novation launchpad for dj-ing

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Pumpkin_Howie
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 10:41 pm

novation launchpad for dj-ing

Post by Pumpkin_Howie » Tue Jul 27, 2010 9:48 am

hey i'm looking into dj-ing and i want to use ableton because i am more familiar with most of its functions and i was looking into usb/midi controllers to get started with and the novation launchpad looks really cool but is it good for dj-ing? would it be better than most controllers under £200 ($300)?? thanks for any help!

Digital_Damage
Posts: 219
Joined: Wed Nov 25, 2009 5:44 pm

Re: novation launchpad for dj-ing

Post by Digital_Damage » Tue Jul 27, 2010 8:20 pm

Pumpkin_Howie wrote:hey i'm looking into dj-ing and i want to use ableton because i am more familiar with most of its functions and i was looking into usb/midi controllers to get started with and the novation launchpad looks really cool but is it good for dj-ing? would it be better than most controllers under £200 ($300)?? thanks for any help!
APC40

!STiTCH!
Posts: 150
Joined: Sat May 22, 2010 5:35 am

Re: novation launchpad for dj-ing

Post by !STiTCH! » Tue Jul 27, 2010 11:08 pm

Well, it really depends on your style. That being said, while I have never used the launchpad, I don't see how it can get near the functionality of the APC40 with Hanz Petrovs Remote Scripts. Using those you have Note Mode and tons of extra functions I haven't even used yet. I must admit, it was Hanz Petrovs scripts that sealed the deal for me buying the APC40, though I alread owned several other MIDI controllers. If you wanna DJ with Ableton, it is in my humble opinion, nothing beats the APC40.

outershpongolia
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Re: novation launchpad for dj-ing

Post by outershpongolia » Wed Jul 28, 2010 2:28 am

!STiTCH! wrote:Well, it really depends on your style. That being said, while I have never used the launchpad, I don't see how it can get near the functionality of the APC40 with Hanz Petrovs Remote Scripts. Using those you have Note Mode and tons of extra functions I haven't even used yet. I must admit, it was Hanz Petrovs scripts that sealed the deal for me buying the APC40, though I alread owned several other MIDI controllers. If you wanna DJ with Ableton, it is in my humble opinion, nothing beats the APC40.
For a second I thougth one of those 2 deck MIDI "DJ" controllers might beat it out but they still don't stand a chance because those are layed out like a traditional DJ layout - and DJing with ableton is almost nothing like that.. APC40 FTW..

Tone Deft
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Re: novation launchpad for dj-ing

Post by Tone Deft » Wed Jul 28, 2010 2:32 am

I wouldn't use a Launch Pad for DJing, you can't fine tune the levels you can only get them close.

APC40 or 20 or any of the myriad other controllers out there.
In my life
Why do I smile
At people who I'd much rather kick in the eye?
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Crubier
Posts: 51
Joined: Thu Nov 05, 2009 8:37 am
Location: Toulouse, France

Re: novation launchpad for dj-ing

Post by Crubier » Wed Jul 28, 2010 8:52 am

Launchpad + BCF2000

Or

APC40



My setup fo DJing is :
2 Launchpads
1 BCF2000
1 BCR2000
1 MacBookPro
1 MOTU ultralite

Pumpkin_Howie
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 10:41 pm

Re: novation launchpad for dj-ing

Post by Pumpkin_Howie » Wed Jul 28, 2010 9:32 pm

hmmmmm would the apc20 do the trick? i want to get a midi keyboard and drumpad too so i am trying to watch how much i spend, would be ideal to keep it under £250. if the apc20 is really no subsitute for the apc40 then i will save up and wait! thanks for the help and advice so far, this forum has been great =D

outershpongolia
Posts: 2230
Joined: Wed Dec 31, 2008 8:40 am

Re: novation launchpad for dj-ing

Post by outershpongolia » Wed Jul 28, 2010 10:52 pm

Pumpkin_Howie wrote:hmmmmm would the apc20 do the trick? i want to get a midi keyboard and drumpad too so i am trying to watch how much i spend, would be ideal to keep it under £250. if the apc20 is really no subsitute for the apc40 then i will save up and wait! thanks for the help and advice so far, this forum has been great =D
IMO get the 40 and a nice velocity sensitive keyboard and skip thedrum pad u can get scripts for the apc for drumrack note nodes and/or use the keys for drums

Isturite-
Posts: 57
Joined: Wed Apr 14, 2010 7:08 pm
Location: Sacramento, California

Re: novation launchpad for dj-ing

Post by Isturite- » Thu Jul 29, 2010 8:06 pm

I think you should go for the launchpad if you plan to use other controllers and have a price limit... for my set up I use an akai mpk25 keyboard for knobs, keyboard controlled effects, and playing synth lines sometimes... i almost got a little novation mixer so i had a crossfader (the apc has a crossfader), but realized it wasn't really necessary...

the launchpad is more compact and cheaper, but you could do everything with the apc whereas the launchpad might not do by itself due to the fact that you have to change between session, user 1 & 2, and mixer mode to use mixer/midi controls... but with my keyboard it doesn't cause me problems because I use my knobs for midi controls instead of the user modes
Kevin Welch
[Isturite]

http://www.soundcloud.com/isturite

Pumpkin_Howie
Posts: 20
Joined: Thu Jun 28, 2007 10:41 pm

Re: novation launchpad for dj-ing

Post by Pumpkin_Howie » Sat Jul 31, 2010 1:16 am

for djing would the apc20 do the trick then? it has faders on it, and i could afford to get it with the lpd8 (which has knobs on it)
would it make an acceptable subsitute for the apc40? thanks for the help so far everyone =]

timothyallan
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Re: novation launchpad for dj-ing

Post by timothyallan » Sat Jul 31, 2010 4:37 am

VCM600 > APC for DJing

mersault
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Re: novation launchpad for dj-ing

Post by mersault » Sun Aug 01, 2010 1:47 am

If you are planning to do much travelling/touring, you might regret the APC40 - Its big, bulky and heavy. If you're the sort of DJ who carries around a lot of hardware, then you won't mind. I prefer to travel as light as possible and if anybody does it for long enough, that seems to be the typical consensus. I sold my APC40 after my first trip with it. Other than those factors, its a great piece - but for me, it was too much of a compromise.

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