Novation Launchkey 88 [MK3] - premium 88-note MIDI keyboard for expressive music creation

Perfect little keyboard for someone who’s trying to be a songwriter it’s easy to carry around and store away the ton of it’s very good also

The Launchkey Mini is a solid, compact MIDI controller that I’ve really enjoyed using. It’s small, lightweight, and surprisingly versatile for its size. The 25 keys have a decent feel, and while they’re not as big as a full-sized keyboard, they’re still responsive and comfortable enough for playing melodies or chords. The velocity-sensitive keys work well, and there’s a nice balance between portability and functionality.The pads are responsive and great for triggering drum sounds or loops, and the sliders and knobs provide good tactile control when tweaking your DAW settings or mixing. I particularly like how easily it integrates with software like Ableton Live—once it’s plugged in, it’s ready to go, which saves time during setup.One of the best things about the Launchkey Mini is how portable it is. It’s small enough to toss into a bag, and I’ve found it super useful for mobile music production or when I don’t have a lot of space on my desk. It’s USB-powered, which is convenient since I don’t need an extra power supply or cables.Overall, it’s a great little MIDI controller for producers who want something compact but still capable. It doesn’t have the full range of a larger controller, but for what it’s meant to do, it does a great job. Would definitely recommend it if you need something portable and functional.

Fun thing to play around on

Note to parents: This is a MIDI controller.. You need a computer with a DAW program to use this. It's not a toy, it's a tool.

Nothing was necessarily wrong. Just wasn’t crazy about the feel or style of it and its connect ability to my programs

No brainer for Ableton users. I surveyed the land of midi controllers. I wanted something with decent pads and a usable keyboard. Not sure about the other controllers obviously because I didn't buy all of them, but this one's integration with Ableton is awesome. Don't really need to set anything up, pads sync to drum racks and you just press the record button on the midi controller to capture and play. Syncs with session view really well if you produce that way. Arp is fun and the buttons are laid out so that the most important functions are easy to see (octave, capture midi, scale, arp etc.).Knobs feel great and doing automation with them rather than drawing in curves makes it sound better. modwheel and pitchwheel feels good. First keyboard I have ever gotten, The keys feel great. I got full sized keys, and I think it is worth it. Keys dont feel too stiff or too loose. The drum pads are responsive enough for my needs. If you are looking for something to actually do serious full on finger drumming with, might not be what you need because its not a square 4X4 layout and the pads probably aren't as extreme touch responsive as like a push 2 or a Maschine, but they are what you need for getting timing, and measuing velocity enough so that your hits sound good and on point. They are not mushy which is what I want. I got a midi controller for timing and inspiration, and this really is so much better than producing with only a mouse and really fulfills all I'm looking for. arp is awesome. This thing is really easy to use. We will see if this holds up, (i've only had it for like 3 days) so hopefully, this controller is durable. and none of the keys or pads break in the near future.Do yourself a favor and if you haven't already done so, accompany this purchase with an audio interface like a Focusrite solo or 2i2, (if you are looking for best budget and interface with good drivers) the latency difference is astounding. I can actually play along with my track on time. what a difference.

I'm pretty new to using DAW's (I was a Recording Engineer in the 1970's and 80's, we used Tape Machines, LOL). I'm building a new Music Workstation in my home and wanted a small, simple Controller with enough features for Drums as well as ARP and Sequencing to use with a DAW. (I already own a Arturia KeyStep 37 for my Modular Synths).I looked at quite a few YouTube Reviews and this LaunchKey Mini MK3 always stood out. It was designed to really work with Ableton but also integrates fairly well with Logic Pro which is what I thought I would use it with. After having it for a few weeks now I can say that yes it works pretty well with Logic Pro but really integrates even better with Ableton, so much so I have decided to make Ableton my DAW of choice.The learning curve for me was pretty easy being new to all of this and there are lots of good online tutorials. Overall this little beast is packed with a full range of great features. The build quality is ok, not great but not bad, it’s plastic but the Knobs Buttons and Pads have a solid feel. Just treat it well and it will be just fine!The Keyboard is not meant for a “virtuoso” but for me who is a hunt and peck keyboardist (I am a drummer) it works and I like the small size. Hey, you can’t beat the price for this much technical power.Setup was very easy using the Novation WebSite. The only thing I’m still confused about is setting up my own Custom Mode but I’ll figure it out.As for the person that complained about the lack of a MIDI Cable being included and then buying the wrong ones, that is just “USER” error. All he had to do is contact Novation/Focusrite Customer Support like I did, within an hour they got back to me and sent a Link to where to buy the correct cable. That says a lot about Novation Support!Bottom line, if you want a nice, compact Controller that’s full of features at a great price…. THIS IS IT