“An important tool regardless of how you make music”: Novation Launch Control XL MK3 review£190, novationmusic.com
The third generation of Novation’s Launch Control XL MK3 is, in some respects, “a LaunchKey without the keys,” the company tells me. That’s a simplification – there are differences – but the idea of carrying over much of the work done developing the latest generation of keyboards to a new dedicated controller just makes sense.

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Novation has rebuilt the Launch Control XL from scratch, and it covers a lot of ground for a reasonable £190. If you’re using a mainstream DAW, the Launch Control XL can get you a lot more hands-on control as soon as you hook it up to your computer. Even if you’re a hardware-only artist, this controller still gives you plenty of flexibility.
There’s powerful competition in the DAW controller market, but most of it’s either a little dated, like the Nektar Panorama P1, or is just way more expensive, like the £400 PreSonus FaderPort 8 and Softube’s Console 1 Channel.
But how much control can this low price tag actually get you?
Image: Press
Launch Control XL out of the box
Novation’s Launch Control XL is sleek and minimal, which is starkly different to the bright colours of the MK2. It’s smaller than you might imagine, slipping easily into a backpack and running via your computer with a single USB-C cable for power and data. As we’ll see, it can work in standalone mode too, in which case a standard USB-C charger will work.
The interface’s elements are backlit in RGB, and there’s now a dedicated OLED monochrome display, which is invaluable for navigating, providing visual feedback without having to truncate words. However, the printed text on the unit is illegible in low-light situations, so a bit more contrast would have been welcome here.
Joining the USB-C port on the rear panel are three 5-pin MIDI ports: one In and two Out, one of which also works as a MIDI Thru. The MIDI outputs also have a MIDI merge or ‘soft thru’ capability; this is handy for combining signal flows between devices. All of this lets hook up the Launch Control XL to MIDI-equipped gear, like synths, drum machines or effects.
Plus, by building custom maps, you can assign different controls to different connected devices, effectively working with multiple synths from a single control surface patch.
Throw in the ability to stream MIDI through or back to a computer, and this makes it a remarkably powerful controller that can communicate with software and hardware from a single setup. With some prep work, it’s easy to see it being a lifesaver for the increasing number of musicians using a combination of triggered and live-tweaked MIDI in software and hardware live performances.
Image: Press
How do you use Launch Control XL 3?
Launch Control XL 3 has two main modes: DAW mode and Custom.
DAW mode maps the hardware to parameters in your selected DAW. Most of the major DAWs are supported, with Ableton Live being the most tightly integrated and recognising the controller with no setup at all. If you are running the latest versions of Cubase, Logic Pro or FL Studio, the controller is also automatically supported. Owners of older versions need to install a small script located on Novation’s website, but this is quick to do.
Bitwig support is currently in development, and there is currently no native Pro Tools support.
Within DAW mode are two sub-modes: DAW Mixer and DAW Control. These will alter the way various banks of controls relate to your DAW of choice, and you can flip between them easily from the controller. The exact mappings vary by software and are all detailed in the documentation, so after familiarising yourself with them, they quickly become second nature.
The 60mm, long-throw faders are large enough to feel accurate with mixer channels, while the buttons and encoders can tweak sends, panning and more. Most people usually stick to one or two DAWs at most, so you’re not going to have to memorise many layouts.
Navigating projects and tracks is straightforward, as is controlling the transport. The Shift button gives you a bunch of secondary features for most controls, all made easier to follow thanks to the screen. There’s handy stuff like zooming in and out pre-mapped to hardware, too.
The potentiometers of the previous model are now 24 endless rotary encoders, meaning they don’t physically have start or end points. This feature makes them suitable for any kind of variable, especially where you only want to be able to go from values 20-50 rather than 0-127, for example. Another nice touch is that you’re able to see a knob’s current value without having to change it just to make it appear on screen.
The Components app. Image: Press
The controller will detect when it’s connected to a DAW, but you’ll also spend a lot of your time in Custom mode, and this is where the Components app comes in.
Running on macOS or Windows or in a MIDI-capable browser such as Chrome, the Components app lets you manually upload and download instrument-specific templates, plus the setups you create yourself. Up to 15 can be stored onboard, so again, if you do the work in advance, creating live performance maps and switching between them would not be a problem.
Novation says that the most powerful way to use the controller with hardware synths is where a synth buries lots of its parameters behind menus, making them hard to get at during a performance.
With Components, you can easily map and label custom controls straight through to the targets you want. And as noted, you’re able to mix and match multiple devices in a single template, perhaps controlling cutoff and pitch on one synth and envelopes and triggers on another. Novation uses Components with many of its devices, so if you are already a customer, it’ll all be fairly familiar.
What software comes with Launch Control XL?
Novation throws in some software that you can download after registering your unit, including entry DAWs Cubase LE, Ableton Live Lite, plus plugins Output Movement, Baby Audio Parallel Aggressor and Klevgrand Fosfat. That means you’ll be able to get started putting tracks together even if you don’t already own any other gear.

Should you buy Launch Control XL?
Launch Control XL 3 is exceptionally versatile, especially for the price. It’s adept at DAW control, mapping easily onto some leading applications and featuring control and mixer modes, making up somewhat for its relatively small size without becoming confusing.
But the Custom modes and Components open up a whole other world, not only with bundled templates for other devices but the ability to create your own, including controlling several devices from within a single setup. While both modes work very well, it’s likely the latter that gives it the edge, the unit acting as a highly programmable hub from which you can get hands-on with virtually any combination of instruments.
These two similar but distinct capabilities mean that the Launch Control XL3 should find a home in many studios or live setups, quickly becoming an important tool regardless of how you make music.
Key features

24 endless rotary encoders
16 programmable buttons
8 long throw faders
Backlit OLED screen
USB-C data and power
MIDI in, out and thru DIN plugs
DAW control and mixer modes
Custom modes via Components software
Maps onto leading DAWs
RGB backlighting
Software bundle

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