novation LAUNCHPAD MINI User Guide
Overview
Launchpad Mini
Thank you for buying our most compact Launchpad grid instrument.
It may be small, but its 64 pads will let you trigger clips, play drum racks, control your mixer and do just about anything else you can imagine in Ableton Live.
As soon as you plug it in, you’ll get hands-on control of your music software. However, we recommend you read through this brief guide first, to make sure you get up and running as quickly as possible.
Get Started
Follow these steps to get up and running quickly.
This guide will take you through each step in more detail, so read on before you start.
- Check your box contents
- Plug in
- Register and download the included software
- Get Ableton Live Lite
- Launchpad Mini with FL Studio and other software
- Quick configure in Live
- Using Launchpad Mini with an iPad
- iPad Compatible (Low Power) vs Full Power Mode
- Using Launchpad Mini with Launchpad App
- If You Run Into Problems…
Check Your Box Contents
You should find all of this in your box. If anything is missing, please contact us.
Documentation
- This helpful guide
- Ableton Live Lite instruction card
- Safety sheet
- Stickers
Hardware
- Launchpad Mini
- Micro USB cable
Software
Your software bundle code is on the back of this guide. This gives you access to the following software downloads online as well as documentation:
- Novation Bass Station plug-in synthesiser
- Loopmasters sounds and samples
Plug In
Take your Launchpad Mini and USB cable out of the box.
Connect them to your PC or Mac.
The pads will flash briefly to let you know it’s working. It won’t trigger any sound yet, however.
This guide gets you up and running with Ableton Live.
If you want information on other music software, please check online for guides that will help you in more detail.
Register and Download the Included Software
Go to www.novationmusic.com/register and click Register Your Product.
Select Launchpad Mini from the dropdown list and enter your serial number. You can find it on the back of this booklet and on the label on the underside of your Launchpad Mini: it is 12 or 13 characters long: the first 3 characters can be numbers or letters, but the rest will only be numbers.
Your serial number is not the same as the software bundle code.
Then click “Get My Stuff” to download your software. If you don’t have a Novation account, we will ask for a few details
Get Ableton Live Lite
Inside this guide you’ll fi nd an instruction card for downloading and registering Ableton Live Lite. Follow these instructions and jump back here when you’ve got it running.
If you already have Ableton Live, please update to the latest version to make sure your Launchpad Mini is supported.
Further information on using your Launchpad Mini with Ableton Live is available online at www.novationmusic.com/register.
Quick Configure in Live
In Ableton Live, go to the menu and click Preferences.
From the list of tabs on the left, click the MIDI / Sync tab and you will see the following:
Click the fi rst drop down box under Control Surface.
Choose ‘Launchpad’ from the list.
Under Input and Output select ‘Launchpad Mini’.
Launchpad Mini with FL Studio and other software
Launchpad Mini is fully integrated with FL Studio 11. Please ensure that you have the most up to date version and go to www.image-line.com to get the latest installers. Documentation showing integration with FL Studio 11 is available at www.novationmusic.com/answerbase.
Launchpad Mini can be used with any MIDI-compatible software and most software now has MIDI learn functionality. Please check your software documentation for more information.
Using Launchpad Mini with an iPad
Connect your Launchpad Mini to your iPad using the USB cable, plus an Apple Camera Connection Kit or Lightning to USB Camera adaptor (not included) in the following order:
- Connect the USB cable to your Launchpad Mini
- Connect the other end of the USB cable to the camera adaptor
- Connect the camera adaptor to your iPad
Why not try the Novation Launchpad App?
It’s free on the Apple iTunes Store.
iPad Compatible (Low Power) vs Full Power Mode
Launchpad Mini defaults to its iPad-compatible low power mode. If you connect it to a desktop or laptop computer, you can switch it to full power mode instead, which makes the LEDs much brighter.
To put Launchpad Mini into full power mode:
Launchpad Mini will not work with an iPad in full power mode, unless you use a separate powered USB hub.
Using Launchpad Mini with Launchpad App
Novation Launchpad App is available for free on the App Store. If you’ve downloaded it, connect your Launchpad Mini to your iPad (as shown in Section 6) and start the app. When a session is loaded, you can use Launchpad Mini to control all the elements of the session, as shown below.
Volume: each colum of 8 pads turns into a volume fader. press the pad on row B to reset volume
Filter: each column of 8 pads turns into a filter fader: Move up to remove bass, move down to remove treble. Press the pad on rows D or E to reset filter.
If You Run Into Problems…
If you’re having trouble, please don’t go back to where you bought your Launchpad Mini. Let us help: we have free video tutorials online, including a step-by-step setup guide. www.novationmusic.com/get-started
We also have a collection of answers to common problems here: www.novationmusic.com/answerbase
Details of how to contact our support team via telephone, e-mail and Live Chat are also available: www.novationmusic.com/support
