Recording - March 2020 - 48

The new Mini combines a 25-key mini
keyboard (velocity but not pressure sensitive) with a cleverly designed 2x8 pad
bank. The velocity-sensitive pads are
now fully RGB and provide an intuitive
glimpse into the unit's setup and functions. Thanks to a variety of Shift functions, the pads can display everything
from Session View clip status to the inner
workings of the built-in arpeggiator.
Topping off the design are eight
knobs, new pitch and modulation ribbons, and a rear panel Hold pedal jack.
The Launchkey Mini is bus-powered via
a conventional USB A-to-B cable, and
has a minijack for an included MIDI Out
cable. Plug the USB into a power supply
and the Mini works as a standalone controller, no computer needed.
While the Mini works well with a variety of DAWs (the user guide includes
setup instructions for Reason 10, Logic Pro X, Pro Tools, and Cubase), it's
optimized for Ableton Live 10, which
automatically recognizes the Mini
and maps its controls in Session View.
The interface is naturally a bit more
cramped than the Launchpad X, but

it's surprisingly quick to learn and use,
and you won't find many things missing
from your Session View workflow.
Using the Shift key, it's easy to maneuver up and down between pairs of
Scenes and left/right between Tracks.
Selecting a new Track automatically
arms it for recording. Two large backlit
buttons launch the upper row's Scene,
or selects the lower pads' functions: Clip
launch, Clip stop, Solo, or Mute, with
clear color coding for each. The knobs
control volume, pan, and two sends for
each channel, and there's a Custom
Mode editable from Components that
lets you load templates for synths such
as the Novation Circuit and Korg Volca,
or set up the pads as a custom keyboard
in the scale of your choice.
The Mini's arpeggiator is a real treat.
It offers quick settings of arpeggio order,
rate, octave spread, and latch, as well
as unusual note and rhythm variations
that can be dialed in with the Mutate and
Deviate knobs. High settings get pretty
weird, but lower settings add just a bit
of randomness to the patterns to avoid
monotony (oh, and those mysterious

symbols on the last three keys are reserved for future arpeggiator functions).
I found the Launchkey Mini MK3 to be
easy to learn and fun to play. It's well
built, with a snappy key action and comfortably soft pads. The ribbons and pots
work smoothly, and the arpeggiator is
a blast; I could easily see this as a keyboardist's go-to controller for composing
with Live on the road.

Final Thoughts

My user experience with both units
was nearly flawless. They were musical,
incredibly fun to use, and exuded a real
aura of next-generation build quality. As
much as I've loved the Launchpads I've
had before this (I've owned four of them
through the years!), the new Launchpad
X is hands-down my favorite, and I can
see a lot of keyboard players embracing
the very playable Launchkey Mini layout. Two thumbs up!
Prices: Launchpad X, $199.99;
Launchkey Mini MK3, $109.99;
Launchpad Mini MK3 (not
reviewed), $109.99
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Recording - March 2020

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