Novation Launchkey: Making Mini MIDI Keyboards Monumental

Novation’s Launchkey range is purpose-built for musicians who find themselves working in tight spaces—think bedroom studios and makeshift home setups. The video opens by acknowledging the reality: most producers don’t have the luxury of sprawling workspaces, but still crave the expressive range of a full-sized keyboard. The Launchkey 25 and Launchkey Mini are positioned as practical solutions, offering essential MIDI control in a compact form factor that fits on almost any desk.

Despite their size, these controllers are designed to deliver more than just basic note input. The presenter highlights the challenge of limited octaves and the awkwardness of constantly shifting octaves mid-performance. Novation’s approach is to embed a suite of features that let users sidestep these physical constraints, aiming for a playing experience that feels natural and musically expressive—even on a two-octave keyboard.

The core of the Launchkey’s octave-stretching magic lies in its chord and scale modes. Scale Chord Mode allows users to trigger a variety of predetermined chords—triads, sevenths, ninths, and sixth/ninths—directly from the pads, all mapped to the current scale and root note. This is more than a shortcut: it’s a deliberate design for fast harmonic exploration, with the ability to shift pad octaves independently from the keys for flexible left/right hand splits. The DAW integration is tight, with each chord registering as separate MIDI notes for easy post-performance editing.

For those who prefer to define their own harmonic vocabulary, User Chord Mode lets players program up to sixteen custom chords, each with up to six notes. These chords persist across power cycles, making them reliable for both home and mobile setups. The video also touches on the ability to route pads and keys to separate MIDI destinations, allowing for creative splits between external synths or DAW instruments—a thoughtful touch for hybrid and live rigs.

Fixed Chord Mode is introduced as a one-chord-at-a-time tool, but its real power emerges when paired with the Launchkey’s arpeggiator. By programming a chord that spans multiple octaves and engaging the arpeggiator, users can generate sweeping patterns that far exceed the physical range of the keys. This approach is especially effective for creating evolving textures and complex rhythmic sequences with minimal fingerwork.

The video demonstrates how combining Fixed Chord Mode, scale mode, and the arpeggiator allows for intricate, scale-conforming arpeggios and chord progressions. All generated notes are transmitted as discrete MIDI events, ensuring full editability in the DAW. While this method doesn’t offer the same left/right hand independence as the pad chord modes, it excels at producing wide-ranging, dynamic parts from a minimal interface.

The Launchkey’s integration with Novation Components software opens up a new layer of customization. Users can create up to four custom modes, each programmable with specific MIDI notes, colors, and functions. The video walks through building a chromatic pad layout—essentially adding an extra octave to the controller—mirroring the pad keyboard found on Novation’s Circuit devices. This setup is saved locally and can be transferred between units, making it a portable solution for users with multiple Launchkeys.

Custom modes aren’t just for extra notes; they’re a gateway to advanced MIDI routing, keystroke combinations, and personalized workflows. The presenter emphasizes how this flexibility can bridge the gap between compact hardware and expansive musical ideas, especially for those comfortable diving into software-based configuration. The result is a controller that adapts to the user, rather than the other way around.