Novation Launchkey 88
- Adjustable dynamic curves
- 16 RGB Illuminated velocity-sensitive pads
- 8 Rotary controls
- 9 Faders: 45 mm
Novation Launchkey 88 Review
The Novation Launchkey 88 MK3 88-Key Keyboard Controller is the perfect companion for modern songwriting and music production. With powerful creative features to keep your inspiration flowing, premium keys for expressive playing, support for all major DAWs, and an extensive software bundle, Launchkey 88 gives you everything you need to make, write, and record inspired music straight out of the box.
Designed for expressive performance, Novation’s premium semi-weighted keyboard stands apart from the rest of the Launchkey range. It’s optimized for a responsive feel and tactile feedback, capturing every detail of your playing. Launchkey 88 is made for musicians who want their instrument to truly respond to their touch, offering seamless and dedicated integration with your favorite DAW.
You’ll have intuitive control over all the key production and performance functions in Ableton Live, Logic, and Cubase, plus essential mixer, transport, and navigation controls for other leading DAWs, including Studio One, Pro Tools, and Reaper via HUI. With 88 premium semi-weighted keys paired with Launchkey’s creative tools, you can create without limits.
Transform your sound with innovative features like Scale and Chord Modes, as well as a powerful arpeggiator. Custom Modes and a five-pin MIDI output turn the Launchkey 88 into a versatile centerpiece for any setup, whether you’re on stage or in the studio. Combine different modes to take your music in new directions, discover ideas effortlessly, and stay inspired.
Everything You Need To Know On Novation Launchkey 88
The aptly named Launchkey 88 features 88 semi-weighted keys, setting it apart from the rest of the Launchkey lineup and making it more suitable for those who prefer a piano-style playing experience.
While semi-weighted action isn’t the same as fully weighted, Novation has struck a nice balance between playability and responsiveness. The semi-weighted keys also help keep the unit’s weight down, making it lighter than you might expect at around 11kg. Its casing feels relatively compact, especially considering it houses a full-range keyboard.
The Launchkey 88 is powered and sends data via a USB-B port on the rear, so some users may need adapters. There’s also a full-size sustain pedal input, which is essential for more creative playing, a lock port, and a MIDI DIN output for connecting to other hardware.
You can use the keyboard in standalone mode—though it still requires USB power—and there’s a free app called Components that lets you configure the onboard controls however you like, saving your settings into four Custom modes.
As you’d expect, the Launchkey 88 comes with familiar tools to boost performance, and its player features work both with a computer and in standalone mode. First, there’s Scale mode, which, when activated, makes sure any wrong notes you hit are corrected to fit the chosen scale—so you can’t play out of key by accident.
Next is Chord mode, which has three options: Fixed, for presetting your own chords; Scale, which auto-generates chords based on a selected scale; and User, where you can assign a custom chord to each of the 16 pads. There’s also an arpeggiator mode with clever options like Rhythm, which adds grooves to an arpeggiated sequence, and Strum, which lets you perform the arpeggio using the mod wheel.
When it comes to expressive playing, an 88-key controller always offers a superior experience over smaller keybeds. Even though it’s semi-weighted rather than fully weighted, the Launchkey 88 provides a smooth and responsive playing surface. Its controls are well laid out, and DAW integration is deep. Customizing controls via the Components app adds another layer of flexibility when connecting to MIDI hardware. Overall, it’s a very reliable controller for your studio.
There are some quirks at the moment, though, which will likely be fixed through firmware and script updates soon. In particular, Ableton Live can get confused when playing in the higher octaves—there are a few dead zones from G4 to E5, and some keys in the highest octave trigger various recording modes instead of playing notes. However, this only happens in Live.
The arpeggiator is still fantastic, though. The Random, Mutate, and Deviate features make it easy to create unique patterns and add a bit of unpredictability to your compositions. This is the feature that keeps us coming back to the Launchkey line in our own studio.
And thanks to the five-pin MIDI DIN connection, you can use that excellent arpeggiator with hardware synths as well. Still, we think this controller is best suited for a mostly software-based setup.
- Transport control
- Pitch and modulation wheel
- Integrated arpeggiator with strum mode
- Scale and chord modes: fixed, scale and user
- Display with 2x 16 characters
- USB and MIDI connection
- Sustain pedal input: 6.3 mm jack
- One-touch access to “Capture MIDI” in Ableton, “Capture Recording” in Logic and “Retrospective MIDI Record” in Cubase
Why You Need the Novation Launchkey 88
When you compare the features and price of this unit, you’ll see that it’s a real bargain. Plus, you’re getting something brand new from 2022, packed with the latest and greatest technology. Novation is a brand that consistently surprises us with their impressive devices, and the Novation Launchkey 88 is no exception.
If you want to upgrade to a keyboard with more keys—88, to be exact—and you’re looking for something new on the market, this is the perfect choice for you.
Conclusion
The Launchkey 88 isn’t exactly a luxurious MIDI controller. It’s actually an affordable workhorse. Still, it does offer a bit more than some of its similarly priced competitors, and even some of its own siblings. The larger size might not be necessary for most producers, but the semi-weighted keybed really makes a big difference in playability.
If you have any questions about this unit, please let us know in the comments below or visit the Novation website to get in touch with their customer care!
