "Cheap" is the most appropriate word to describe it - it just feels like cheap plastic, and it is, but more notably the keys the pots and sliders -- all very cheap and flimsy - not what I expected from what I read and for the price. I really can't stand the keys. It's not fun to play, the feel is that of a very low end child's toy. In terms of functionality, it works and it works fine so no complaints there -- it does what it's supposed to do but I just don't enjoy using it. In fact, I dislike it so much that I'm instead using one of my synths as a keyboard controller, just to avoid having to use the Novation. I think I may return it (if I'm able to at this point). I already miss my M-Audio AxiomPro because, despite its age and the issues it was having, I at least enjoyed using, it was fun to play and the keys are superior So, in short, I do not recommend this keyboard controller and find it's not good value for the money.2Great keyboard for those who want a small desktop controllerThis is a nice little MIDI keyboard. I use this alongside an Ableton Push, as I really like the piano feel sometimes. I couldn't really get into the "In Control" pads on this keyboard, but for those without another device like Push, this will do what you need it to do. I like that this fits nicely on my desk. If you're looking for something as your main instrument, though, I'd encourage you to look at the 49-key version. Maybe even the 61-key.I already had Ableton Live before buying this keyboard, and it's an excellent software. If you don't already have a DAW, or if you want to try something new, it's not too difficult to get into. Definitely adds some value to this package. I used the Intro version for about two years, and still have a lot to learn. I did eventually upgrade to the Suite version for the additional sound packs,, but you can still get a LOT of mileage out of the Intro version that this ships with.That said, I would also recommend checking to see if/when Novation will begin packaging their keyboards with Live 10 Intro; this one shipped with Live 9 and it may be worth waiting for a month or two if something is on the horizon.5Great Controller!Sync'd right up with my Presonus Studio One 3 Digital Audio Workstation (DAW). Plugged it into the USB port, went into the Presonus setup and changed the 'MIDI in' and 'MIDI out.' to 'Launchkey' No external software or drivers required, and best of all, no additional 'wall wart' power supply as it runs off of USB power. The keys feel like most any other keyboard controller in this price range. I do prefer weighted keys, but I wasn't willing to spend over $200 for yet another keyboard to add to my growing collection. For this price, you won't find a better deal.5The best keyboard you can get for the moneyI previously had an akai mpk mini, upgraded to alesis v25, and now upgraded to this. The more I play and the better I get, the more frustrating I found the former two products. The mini ended up being too small, and the alesis is quite large and the keys have to be FULLY released before being pressed again, making movements quite obnoxious. I would sound like I'm pounding the keys with a hammer, and the keys press in pretty deep so that doesn't help.I went to guitar center and tried everything from m-audio to akai. M-audio, akai, alesis and everything else under $200 felt extremely cheap and if it wasn't cheap then it was...well, expensive with fully weighted keys and a bunch of things I personally don't use.Enter the Novation product line. As soon as I tried the launchkey, it felt semi-weighted which is good, and the keys were reminiscent of a mechanical keyboard; when pressed fully, there is a switch feeling at the bottom, providing good feedback. I knew that must be a good thing and worth trying out. Other products usually go at the $100 mark so for only 50 more bucks it is well worth it. Extremely easier to play, velocity sensitivity is spot-on, keys not too deep, good feedback, little alarm clock style display to show you volume/octave level...you can't beat this.I guarantee you will be pleased with the launchkey.5Disappointed, but may have received a lemon - Support followed upI 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.- - - - -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.2Ableton User? This is your keyboardIf you use ableton, get this keyboard. Get the 61 version too, it is smaller than you think and it is very light so portability is not a problem. Keys feel good, they aren't weighted but they certainly are not cheap $30 keyboard keys. It is powered via USB so I don't know why there is the option to buy a separate power source but it is unnecessary. The sliders are amazing, they have good weight to them, you can see their value 0-127 on the light up screen (along with the knows and mod wheel). The automapping is very nice too, although i have had one slight problem with it. When you use the keyboard to switch which MIDI track you are on it arms that track but doesn't disarm the track you left. But other than that I have 0 complaints5Great so far, will update if I have any problemsI ve only used my LaunchKey perhaps 15 times over the past month or so, but I have been impressed so far. I started by slamming all the keys harder than anyone would ever recommend slamming keys on the keyboard, because I didn t want to risk finding out that it could break easily later. It s survived my pounding on every single key, I also mashed all the buttons and wiggled all the knobs quickly for 10 minutes, also without any problem.I m using it for Ableton Live 10 Suite. I had no problems getting it working within one minute. I believe I had to change one input setting or something, but it was so simple.I really have enjoyed using this to help me come up with chords and melodies, compared to trying to click them into Ableton via my trackpad or use my MacBook keyboard and constantly shift octaves, etc.5Cheap keys, cheap pads. I don't know why this is rated so highly.I bought this wanting a larger keyboard over my Korg Microkey, plus the expanded controls for use with Ableton. It's nice having 61 keys, but from the start I was sorely disappointed by the keys. They feel extremely cheap, they rattle and make excessive noise, and the velocity curve is very inconsistent. It's hard to play softly and I'm worried I'm going to break the keys when I play harder. Even my tiny Microkey has a better response and build quality.The drum pads are also terrible. They're so stiff that I practically have to bash my hands on them to get a consistent response. It's impossible to make beats with any sort of finesse, and I routinely miss beats because the pads failed to trigger.On the good side, the knobs and sliders are all decent quality, and I was able to control basic functions in Ableton quite easily. Interfacing with NI plugins is a bit harder to do - I'm sure there's a way to set it up, but I haven't tried yet. If you need a combined Ableton controller and keyboard, this will do the job, but it's not a great solution.Overall, I just don't understand why people rate this so highly. Maybe mine is a bad example, or maybe this is the only keyboard other reviewers have owned. I highly suggest you try one of these in person before buying, and if you want a good key response, avoid this altogether.3Using Launchkey 49 to Begin Exploring Digital Music ProductionI have been a musician for more than 15 years, playing the mandolin in acoustic jam sessions, bands and home recordings. I have also produced amateur recordings for about ten years, using several different hardware based digital multi-track recorders. In the last year I switched to computer based recording, when I discovered the affordability and astonishing breadth of capability offered by software systems. My choice of software is Logic Pro X and Mainstage 3. As I became familiar with the OSX music production software, I realized the importance of a midi controller to make use of the numerous software instruments and other digital music production techniques. I have nearly no keyboard skill, so this meant learning, not only a new musicianship skill, but also learning the technical nuts and bolts of digital music production methods. After several months of familiarizing myself with the capabilities of Logic and Mainstage I felt like I was ready to make a reasonably informed decision about what might be my best first midi hardware gear purchase. In this review I list the features I felt I would need to best enable my progress toward some minimal level of competence and how well I believe this controller met my expectations.First, I needed a keyboard that would not be a hindrance to learning to play a keyboard. I reasoned that I need full-sized keys, with velocity sensitivity, aftertouch, an adequate number octaves, a pitch bend wheel and a modulation wheel. Admitting that I do not have any experience against which to evaluate how this controller measures up against these criteria, I am very pleased with how this keyboard met my expectations. although not weighted, the key bed feels substantial and operates smoothly. Although far short of a full-sized 88-key behemoth, the Launchkey 49 seems completely adequate. The pitch and mod wheels are sturdy and responsive.To have some flexibility in mapping screen controls, in Mainstage and assigning them to physical midi controls, I predicted that I would need a reasonable number of knobs and sliders. While Launchkey controllers are specifically designed to map to the Abelton Live interface, I have found this controller to be sufficiently flexible for a variety of Mainstage patch configurations with enough physical controls to manage a number of instrument parameters, effects sends, patch changes etc.I anticipated that I would want several drum pads. I imagined using them, not so much for finger drumming, but for launching backing tracks, loops, drum sequences and one-shot clips. Short of buying a separate pad controller, Launchkey 49 offered enough pads to explore all these possibilities. The 16 drum pads are solid and responsive. They work beautifully for the functions I wanted them to serve in Mainstage. The pads have RGB back lighting, which have impressive plug and play functionality in Abelton, but I have not yet figured out if there is any way to use their RGB lights in Mainstage. At the very least, it would be helpful to be able to use the back lights to provide visual feedback on the pad or pads that are controlling an active clip or sequence.I have used the controller a little to control the free Abelton Lite software, bundled with the Launchkey 49. In this software environment this is an awesome controller.In summary, it seems that, as a beginning controller for a novice keyboardist and digital musician/producer, The Launchkey 49 provides a completely adequate keyboard and control surface for a very reasonable price. At this point I can say that I am very happy with this controller and anticipate that as I look to add gear to my rig I will likely not replace this controller, but keep it as part of an expanding rig.4For previous MK2 owners, great new features/improvements, but the layout is worse for live loopingI own the mini MK2 and this is definitely quite the upgrade with tons of new features that make it great for producing, such as arpegio and the ability to change beat, rhythm, and pattern. They also have added pitch and modulation wheels and dedicated buttons for playing and recording. They also improved the sensitivity of the keys and the drum pads, so you no longer have to slam on it as hard as on the MK2.However, I use my Launchkeys for live looping and the way they changed some features makes it less than ideal for commonly used features while live looping. There are no longer dedicated buttons for features that the MK2 has. For example, in order to switch to "In Control" mode, you have to hold down the new "Shift" button while simultaneously pressing another button. Another example is the track buttons for switching through tracks left and right. In order to do this, you have to hold down the "Shift" button as well, but what makes matters worse is that the track buttons are on the other side of the keyboard from the "Shift" button. I like to do live loops during my performances, so I switch tracks quite often, but this is no longer feasible with the MK3 since I have to use both hands to switch tracks, which leaves me with no free hands to continue playing on the keys. I can see this becoming a common complaint for the MK3, so hopefully they release a firmware update that enables some sort of "Caps Lock" mode that keeps the "Shift" button enabled without having to hold it down.3

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Novation Launchkey 25 Mk2 Usb Keyboard Controller For Ableton Live

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Novation Launchkey 25 Mk2 Usb Keyboard Controller For Ableton Live

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Novation Launchkey 25 Mk2 Usb Keyboard Controller For Ableton Live

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Customer Reviews

Novation Launchkey 25 Mk2 Usb Keyboard Controller For Ableton Live

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