Ableton Light Show Download
Mar 04, 2017 How to Make Launchpad Light Effects in Ableton Lite - Duration. 50+ videos Play all Mix - Top Lights Plugin without Max for Live! (for Ableton Live Lite) Launchpad Talk. Oct 01, 2019 The bright and colorful pads of Launchpad allow you to create light show videos that you can upload to YouTube. International orders are processed the next shipping day. Launchpad’s 64 pads integrate immediately with Ableton Live. Ableton Launchpad. Mac OS X Integrate immediately without any setup – just plug in via USB.
Launchpad Pro Lightshow
How does a light show work?
Launchpad has bi-directional communication with Ableton Live, meaning the pad can trigger actions in the software, but also receive LED feedback. It’s this feedback that’s at the heart of a light show. Launchpad is first and foremost a music controller, and light shows were never a key consideration during its design.
This means that making a light show involves a bit of hacking: using it for a job that it wasn’t really designed for. But don’t worry, it’s not too complex, and you won’t damage your Launchpad. You’ll need to get to know a little about MIDI (Musical Instrument Digital Interface), which is a control protocol designed in the ’80s to allow synths and sequencers to talk to each other.
You’ll need to understand the basics of MIDI channels, notes and velocities, because the LED feedback is sent on a specific MIDI channel, each LED on the Launchpad responds to a MIDI note on that channel, and its colour is determined by the velocity of that note. One limitation of the MIDI protocol is that there are only 128 levels of velocity (0–127), and therefore there are only 128 colours to choose from on the Launchpad Pro and MkII. Launchpad S, Mini and Classic have tri-colour LEDs, so you’re limited to varying intensities of yellow, red and green with these devices. (Scroll to the bottom of this page to find links for Novation’s Programmers Reference Guides.)
Light show basics
There are several ways to make a light show, but you’ll need to know the basics first. Here’s a step-by-step guide to setting up LED feedback and creating the backbone of a light show:
- Make sure Launchpad is connected to your computer and your version of Ableton Live is up to date.
- Open a new Set in Ableton Live.
- Create a new MIDI track.
- Set ‘MIDI To’ to Launchpad’s ‘Live Port’.
- Change the ‘MIDI To’ channel to Ch 6. (If you are using a Launchpad S, Classic or Mini, you’ll need to choose Ch 5.)
- Ensure Launchpad is in User Mode.
- In Live’s Session View, create a new one-bar MIDI clip by double-clicking on an empty slot.
- Record arm the MIDI channel and record a sequence by playing a pattern on the pad.
- Replay the clip to see the basics of your first light show.
Once you’ve gone through the steps above, you can start to tweak and customise your light show by opening up your clip and tweaking the individual MIDI notes recorded. You’ll see that changing the note velocities will change the colour of the pad, and you can normalise the colour of all notes selected by dragging the velocity sliders all the way up so they level out, then back to your desired velocity/colour.
You will want to neaten up your flashes, to make sure they turn on and off exactly in sync. You can use the quantization function for this - make sure both the ‘start’ and ‘end’ buttons are on, and that you choose an appropriate setting for your pattern (1/16 is a good place to start). Record quantization can be used to lock your steps in sync while you’re recording, but be prepared to move the MIDI notes around after playing them in if your timing isn’t so tight.
What you’ve probably found with the above guide is a way to make Launchpad play a pre-programmed set of light actions that runs with the Ableton sequencer. This is cool, and can add a dynamic animated element to your pre-arranged performances.
In addition to this, you can also program elaborate LED behaviour that triggers when you push buttons, so you’re not confined to the timeline, or in fact anything else going on in Ableton. For this, you’ll need to design MIDI Effects Chains containing a series of MIDI effects such as arpeggiators and chord generators. You can design custom animations for each Launchpad button, by limiting the range of the Chain to single notes.
As light show genius Kaskobi explains in the above video, you can use MIDI effects and note-range limiting to design intricate LED actions for each button push. To start this process, place a MIDI Effect Rack on a MIDI channel, then experiment by building a chain of MIDI plugin effects. The MIDI effects you will need for this are: Velocity, Pitch, Note Length, Chord and Arpeggiator.
Velocity
As you’ve discovered in the basics steps above, it’s the velocity of the note that determines the colour of the lights on the Launchpad. By using the velocity plugin on the MIDI channel that your Launchpad is controlling, you can lock the LED of the pad to display a single colour - it will illuminate the same colour every time you play that pad. To set the velocity, change the ‘Out Hi’ and ‘Out Low’ parameters to the value of the desired colour.
Pitch
The Pitch plugin can be used to illuminate a different light to the one pressed, in effect ‘moving a light’. Add the pitch effect to the chain and move the pitch dial around to where you want the light to be moved to.
Note Length
This can be used to control the length of time an LED is lit for. You can use it to elongate the length of a simple button tap, and also create uniformity in button presses. You can adjust note length from 10ms to 60s.
Chord
The Chord plugin generates up to six MIDI notes from one note entry. In music, this makes a musical chord from one root note. In Light show world, it means multiple LEDs illuminated from a single button push. You can program each note to be shifted by an amount of semitones (st) from the note you press up to +/- 36st. Because of Launchpad’s ‘chromatic fourths’ layout, adding a +4st shift will illuminate the pad directly above the one pressed on Launchpad.
Arpeggiator
The Arpeggiator is used for any light effects that move, and it works by moving one light in steps. To add multiple lights, you can use a chord too in the same Chain. The arpeggiator has five main controls: Repeat, which tells the arpeggiator how many times to repeat the same action; Rate, which controls how often the light steps occur in one repetition; Gate, which controls the time each light in the arpeggiator stays lit for; Steps, which controls the amount of position changes in one repetition; and Distance, which controls how far each light step moves.
Range Limiting
When you create a new chain, Ableton will, by default, apply its behaviour to all MIDI notes in the Chain’s ‘range’. This means that all buttons on the Launchpad will trigger the same chain of effects, unless you limit that range. To do this, drag the edges of the green bar (the range bar) to cover only the desired note, or notes. Now, you can create a custom behaviour for each note. Light show heaven!
Organising your chains
Your light show can get very complicated very quickly, so it’s sensible to keep it organised. You can rename the name of the chain by selecting it and pressing cmd+’R’. You can also make new MIDI tracks with the same input and output settings, and use them to group together certain types of effects, so you can recall, edit and update them quickly.
Links to the Programmers Reference Guides for all Launchpads:
Don’t be afraid to experiment:
Hopefully, this will give you what you need to make your own light show. As with music making, a light show can benefit from happy accidents, so don’t be afraid to experiment. Also, remember that you’re hacking something, so be prepared to work for hours on one idea, only to realise that there’s a better way to do things, throw everything away and start again. It’s all part of the adventure.
Lastly, don’t forget to make some music.
Launchpad Pro Light show
Launchpad Pro is the latest and most powerful addition to the Launchpad family, packed with all of the features needed to create striking and memorable Launchpad performances. A strong online community of controllersists made Launchpad famous. Over the years this community told us what they needed to take their music to the next level. We listened to their feedback and brought all of their dream features to create Launchpad Pro.
Super bright RGB LED backlit pads mean that your performance will be just as impressive in daylight as it is in the dark. Any colour you could ever need is at your fingertips, and Launchpad Pro will match the colour of the clips in your Ableton Live session, so you can easily create custom light shows in minutes.
In-app onboardingA new learning experience for first time users to get started with Practice Mode.
The pads on Launchpad Pro are a completely new design. Velocity and pressure sensitive, they give expressive and dynamic results. We have added extra Ableton Live controls to Launchpad so you can navigate through your session without moving your hands away from Launchpad. No more awkward mouse clicks or custom mapping needed when you're trying to perform.
We have added loads of cool new features such as Fader Glide: Control the speed of your faders using the power of your hits, and Note Mode so you can quickly and easily add chords and melodies to your track.
Launchpad Pro comes with Ableton Live Lite and loads of samples and loops to get you started straight out of the box. There's no tricky setup, just plug in the included USB cable and you are ready to go. Light and super portable, you can throw it in your bag and take it with you to perform anywhere. Including YouTube.
Made to launch
Launchpad Mini is our most compact and portable 64 RGB pad MIDI grid controller. It gives you everything you need to start performing in Ableton Live - and it'll fit in your bag. Start making and performing tracks with Ableton Live wherever you are, using the huge array of sounds in the box to get you started.
Launch your music making
Bright pads make it easier than ever to see your Ableton Live session and launch your sounds. It looks great too; full RGB colours perfectly match your clips and scenes. Seamless Ableton Live integration means Launchpad Mini brings your session to your fingertips, so you can spend more time launching and less time clicking a mouse.
Nothing holding you back
You can start making music today with Launchpad Mini. With its hands-on controls, tonnes of sounds in the box and our step-by-step interactive platform to get you set up, we’ve gone further than ever to make it easy to get started. Launchpad Mini is the grid controller for any Live performer.
Welcome aboard
Once you’ve plugged in your Launchpad Mini, you’ll be brought to our online Easy Start tool. Download all the software you want with step-by-step video guides to get you set up with Ableton Live and making music in minutes.
Take it everywhere
Good things really do come in small packages. Launchpad Mini is our most compact, portable and lightweight grid controller, so you never have to leave it at home. Take it anywhere you go, so you can launch your sounds whenever inspiration hits.
Intuitive Ableton Live integration
Launchpad Mini gives you immediate and tactile access to Live’s performance controls in a way you just can’t get with a mouse. Step back from your computer and see your session and all your sounds on the 8x8 grid. Then, control your performance straight from Launchpad Mini with Stop, Solo and Mute controls.
Sound Collective
When you register your Launchpad Mini, you’ll automatically gain access to Sound Collective. Get new free plug-ins every few months from some of the biggest names in the business, along with offers, discounts and more.
Splice Sounds
Mixvibes cross dj free download. Get two months free access to Splice Sounds with Launchpad Mini, offering millions of high-quality, royalty-free one-shots, loops, and presets, with new releases daily. Take 100 credits per month for sounds, foley, presets, and MIDI files and join millions of artists using Splice to make all kinds of music, Grammy-winning albums, and cinematic scores.
64 RGB pads
Giving you a perfect reflection of your Ableton Live session, making it easier than ever to see your clips.
Ableton Live Integration
Quickly launch your clips and scenes at the press of a button. Stop, Solo and Mute controls make it easier and more tactile to control your performances, no mouse needed.
Three Custom Modes
Use Novation Components to customise mappings and control anything MIDI easily from Launchpad Mini.
Small, light
Launchpad Mini’s slim, lightweight design means it’ll fit into any setup, anywhere.
Get Started Easily
Use our online Easy Start tool to get all the software you want, and step-by-step video guides to get you set up with Live and making music in minutes.
Product Hardware Specifications
- 64 Pads
- 16 Buttons
- 81 RGB LEDs
- USB-C Socket
- Kensington MiniSaver Slot
Included Software
- Ableton Live Lite – quickly organise and arrange your sounds and start making tracks with this staple electronic-music-making software.
- Two months Splice Sounds membership - offering millions of high-quality, royalty-free one-shots, loops, and presets, with new releases daily.
- AAS Session Bundle - Three synths for music makers, providing staple sounds for your tracks.
- XLN Addictive Keys – Access one of four virtual keyboards when you register your first piece of Novation or Focusrite hardware.
- Klevgrand R0Verb and DAW Cassette – High quality reverb and tape deck emulation plug-ins, to add some space or take your sound back to the golden age of cassette tapes.
- Softube Time and Tone bundle – made up of four of Softube's world class plug-ins: reverb, delay, an easy to use mastering tool and distortion.
- Sound Collective – bringing Novation hardware owners a new free plug-in every few months.
Software Compatibility
- Ableton Live 10 Lite is included
If you already have Ableton Live it must be version 10 or greater to work with Launchpad Mini. We recommend that you update to the latest version as previous versions of Ableton Live do not include the Launchpad Mini integration for InControl. Launchpad Mini will also work as a standard MIDI controller.