Operation ReLaunch

     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...

   I open this brand new software, select my device, the Launchpad Mini , and am brought to this screen with a bunch of tips.  But I quickly realize what it is: customization.   A screenshot of the custom mode editor in novation components      Novation Components is singular "utility" software bundled in the launchpad.  It has a bunch of tools to precisely and quickly give me control over my device.  You can drag the 2x8 chromatic keyboard, the 1x8 scale keyboard, a 4x4 drum grid, or an individual note onto the board, and then customize it.  There are also sliders that feed into midi, although they are strictly 1x8 or 8x1 and no shorter. Lastly, there's a program change button. A screenshot of my custom 8-octave dorian keyboard     The amount of customization is pretty surprising.  While there is a lot of useful stuff here, I still feel I need my own software to truly get the customization I'm looking for.

     Most of my project is slated to be about the technical side of the soundboard, but while it's still a fresh new item for me, I wanted to play around with it a little.  I gained some minor insights from these experiences.  First of all, there's a keyboard preset that tries to map the buttons of the launchpad like a real keyboard.      This layout is the best possible arrangement for traditional uses for midi devices.  I used it to read music and play like I would on a piano.  It's definitely far more awkward than a traditional midi device for that use case because of the jumps between octaves.  It also has redundant keys for 3 of the Cs, and wastes 12 more buttons to try to evoke the shape of white and black keys.     The other 2 layouts arrange the midi notes in 4 groups of 4.  It's a more efficient use of all 64 buttons on the launchpad, but vertically splits the launchpad in 2, making the experience of pla...

     A launchpad is a huge set of customizable buttons.  A soundboard is a program that can play a huge array of sounds.  It seems only natural to mix the two, to enable me to terrorize my friends on discord.  I looked into it a little and followed this guide .     This was basically supposed to be a fun side project, but it's actually really useful and there's a good chance some of this will be useful later.  First of all, it showed me the integration between the launchpad and ableton live.      The trick here was to drag in a drum rack component. The drum rack seems to be designed specifically to work alongside the launchpad.  It translates from the midi signals while corresponding exactly to the grid.  I can basically conclude that I can use Ableton Live for any musical effect.  It doesn't seem to be able to change the button colors or to use the midi notes to trigger something besides sound.     The...

 There's impressive in browser integration.  The tools offered as an experience right off the bat are super cool.  After playing around a little bit, I started looking at real software XLN Addictive Keys      Do I want to play the launchpad like a keyboard?  Yes please!  So I impulsively clicked on this.  Apparently the launchpad comes with a key to one of four $90 value products.  I redeemed it for the electric grand piano, did some setup, and arrived here:      Ok.  Now what?  I tried a little playing and wasn't remotely impressed.  I couldn't even play every note, there was a two note gap.  I went over to midi settings and saw there was a second mode.  When I switched to it, the inputs from "session mode" of the launchpad stopped working, but the "keys" mode began to work, and thats when I understood how key mode works.  It simulate 4 octaves of a piano with alternating rows representing wh...

     Going blindly into this class, I'm told I can do whatever I want.  I'm completely and utterly lost, so I spend a lot of time brainstorming and come up with a super cool idea: I'll integrate two software together to make the most impressive project of all.     That's what happened last year.  My ambition wanted me to make this great project, and then I practically ignored the project the whole semester.  In my defense, I was taking 3 of the hardest classes in my life concurrently and I was just a college freshman, but in the end, nothing came out of it.     Now I'm back, not with a vengeance, but incredibly humbled.  So this time I'm going to start with an idea that's not do or die - something that I can manage one step at a time.  Something that plays to my strengths in programming while allowing me to branch out into creativity.  Something that will be simple, but unique and useful.     Or , I could buy tha...