Novation Launchpad S 64-Button Ableton Controller

I bought a refurbished Launchpad S, and it came flawless, with serial keys and everything.FL Studio users like me will like to know there are stickers you can use to change the labels on the buttons to match the mapping Image-Line provides, along with an Automap sticker and 2 blank stickers for you to write on.It's bright, and the pads are great (not owning the previous Launchpad, I can't compare them), and it is a lot of fun. Thanks to IL's mapping it integrates very well with FL Studio and Deckadance (provided you are using Deckadance 2.2 at least ad have the MIDI script provided in the forums).It does work with any program but not all of them will be able to make the pads light up as it depends on the LP S receiving MIDI messages for each pad. I haven't tried Automap (for the IL mapping to work along with Performance Mode, Automap is NOT to be installed) but maybe it allows you to have some light feedback on it.It's light, has grip pads underneath and comes with Ableton Live Launchpad Edition (which is very similar to Ableton Lite, I haven't installed it, but it should be Live 8. Should you want to upgrade your license, having this version lets you upgrade for 299 pounds instead of 399, if I am not mistaken), Novation Bass Station (software version, of course, as a VST that comes with a special mapping for Launchkey, which I do not own) and a Loopmasters Sample Library (downloaded it, haven't gone through it yet).I can tell you, people love the lights and play with the LP even if they have no idea what they are doing! I also have the AKAI LPD8 which, along with the sliders the LP has with FL Studio (which work great, sliding your finger across pads is quite easy and smooth, I do suggest using the joint of your finger instead of the tip, it works a lot better) gives me all the controls I need.Should you be an FL user and are interested in knowing the mapping system, it has:A keyboardSlicex MappingFPC Mapping (with 8 sliders total on this page)2 slider pages with 8 sliders each (one page for vertical and another horizontal)Gross Beat pageXY controller (just like the sliding, it works well, considering it's not a touch screen or actual XY controller)For more information, you can check IL's forum.Overall I am very happy with this purchase. Add in the bonus of it arriving a week earlier than Amazon's estimate, and it was a smooth purchase!

My daughter purchased this item with her Christmas Savings after finding it on You Tube. She is really into dub step and mixed media and wants to create some of her own.The Novation Launchpad S came with it's own bright orange, high speed USB to printer cable. They recommend that you only use the enclosed cable, but you can use another if this one is lost. It feels pretty solid and looks nice. You do not get a disc. Instead, all software is down-loadable from http://www.novationmusic.com/ after registration. It took me about 30 minutes to download and install the driver (optional), applications, product tutorial, projects and the “Launchpad S Getting Started Guide”.It was hard to determine what software was necessary and what software was just for fun, so I installed all of it! During installation, Ableton Live Lite 9 ask for an activation code. The code is NOT on or in the box as described by the set up video. It is located on the Novation Music web page after you have registered your item successfully. Unfortunately the free projects provided on the download page were not meant for the application (Ableton Live Lite 9). Ableton Live Lite 9 gives you a limited amount of features, so many projects that you can download for it aren't fully functional. You can upgrade your Abletion Live application to get more functionality for a small fortune. Ablation Live gives a 40% discount to students and teachers that may help reduce the cost. Personally, I plan on installing the 30 day free trial of Abletion Live 9 (https://www.ableton.com/en/trial/) to use while I research other less costly applications. My daughter is young and talented, but I can not justify spending hundreds of dollars on one application.Setting up the preferences in Ablation Live Lite 9 was simple using the “Getting Started Guide”. Initial testing of the Launchpad S was a success. A few minutes of tinkering with the Novation Launchpad S was all it took to impress me. I thought my twelve year old daughter was purchasing a toy! This is far from a toy. It is a musical instrument that will produce and perform electronic music at a professional level! At this point I handed the instrument over to my daughter and reminded her that it could take a long time to learn how to use it.Unfortunately, the next day my daughter brought back the Launchpad S. It was no longer being recognized by either PC in our home, the Vegas light show would not turn off and it sounded like something small was loose inside the case. I easily located the phone number for Novation Technical Support. Upon calling Focusrite Novation Inc. - Technical Support at (310)322-5500, I was assured that they would help me obtain a replacement quickly if Amazon was unable to do so. The technician was prompt and courteous. He informed me that it would take approximately two weeks to exchange the defective Launchpad if I went direct. Since I purchased this item from Amazon, I have made arrangements for UPS to pick it up from my home and send it back to them for a replacement. Amazon provides an exchange option that will receipt the new Launchpad within days!There have been a couple of surprises with our Novation Launchpad S, but my daughter and I are happy with the product and customer service so far. I hope to find a more cost effective Digital Audio Workstation to replace Ablation Live with. We can't wait for the new Launchpad to arrive in the mail!

I saw some youtube videos of a guy playing some cool songs on here and I thought I would give it a try. I wasn't looking for anything to serious, I just wanted to take his project files, put them on the pad, and learn how to play them. Should be simple enough. Boy was I wrong. First off, the Ableton program that comes with it is only the free version meaning there is a lot you can't do in it. I got a copy of the full version and that's when things got bad. Keep in mind that I am tech savvy, I know how to use a computer and I can pick up any program pretty easily. I tried for 5 hours straight just to get an already made project file on to my launchpad. I watched tutorials, looked up forums, and anything else I could think of. Every time I tried it just wouldn't work, or some buttons would work and others wouldn't. It was always random... Maybe someone who knows Ableton or music programs better could have figured it out but I just couldn't get it and didn't know what I was doing wrong.Pros:+Light weight+Tons of customization+Buttons are easy to pressCons:-Only comes with free limited software-Difficult to learn