Novation Launchkey 49 MK4 WH

The MK4 series takes the Novation Launchkey controller into its fourth generation. Alongside 49 keys for playing melodies, this model (here in Novation's modern white finish) also features 16 pads, nine faders, eight encoders for controlling plugin parameters, an arpeggiator, an input for connecting a sustain pedal, and pitchbend and modulation wheels – as well as a screen that displays information about every parameter using at least four characters, so there's no struggling to decode cryptic abbreviations. Additional functions that facilitate the workflow include note quantisation as well as Chord, Scale, and Arpeggio modes, which in this generation have been expanded, so that musicians don't just have to stay in the selected key, but can also play with genuine expression and emotion. The Novation Launchkey offers seamless integration into all widely used DAWs, enabling extensive parameter control for truly modern music productions.

As mentioned above, the Launchkey’s Scale mode provides predefined chords in a specific scale, while the User Chord mode makes it possible to assign chords of up to six notes to each individual pad. These allocations are stored in the internal memory of the controller, so it's easy to access them again after each system boot. The arpeggiator also offers different modes for designing varied patterns: Pressing Shift and Arp activates the Key Latching function, which holds all of the notes being played. When Arp is pressed again for a few seconds, Arp Control Lock is activated, and the user receives access to every parameter via the encoders: With Mutate, the pitch of the original chord can be changed – and with Deviate, the rhythm of the pattern can be modified. In addition to these functions, the Device Control mode can be used to intuitively control up to eight plugin parameters simultaneously in Ableton.