Novation announces Launchpad S with better MIDI support, we go hands-on

<div dir="rtl" style="text-align: right;" trbidi="on"><div class="image-container" dir="ltr" style="text-align: center;"><img alt="Novation announces Launchpad S with better MIDI support, we go handson video" data-src-height="412" data-src-width="620" src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/dsc05438launchpadshero.jpg" /></div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">A couple of years is a pretty good run in MIDI controller-land. It was 2009 when Novation's Launchpad turned the Ableton world onto its simplistic charms. It appears, however, the firm's decided it was long overdue a refresh, so that's exactly what it's done. Say hello to the Launchpad S. What does the S stand for? We're not entirely sure, but it could be for speedy, as Novation has ramped up the refresh rate to give a snappier response when you switch between modes.</div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">It could also be for superior lights, as the brightness has been dialled up in response to user feedback. It's also worth noting these pads are entirely USB-powered, making it trickier than simply sucking down more juice. One other superficial change -- perhaps more to give it its own sense of identity than anything else -- is a change of color. It's out with the original's black, and in with an almost metallic gray. So far so good, but we're really thinking that S stands for "software." Why? Because thanks to standards compliant MIDI implementation, the Launchpad S is now plug-and-play with a whole host more applications, not least core-MIDI iOS apps such as the popular <i>FL Studio Mobile</i>. We took a few minutes to get to know the Launchpad S a little better, which you can see in our video past the break.</div><div class="post-gallery" dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;"><h3 class="title"><b>Novation Launchpad S hands-on</b></h3><br /><img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/dsc05450-1365610861_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/dsc05451_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/dsc05452_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/dsc05448_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/dsc05449-1365610866_95x95.jpg" /> <img src="http://www.blogcdn.com/www.engadget.com/media/2013/04/dsc05446_95x95.jpg" /> </div><div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;">As you can imagine, the Launchpad S is pretty much identical to the original it revizes. But, given that that was four or so years ago, it doesn't hurt to remind ourselves. First and foremost, it's still an Ableton controller, with those 64 multi-colored pads letting you control your sessions all from the small, lightweight device. There are different modes, so that you can cleverly use columns of the pads almost like faders (slide your finger up the squares, watch the lights follow). The new iteration claims to be have an improved refresh rate, which means jumping between these user modes should now be a much smoother ride. Sadly, though, the devices on the stand at the show weren't connected to the right software to either test this out, or show it off. The lights do, indeed, look substantially brighter, and this should go a long way to silencing folk who thought this was an issue with the original. As for the visual update, well, we're not sure if it's an improvement, or if we simply find it fresh looking after staring at the old black one for so long. Either way, it definitely remains a handsome enough device that we'd still be happy to include it in our set-up. If you agree with us, you'll be able to do so starting April, for $169. Keep heading south for the video tour.</div></div>

Novation announces Launchpad S with better MIDI support, we go hands-on

A couple of years is a pretty good run in MIDI controller-land. It was 2009 when Novation's Launchpad turned the Ableton world onto its...

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