In the ever-evolving world of MIDI controllers, Novation has consistently been up there, a name synonymous with innovation in this area, reliable, innovative,and with user-friendly designs. The Launchkey series, in particular, has carved out a niche for itself among producers and performers, pro users and hobbyists alike. With the release of the Launchkey Mk.4 series, Novation has raised the bar from their previous offerings, to offer an evolution of the Launchkey series with feature-packed controllers that cater to a wide range of musical needs. But do they live up to the hype? In this review we are looking at the 49 key version. Let’s dive in.

Design and Build Quality

The Launchkey 49 Mk.4 has been updated from previous iterations of the keyboard, and the general vibe is a sleek and modern design. Novation has opted for a matte black finish with subtle RGB backlighting behind buttons and pads, which is pleasant and aesthetically satisfying. The build quality feels solid, with a lightweight yet durable chassis that strikes a good balance between portability and sturdiness. Some critics have said it’s bulky, but I didn’t really get that vibe to be honest, it’s somewhat blocky perhaps with it’s squared off edges, but generally I like its appearance and feel, it’s a nice update on previous Launchkey ranges. The layout is intuitive, with all controls within easy reach. The knobs, pads, and faders all have a satisfying tactile response, the rubbery feel of the pads and their responsiveness is good, and their RGB colour illuminations are attractive and intuitive, and they feel good when finger drumming or launching clips, no complaints there whatsoever.

The feel of the transport buttons to the right of the to touch pads are good, and the faders feel substantial. My one gripe is that the resistance on the encoder knobs seemed a little resistive to me, but I know others who like this kind of feel, and it’s certainly something that leaves one in no doubt where you are in the travel of a setting, but personally I could have done with a slightly looser feeling encoder, it’s purely subjective though. They do however offer precise control for tweaking parameters in your DAW or software instruments accurately and without fuss, so they do their job adequately.

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The keys themselves are semi-weighted, offering a playable experience that feels closer to a traditional keyboard than many other MIDI controllers in this price range, it’s not quite full on piano territory by any means, but in practice it’s nicely responsive and I found myself gelling with its feel pretty easily and quickly. Novation has also included a dedicated pitch bend and modulation wheel, which feel robust and responsive, again with the tactile rubbery feel of the other controls which is pleasantly satisfying and offers good grip and a good degree of control for tweaking.

Integration and Workflow

One of the standout features of the Launchkey 49 Mk4 out of the box, and something that’s touted in the hype around release is its seamless integration with Ableton Live. Novation has clearly designed this controller with Live users in mind, and it shows. The included Ableton Live Lite software is a nice touch, and provides a great starting point for beginners no doubt, while the deep integration with the full version of Live ensures that advanced users can take full advantage of the controller’s capabilities.

The InControl mode automatically maps the knobs, faders, and pads to key parameters in Ableton, allowing for instant control over your session. The transport controls are also fully integrated, making it easy to start, stop, and record your tracks without touching your computer. For those who use other DAWs, the Launchkey 49 Mk.4 is still a versatile option, with customizable MIDI mapping that ensures compatibility with virtually any software.

Personally I have been using Bitwig during the review of the unit in my possession, and the integration straight off the bat was great. On first connection to the DAW, Bitwig recognised the controller immediately, and I was up and running in no time and controlling things in the DAW with ease as BW just recognised things straight away. The whole thing was very intuitive and easy, no problems whatsoever. Great stuff, nicely impressed.

Pads and Performance Features

After some time with the unit, getting used to the feel of it, tweaking the DAW and trying things out, it seems to me that the 16 RGB pads are an important highlight of the Launchkey 49 Mk4 experience, they offer excellent sensitivity and responsiveness. They’re perfect for finger drumming, triggering samples, or launching clips in the DAW, certainly for ‘clip’ DAWs like Ableton or Bitwig. The RGB lighting is not just for show as it provides visual feedback that’s incredibly useful in a live performance setting, and a nice visual clue from the DAW to the controller, colour coded, so you can identify the clips triggered, with the ‘box’ around the clips on screen like in a lot of other controllers (Akai etc), keeps you intuitively in sync visually, for example, the pads can change color to indicate which clips are playing, which are queued, and which are stopped. It’s all relatively straight forward, easy and nicely ready to roll and well-integrated.


Novation has also included an arpeggiator, scale modes, and chord modes, which are great tools for sparking creativity. The arpeggiator is highly customizable, with options to adjust rate, rhythm, and gate time, while the chord mode allows you to play complex chords with a single finger. All these modes are built into the hardware so its possible to use them within the DAW, or with hardware, or soft synths. The arp is nicely extensive with parameters for the usual functionality, plus extended capabilities beyond what might normally be encountered, so apart from the usual up/down, random etc, you also have chord and strum, which incorporates the mod wheel into its operation, to essentially, er…strum, which is pretty cool. There’s also mutate, and deviate functions which ad rests and evolve patterns each time which are very interesting and add more flexibility to an already exhaustive arpeggiator! It's all integrated well with the pads and they perform as triggers for different modes within the arp and functionality of the various modes within it.

It’s obvious a lot of thought and a musical mentality went into these performance modes. Same with the chord modes, there’s fixed chord modes which is perhaps the most familiar from previous iterations of Launchkey series controllers, plus there’s user chord mode which allows the programming of chords into the different pads, and then there’s chord map mode which turns the Launchkey into a mega chord machine with banks of chords and subfolders all triggered and controlled from the pads. It’s pretty deep stuff, and quite expressive indeed. The functionality takes a little menu diving, but the pads perform well and the screen displays the methodology very succinctly. There are scale modes to play with too, essentially turning your keyboard into ’snap to a scale’ mode, and again it’s good and deep allowing the player to utilise a plethora of scales in performance. For those who have a desire to get into this level of proceedings there’s a wealth of possibilities on offer. It’s quite impressive.

These features are particularly useful for producers who want to quickly sketch out ideas or add complexity to their arrangements. The Fixed Chord, Chord Maps, Arp, and Scales go deep, and many custom scales are available, there’s a rabbit hole of details and parameters to explore, and for those inclined to this kind of inspiring additions to creativity, there’s a whole wealth of experimenting and exploration to get involved in. Pretty cool stuff, and can lead one into uncharted territories pretty quickly. It’s great for escaping the same old, same old processes and has the potential to shake things up nicely. These features are nice additions to the whole package, and it’s cool that Novation have gone into these kinds of features to make things interesting and exploratory.

Connectivity and Expandability

The Launchkey 49 Mk4 offers a solid selection of connectivity options. It features a USB-C port for power and data transfer, a sustain pedal input, and a MIDI output for connecting to external hardware. The inclusion of MIDI output is a welcome addition, allowing the controller to be used with hardware synths and other MIDI-compatible devices. The controller is also class-compliant, meaning it works plug-and-play with both Mac and PC, as well as iOS devices (with the appropriate adapters). This is a nice touch and makes it a versatile option for producers who work across multiple platforms.

Software Bundle

Novation has bundled the Launchkey 49 Mk.4 with a generous selection of software from some of the best names in the industry. Here's the complete list of software included with this controller:

Ableton Live Lite: While this Lite version is somewhat limited compared to the full one, it’s a great starting point for beginners, and the included software instruments and samples are most welcome.

Klevgrand: LUXE audio enhancer, R0Verb hybrid delay/reverb, and Slammer, a multi-sampled drum plug-in.

GForce: an enhanced emulation of Novation's own Bass Station, Oberheim SEM, Oberheim OB-EZ, and GForce AXXESS.

Orchestral Tools Parallel Orchestra Bundle: made exclusively for the Launchkey, it features the Delicate Piano, Flautando Strings, Percussion FX, Shadowy, Paradox Texture, and Woodwind Parallax.

Native Instruments: Launchkey owners can pick one of three curated Komplete 15 Select bundles - Beats, Band, and Electronic. Each bundle includes a selection of synths, sampled instruments and high-quality effects.

Melodics: A desktop and mobile app that offers guided lessons for both beginners and advanced users.

Conclusion

The Novation Launchkey 49 Mk4 is a great update to an established, and commendable range, and there’s no doubt its a standout MIDI controller that offers a comprehensive mix of features, performance, and value. It has been made to a price point, and it’s not the highest end, luxury controller in the world, but that’s not the point here, but nevertheless, there’s not a lot to complain about: Novation have done a really good job of packing a lot of features and solid performance utilities into this controller and it’s really easy, fu, and straight ahead in use.

I was up and going in no time, and it felt good and natural during music making, production, midi manipulation, and in the added functionality of the thrilly stuff with chord maps, scales and arps. There’s plenty to deep dive into for serious nerds and manual crawlers, but for those who just wanna rock it straight out of the box and get on the riffing and encoder bashing, it’s also fine and dandy. Its seamless integration with Ableton Live makes it an excellent choice for Live users, but as I experienced in reviewing the unit, it seems to handle other DAWs seamlessly and effortlessly and with relative ease, which was pretty cool, and its customizable MIDI mapping ensured compatibility with my DAW of choice easily, so I’d put bets on it handling the usual suspects with ease.

The responsive pads, intuitive layout, and creative features like the arpeggiator and chord mode take things deeper than previous generations of similar controllers, and are great inspiration for those days when you want to try new and different things, or just break into new routines and approaches, and that along with the plethora of features make it a versatile tool for composers, tweakers, producers and performers alike.

While it may not have the premium feel of some higher-end controllers, the Launchkey 49 Mk4 punches well above its weight in terms of functionality and usability. Whether you’re a beginner looking for your first MIDI controller or an experienced producer in need of a reliable workhorse, the Launchkey 49 Mk.4 is well worth considering. Novation has once again delivered a product that strikes the perfect balance between affordability and performance, making it a worthy addition to many a studio setup.

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