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Comments
Haha. I saw the top of the pic and thought “No way! How is anybody disappointed by the Launch Control Mk2?!”
They’re brilliant.
I’d love to see a MK 3 with full colours and maybe the sleeker form of Novation’s more recent Launch series.
Not at the cost of durability though. Those Mk2’s are solid!
Yes, I agree. Best slider/knob to square inch ratio and quality manufacturing. I still have mk 1 but already shopping for an mk 2 just in case. I don’t even know the difference other than, if newer, it will last longer
This is one of my favorite pieces of gear I’ve ever owned and I’ve owned 100+ synths. Easily a top 5 for me.
I definitely do agree with this overall. I will say; workflow is also a huge benefit or detriment when it comes to gear. At least for me. If I generally don’t like the workflow of a piece of gear, I just won’t use it. I agree overall that people do get a little wrapped up in the small details of things though.
Roland D-20, and dont ask me why I hated this.
Replaced with Ensoniq sd-1, which I use from almost 30 years and love.
modular as a concept and an industry. but it’s a whole other topic.
minilogue.
almost everything else wasn’t really that much better to be honest.
digitone is the only hardware i’d keep.
This, sounds like crap.
Yep, classic piece of gear. Absolutely love them, just wish the keys weren't clacky.
Yamaha SY-22. I had to use it for some urgent sequence jobs and nothing else can be had... This was the pre-DAW era, when sequencing in my country was done with something like the MC-50.
Perhaps it just didn't fit my need. But it's really bad soundwise. The synthesis capability is not impressive. I learned later that some people ooh/aah on the so-called Vector synthesis. I feel nothing, nothing. Sounds just like a crossfader between four bad patches.
I don’t want to derail what has been a fun read. My main point is that dissap> @supadom said:
As far as I understand things the core differences were under the hood (small changes in component sourcing), cosmetic (from grey to black), and firmware (the ability to function as MIDI controllers for hardware without a computer - via something like the Kenton MIDI boxes, forget the exact model details).
The main thing that has makes a difference to my workflow (should work with both Mk 1's and 2's) is that I’m now able to make use of Ableton 11’s new Rack macros (increased from 8 to 16 controllers). I use Sigabort's Launch Control XXL scripts, which pair nicely with Novation's own native scripts. Sadly the PrEditor addon isn't yet Ableton 11 compatible - that enables auto mapping to all 32 hardware controls (you first define the mapping but instruments/fx automap from that point onwards). Works perfectly with Ableton 10, which is handy for performance setups.
I also use Launch Control hardware with Native Instruments Traktor.
And on iOS Launchpad Pro Mk3's and Launch Control Mk2's in tandem have become perfect partners to Loopy Pro setups.
There are obviously products that don’t work as advertised and are disappointing as they don’t work as promised.
But when I hear criticism of say the Novation circuit I wonder what people expected of it when they bought it?
If you buy a Circuit and expect it to replace Ableton Live you will be disappointed.
However if you bought it so that you could use one device on the sofa with headphones on and just enjoy playing music and coming up with ideas, it’s genius. Its directness and tactility and unique sequencer make it fun and creative and a very cool alternative to messing with iOS late at night when your eyes forbid you to use any more screens!
Complaining about the synth engine in the Circuit is kinda pointless. It’s not a box to make a finished album on but can definitely help you write a song. Who cares if not a single note from the circuit makes it way into the final mix — it did it’s Job when that melody line suddenly appeared to become the hook of your new song.
Hell, it’s done its job if you just poke around making noises for half an hour and end up with nothing more than a smile.
And fwiw I think the synth engine is fine. I made a load of my own sounds and mapped the knobs the way I like it and it’s capable of some really cool sounds, at least for my taste. The filter drive is cool. Makes for some nice and gnarly sounds.
When I bought my Korg Poly800 in the ’90s [1] I thought it was such a shallow synth and very rarely used it. It was only about five years ago when, discovering that it had died a few years before and despite being put back in the attic it hadn’t miraculously healed, I got round to repairing it (common fault, a certain power transistor blown on the power-in line), then I sold it. During the repairing and consequent re-using of it, I really gained a lot more respect for it (detailed in my video here ). But as I say, for several decades it was a disappointment.
[1]
actually, I bought it from some French chap walking down Charing Cross Road one lunchtime with said Poly800 in its cardboard box under his arm. He was about to walk into Turnkey Music to sell it and I was in front of Turnkey at the time having just been browsing in there. I asked him if he was selling it in there how much he wanted for it, he told me the amount, we walked across the road and I got the cash out of an ATM, we were both happy that day
Based on the comments on some of my videos, folks get really worked up about the modern digital Mellotrons (the M4000D family).
If a MK3 with real MIDI ports came out I'd be back in for one of those
In theory it should work with the old Kenton type usb to midi host boxes. I’m using one for bop pad and it works great but it needs a power bank to keep it lit up. I expect that’s all LCXP needs for it to work directly with hardware.
Not sure, as the SE-02 is my first and last purchase from that series. I couldn’t believe it when I connected it to my MacBook and it couldn’t see it.
Here's the original video Novation put out. It's a simple enough setup. If Novation were able to add Launchpad Pro Mk3 style MIDI IO in a future model, it will definitely be a win, but in a needs must situation, you're good to go with the current hardware.
And here's the Kenton box, which is reasonably cheap all things considered.
https://kentonuk.com/product/midi-usb-host-mk3/
The novation controller Reminds me a little bit of my old Fostex Mixtab. The mixtab was a midi controller that looked a lot like the Novation thing only it was in lovely 1990s computer beige…
It was the compliment to an 8 channel 1U analogue mixer. I had it hooked up to my R8 and my Mac MIDI sequencer for full track automation on a budget. It was very cool but quickly outdated.
I think they’re still in my Mum’s loft… the midi part might make for a cool controller. I still have a Logic file somewhere we’re i had recreated it all in the environment so I could automate the mixer without the controller or easily get instant feedback of the automation on the virtual knobs and sliders.
It had proper midi in and out though
I had one of those. I don't remember much about it but I do remember being a bit disappointed by the interface and selling it shortly after.
I have a M-Audio Venom that just collects dust in the corner. I'm just not keen on the sound. Maybe I should give it another go.
Yeah, I thought I had bought a synth with the JP-8080 DNA, but the oscillators itself are so weak, and the filters and EFX section too. And the small LCD screen with just some numbers didn't help. Roland always makes strange design choices, like putting 808/909 samples in it too, it is a jack of all trades, master of none... A soft synth like Sylenth, or Diva blew this one out of the water.
Roland really made some dumb Groove stuff in that period, the same weak synth engines in new cases, like JX-305, MC-307, D2, SH201, Gaia synth, etc.
Nordlead 2, that was always a synth I envied. I couldn't afford it at that time, and now it is redundant for me. I had a Yamaha AN1X, that was not so bad.
I nearly picked one of those up on eBay recently but changed my mind because it turns out that it only sends out MIDI every two steps, so every 0-127 value range only has 64 discreet values (I got this info on the Sound on Sound forum). It's supposed to have two separate operating modes (Fast and Slow) designed to protect against MIDI message overflow, which would have been a major concern in the nineties. But it turns out that both options only send out 64 values for every available parameter.
Still, it was hugely ahead of its time. And here it is in all its beige glory!
This one - the Novation Circuit Mono Station. I pined after it for quite awhile. Probably my inexperience, but I couldn't manage to coax what I expected out of it. I gave up.
That’s it!
I’m going to get all the last remnants of my old crap out of my Mum’s loft — been promising her for ages! — if it still works I will test it to see.
I bought mine brand new. They were heavily discounted when discontinued.
I used my logic environment virtual mixer mostly with it. I’m not sure if the mixer received every value. I mainly used mine for snapshot automation if i remember rightly. And for what I used it for it was perfect.
I’ve found my R8. It still works but has a known issue where the (frankly awful quality) plastic pulleys fall off their shafts as the plastic cracks. Might try and fix with superglue to get it working long enough to digitise my old tapes. Not expecting to get anything useful from them but I will probably regret it if I don’t at least try.
Unfortunately there's always another experience, I really liked it in theory but it's my only controller so far which has a fault. Unlucky I guess
now this slider always has to be taped up or it just sends out continuous midi. So I think the sliders aren't as long lasting as the knobs.
I have one of these too! As I said above I must be a sucker for bad audio gear.
I love it. It’s also a perfect sequencer for my Pro-1 as it can use the third sequencer for CV/gate.
I like to use the mono station in parAphonic mode. You can get some lovely tones going with some PWM on the oscillators.
It works best when you make the most of the fact you can parameter lock every paramater on every step — including total patch flipping per step.
I find it best for rhe gnarlier sounds with distortion. It’s also fun running external audio through it, especially coupled with the sequencer.
if you give up trying to get specific things out of it and find out what it wants to give you you might be surprised. :-) sorry if that sounds condescending, it’s not my intention, but this thread is full of people being disappointed in what something can’t do rather than embracing what it can. ✌️
Bruh. Mono Station is one of best sounding analog synths bellow €500. It has a bit limited version of BassStation II engine which is amazing synth too.. I had MonoStation and samoked a lot of great sounds from it. Fat organic sound. Definitely not bad audio gear 🤣
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Maybe some contact cleaner spray? My old MC505 had the same problem, probably dust inside.
I was mostly using all hardware when I had mine so I never dove into that aspect of it but that’s a huge bummer.
I'd say this is the best sounding analog synth for under €500. It's certainly the best sub €500 I've spent on an analog synth.
I think I tried everything but I may open it up one day to see if I can fix it....