Novation Launchkey 49 MK4

Launchkey 49 is a powerful DAW controller with a suite of onboard creation tools. Every element has been designed to feel musical, expressive, and razor focused on creative flow; from the semi-weighted keybed and 16 pads with polyphonic aftertouch, to the carefully laid out control surface with in-depth DAW integration. Play instruments and drums, launch clips and scenes, and get instant hands-on control of your DAW’s mixer, devices, and effects. Launchkey also has a unique, editable Arpeggiator, three Chord Modes to quickly create musical progressions, a Scale Mode that keep you in the right key, and a Chord Detector that shows what chord is currently being played on the OLED display.

Find inspiration with Launchkey 49 – a powerful, all-in-one DAW controller with four octaves of semi-weighted keys and 16 patented FSR pads for finger drumming, clip launching, and more. You also get a bank of nine faders and eight endless rotary encoders for mixing, controlling plugins, and performing with built-in creative tools.

Beyond overhauled hardware and a refreshed, minimalist design, the next generation of Launchkey gives you new ways to get creative in your DAW, with hardware synths, or on iPhone and iPad. Chord, Scale, and Arpeggio Modes have each been expanded to help you stay in key and perform in even more expressive ways – all with detailed feedback from the crisp, new OLED display.

Enhanced DAW integration
Launchkey supports all major DAWs right out the box, with seamless, custom integration for: Ableton Live, Logic, Cubase, Reason Studios, Reaper, FL Studio, and Ardour. With these, you get a hardware-powered workflow that gives you full control of transport functions, timeline navigation, mixing and EQ, clip launching, and instrument and effect parameters. And when using Ableton Live’s Session View or Logic’s Live Loops, the 16 drum pads double as Launchpad-style clip launchers with RGB backlights that perfectly match what you see on screen.

Our best-ever keys and pads
Launchkey 49’s upgraded keybed is sensitive enough for the most delicate passages, but it’s also built to last. Now with 49 semi-weighted, waterfall-style keys, Launchkey gives you all the power of a software-based workflow with the feel of a premium hardware instrument.

And for finger-drummers, Launchkey now sports our patented, velocity-sensitive FSR drum pads with polyphonic aftertouch. Unlike standard pads, each one features a unique, radial sensor that increases sensitivity and improves consistency for even tighter performances.

More powerful creative tools
Launchkey 49’s creative tools are built into the hardware itself – so they work the same way in your DAW, with your hardware synths, or on your mobile devices. Scale Modes now allow you to lock your keyboard to one of 30 different scales to eliminate wrong notes, or even map everything to just the white keys. Fixed Chord mode triggers full chords from a single key, and new Chord Maps take things further, allowing you to craft emotive progressions from Launchkey’s pads. And the latest iteration of our much-loved arpeggiator makes it easier than ever to twist and mutate your sequences for endless inspiration.

Want to control more than one instrument at a time? You can now split Launchkey 49’s keyboard into two zones, and play one with each hand – or layer two MIDI channels across all 49 keys and send the same notes to both.

Play your way with Custom Modes
Launchkey’s controls aren’t limited to their default assignments; just load up the free Components software in your browser, and configure them to behave exactly the way you want with your software or hardware. You can store up to four custom mappings each for Launchkey’s faders, pads, and encoders, and recall them instantly from the hardware to send your chosen notes, MIDI CCs, or program changes.

Go beyond the computer
Launchkey 49’s five-pin MIDI output makes it easy to hook up your hardware synthesizer – no DAW required. Together with Components and custom mappings, you can take control of all its most important functions directly from your keyboard. Launchkey is also USB-powered and class compliant, so it’s fully compatible with countless music-making apps for iPhone and iPad – including the free Novation Launchpad app.

All you need to create
Launchkey 49 comes with everything you need to plug in and start making music right away. The included Ableton Live 12 Lite gives you the ability to record and perform with up to eight tracks of MIDI or audio, as well as a suite of instruments, effects, and creative tools – and it all works perfectly with Launchkey. You also get a selection of additional studio-grade effects and sounds from Novation and Focusrite.