Programmer's Reference Manual | 2.1

     The launchpad mini comes with a very useful manual from novation: the Launchpad Mini Programmer's Reference Manual.  I'll be using this post to document my first reading of the document with some notes.  This is ramble-y, so read at your own risk.

    First of all, there's a bootloader mode that has a couple useful tools.  The bootloader mode can be accessed by "holding the capture midi button when plugging the device in" which is something I have not yet figured out.  Going through the more general user guide showed me the mode I was really looking for: the settings menu.  The settings menu gives access to a couple of important things, but most importantly it is the place to switch between live and programmer mode.

    The programmer mode is bound to be the crux of the project.  The user manual says, "In Programmer mode Launchpad Mini loses access to Session Mode, and Custom Modes and the entire surface (pads and buttons) becomes a clean slate. Each pad and button will send out a specified MIDI message when pressed. The pads and buttons may be lit up by sending their corresponding MIDI messages to Launchpad Mini."  This is a great summary and is exactly what I need.  Hardly surprising, considering its the programmer mode and I'm the programmer.  Alright, back to the programmer's reference manual.

    The launchpad mainly uses 2 midi channels.  The first interfaces well with DAWs and is used by the session mode.  The second is more freely custom and is the one used to send midi messages into the board for lighting effects in programmer mode.

Layout selection

    Almost every feature of the launchpad can be controlled by sysex messages.

            Host => Launchpad Mini [MK3]:

            Hex: F0h 00h 20h 29h 02h 0Dh 00h <layout> F7h

            Dec: 240 0 32 41 2 13 0 <layout> 247

layouts:

- 00h (0): Session (only selectable in DAW mode)

- 04h (4): Custom mode 1 (Drum Rack by factory default)

- 05h (5): Custom mode 2 (Keys by factory default)

- 06h (6): Custom mode 3 (Lighting mode in Drum Rack layout by factory default)

- 0Dh (13): DAW Faders (only selectable in DAW mode)

- 7Fh (127): Programmer mode

    If I enter programmer mode this way, the only way to leave is with sysex messages to another mode or by unplugging the device, so I better be careful.  All of this is just to say that whatever program I make should automatically enter programmer mode when it launches and needs to clean up after itself when it closes.

Controlling the surface

    The manual suggests the user can use the more simple lighting custom modes within live modes or the actual programming mode.  It then provides a bunch of reference on the channel of each key, the values of key colors when sent midi messages.  Its really useful but I won't be copying it to here.

    

    Overall, I look forward to throwing together my hacky program to control my launchpad, and this guide has given me the info I need on the launchpad to throw that together without issue.