Launchkey 88 MK4

Novation Launchkey 88 MK4 is a full-size USB-MIDI keyboard controller for composers, producers and performers who want an 88-key playing range and hands-on control of their studio. Its semi-weighted, waterfall-style keybed gives you room for two-handed arrangements, while keyboard splits and layers let you play different instruments from the same controller. Sixteen RGB pads with polyphonic aftertouch, eight endless encoders and nine faders provide direct access to compatible instruments, effects and DAW functions. Use the chord modes and generative arpeggiator to develop musical ideas, or connect a hardware synthesizer through the 5-pin MIDI output.

Key features

• 88 full-size semi-weighted, waterfall-style keys
• 16 RGB velocity-sensitive pads with polyphonic aftertouch
• 8 endless rotary encoders and 9 faders with assignable buttons
• 128 × 64 monochrome OLED display
• Keyboard zones for playing two parts in split or layer configurations
• Scale Mode with 30 built-in scales
• Chord Map, Fixed Chord and User Chord modes
• Generative arpeggiator with a step editor
• Ableton Live clip launching and MIDI clip sequencing from the pads
• Dedicated transport, track navigation and recording controls
• Custom MIDI mappings through Novation Components
• USB-C, 5-pin DIN MIDI output and 6.35 mm sustain pedal input

Overview

Included Content

• 1 × Novation Launchkey 88 MK4 MIDI keyboard controller
• 1 × USB-C to USB-A cable

Novation also lists downloadable software including Ableton Live Lite, Cubase LE, Novation Play, Orchestral Tools Parallel Orchestra, Klevgrand Slammer and LUXE, GForce Bass Station, Oberheim SEM, Oberheim OB-EZ and AXXESS, plus a selection of Melodics lessons.

Creative Tools

• Use the full 88-key range to record piano, orchestral and keyboard parts without changing octaves mid-performance. Connect a compatible sustain pedal when you want to carry notes across chord changes.
• Split the keyboard to play bass with your left hand and keys with your right, or layer a piano with a pad to add texture to a held chord.
• Use Chord Map to explore progressions, Fixed Chord to move a voicing across the keyboard or User Chord mode to assign your own voicings to pads. Scale Mode helps keep melodic parts in the key you’ve chosen.
• Turn held notes into a repeating phrase with the generative arpeggiator. Use the step editor to leave gaps or add accents so the pattern fits around the drums and bass.
• Launch clips and scenes in Ableton Live, or use the pads to enter and edit steps in a MIDI clip. Use the encoders to refine the pattern while keeping your hands on the controller.
• Play drum parts on the velocity-sensitive pads and use polyphonic aftertouch to vary pressure on individual pads with compatible instruments. This lets you add expression to one held sound without changing the others.
• Balance tracks with the faders and adjust instruments or effects with the encoders. Create Custom Modes in Novation Components for the parameters you reach for most often.
• Send MIDI to a hardware synthesizer or sound module through the 5-pin DIN output. Keep the keyboard powered over USB while playing external sounds alongside your software instruments.

Ideal For

• Composers and keyboard players who need a full 88-key range
• Producers who want physical faders, encoders and transport controls
• Ableton Live users who launch clips and programme MIDI patterns from hardware
• Performers using keyboard splits, layers and chord modes
• Musicians combining virtual instruments with hardware synthesizers
• Studios looking for a semi-weighted master keyboard with expressive pads