Recording - December 2014 - 17

or Launchpad Mini for clip and session control, but what about the rest
of the front-panel mixer controls...
especially faders?"
The Launch Control XL is a square
control surface sized to match the
Launchpad S that offers 24 centerdetented pots, eight 60 mm faders,
and 16 multifunction pads with 3color LED function indication. There
are buttons for assigning functions to
the pads on the fly, for moving
around a Session, and for calling up
one of eight factory or user-defined
Templates (sets of control assignments). It comes with a software editor for setting parameters and storing
them in Templates, as well as 1 GB
of loop content from Loopmasters
and a Lite version of Ableton Live 9
that's more than enough to get a
beginner started in Live.
Built on the same stiff plastic chassis that's seen in products like the
Launch Control and Launchpad S, the Launch Control XL is confidence-inducing and sturdy without being overly heavy. The faders
have a nice long throw and are comfortable to use for fine tweaking, like adjusting automation curves, and having 24 pots available
at one time is a real luxury, especially if you work with multiple
effects sends per channel on a regular basis. The default is two
Sends plus Pan control, with the top two rows scrollable up and
down to cover however many Sends you've put in your Session.
The pads can be programmed for multiple functions; within
Live, they default to the top row selecting the track you want to

work with (Focus) and the bottom
row controlling either Solo, Mute,
or Record Arm status. Having a row
of dedicated Focus buttons is very
handy, as Live frequently shifts the
focus in a Session when you use a
clip launch button, move a controller that's assigned to a particular
Track, etc. Focus determines which
clips are available for editing and
which devices in an audio chain
are accessible for realtime control.
By holding down the Device button,
you can scroll through the chain,
select an effect or instrument, and
use the pots to control its parameters in groups of eight at a time.
If your Session has more than
eight Tracks, you can scroll left
and right to move the track range
of the controller, and this will be
reflected by a colored box on
screen surrounding the Tracks it's currently affecting. The
Status Bar at the bottom left in Live will also tell you what's currently being controlled.
Live's integration with controllers of this type is scary-good; I
just plugged in the Launch Control XL and it instantly went to
work for me and did precisely what it said it would. I had it on
stage for a live recording session less than 24 hours after receiving it and it worked like a champ. If you've been watching the
Launch Family's growth and waiting for a comprehensive
track/mix control device from Novation that will complement the
reliability and quality of the Launchpad S, wait no more.-MM

http://www.primacoustic.com http://www.primacoustic.com/hearthedifference

Recording - December 2014

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