do i need a launchpad

Discuss music production with Ableton Live.
swishniak
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do i need a launchpad

Post by swishniak » Tue Nov 17, 2009 10:46 am

i was planning on getting one soon, but am reconsidering. i realized that my ideal controller solution would include some automapping of effects/macros and give some control over routing / resampling (i know this is far-fetched.. ).

but aside from being good at launching clips, have any users got much use out of the other features of the launchpad ie. mixer mode and user modes?

and i know there will be alot more possibilities with the launchpad next week (M4L!), but how about this week?

Emissary
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Re: do i need a launchpad

Post by Emissary » Tue Nov 17, 2009 10:56 am

GET IT!! seriously , its one of the cheapest but best additions to my studio which is worth around 15 grand at the moment. If only they would add a damned delete clip button i wouldnt have to look at my computer every again,

Pasha
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Re: do i need a launchpad

Post by Pasha » Tue Nov 17, 2009 11:01 am

I do not own it yet but I share the same doubts.
I would say that if you perform live Launchpad is needed while if you produce in the studio
it's a nice addition. Clip Triggering can be achieved in many other ways (Keyboard map, MIDI Map)
and needs a controller and a keyboard. The super thing about launchpad is that matches your
project session view setup automatically. What a beauty.

- My 2 cents
- Best
- Pasha
Mac Studio M1
Live 12 Suite,Zebra ,Valhalla Plugins, MIDI Guitar (2+3),Guitar, Bass, VG99, GP10, JV1010 and some controllers
______________________________________
Music : http://alonetone.com/pasha

pepezabala
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Re: do i need a launchpad

Post by pepezabala » Tue Nov 17, 2009 11:07 am

I believe it's a fun-controller for live performances. If you are working in a studio or at home then it will be a nice addition and maybe speed up your workflow a little, but it's not a must. You can trigger clips totally fine with mouse and keyboard. You have visual feedback by looking at your computer screen.

but in order to play and improvise with a bunch of clips, including toggling efx on and off and playing some drumracks, it's just a fun fun fun-gadget. and looks cool.

smartass303
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Re: do i need a launchpad

Post by smartass303 » Tue Nov 17, 2009 12:44 pm

im going for one after nye.
i went to the musicstore around the corner and it was mental. launching/toggling clips is seriously dope, try it with no quantisation 8O
im seriously broke and i need to check the possibility of using nonome apps and live togehter. maybe i need to upgrade to 8 (and maybe i need m4l for using the full potential of launchpad).

i think i need to quit smoking,

303

frequentare
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Re: do i need a launchpad

Post by frequentare » Tue Nov 17, 2009 12:51 pm

i have both the launchpad and APC40 - i like em both - but the ACP40 is way more advanced and user friendly - LAunchpad is ideal for small traveling gigs and such but no where near the APC40 in terms of overall control

rikhyray
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Re: do i need a launchpad

Post by rikhyray » Tue Nov 17, 2009 12:58 pm

swishniak wrote:i was planning on getting one soon, but am reconsidering. i realized that my ideal controller solution would include some automapping of effects/macros and give some control over routing / resampling (i know this is far-fetched.. ).

but aside from being good at launching clips, have any users got much use out of the other features of the launchpad ie. mixer mode and user modes?

and i know there will be alot more possibilities with the launchpad next week (M4L!), but how about this week?
Get one from Thomann, Musik Schmidt or whatever where they give you 33 days full refund. That is what I do with most controllers. I do try in a shop but I need to see how they work in real life. Even with gadgets that work fine, if I see that somehow I hardly use them it means I dont need them nad they go back.
In case of Launchpad it took me 10 to 30 minutes to see that it is the best thing I bought in past decade, wish it came out earlier.
"You can trigger clips totally fine with mouse and keyboard" really ? maybe some people but not me, playing, composing, producing - less of mouse , keyboard - better for me, actually for any application I use controllers if possible.

swishniak
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Re: do i need a launchpad

Post by swishniak » Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:11 pm

thanks for the feedback, guys. good food for thought

Ball Sack
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Re: do i need a launchpad

Post by Ball Sack » Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:20 pm

Yes you need one

Ball Sack
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Re: do i need a launchpad

Post by Ball Sack » Tue Nov 17, 2009 1:20 pm

No you don't need one

citizenchris099
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Re: do i need a launchpad

Post by citizenchris099 » Tue Nov 17, 2009 2:27 pm

swishniak wrote:i was planning on getting one soon, but am reconsidering. i realized that my ideal controller solution would include some automapping of effects/macros and give some control over routing / resampling (i know this is far-fetched.. ).

but aside from being good at launching clips, have any users got much use out of the other features of the launchpad ie. mixer mode and user modes?

and i know there will be alot more possibilities with the launchpad next week (M4L!), but how about this week?
My opinion should prolly be ignored as I will come off like a LP fanboi...but I'll speak my mind anyways. GET A LAUNCHPAD! Seriously....unless you think the APC40 is better for you otherwise get an LP. I personally think every Live user will benefit in some way from a matrix control like the APC or LP. I was on the fence until i just said eff it and picked one up. Literally inside of 10 min of using the thing I couldn't understand why I had waited so long.

Emissary
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Re: do i need a launchpad

Post by Emissary » Tue Nov 17, 2009 6:34 pm

Just to give some more props to the launchpad, i setup an entire template live set with user 1 and user 2 configured to different racks already loaded on the master channel. Its good fun moving the rack around and recording some automation, flattening it to audio and moving the rack onto another channel and starting again. you can basically write and entire song in the amount of time it takes to listen to it. Sod perfroming live, this is making music live, like using a guitar, except twelfty times more complex and inspiring. If i had the money i would get an APC too, maybe in the future.

fdmusic
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Re: do i need a launchpad

Post by fdmusic » Tue Nov 17, 2009 8:58 pm

I bought one and love it! It makes composing and mixing much more interactive and productive, at least in my composition style. I usually start by layering components in session view, building up clips, jumping between all the different instruments as I see fit, trying lots of different ideas. After I build for a while, then I go back and start trying to sort out the arrangement by triggering the different parts and make something that fits together. So, pretty much after I've dropped my instruments in and set the tempo, I am able to do all of this without touching the computer again (of course, if I do need to delete a clip I have to reach for ctrl-z, but I've just started using automap with my iPhone and am able to send these keystrokes to Live with it - still seeing if this is better than just reaching for ctrl-z). Once I'm to the arrange stage, hammering out mixes I like is much easier. I'm finding that I'm more creative too, as triggering different clips and different scenes is so easy with the pads and visual feedback.

:) That's my long way of saying that I would not want to compose in Live without it anymore (case in point, I ended up at a coffee shop last night with just my laptop and headphones and did a little Live - without my LP on hand, there was a distinct feeling something was missing, that after of having it only a week).

citizenchris099
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Re: do i need a launchpad

Post by citizenchris099 » Tue Nov 17, 2009 9:07 pm

fdmusic wrote:I bought one and love it! It makes composing and mixing much more interactive and productive, at least in my composition style.
I would not want to compose in Live without it anymore

agree completely. the lp really speeds up the workflow in live to the point where I seriously wonder how I managed so long w/o it.

nepotist
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Re: do i need a launchpad

Post by nepotist » Tue Nov 17, 2009 9:41 pm

Emissary wrote:Just to give some more props to the launchpad, i setup an entire template live set with user 1 and user 2 configured to different racks already loaded on the master channel. Its good fun moving the rack around and recording some automation, flattening it to audio and moving the rack onto another channel and starting again. you can basically write and entire song in the amount of time it takes to listen to it. Sod perfroming live, this is making music live, like using a guitar, except twelfty times more complex and inspiring. If i had the money i would get an APC too, maybe in the future.

This sounds cool, I'm not exactly sure what you are doing though, I don't have the LP. What's the workflow?
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