Novation LaunchKey Mini Mk3 (before I mess up)

[MachFront]

If anyone has used this with Mulab, I’d appreciate any advice or warnings, etc.

Lemme know before I do something stupid. Heheh

Tell me…. Beat me about my face and neck to do this or that first.

[pljones]

What do you want it to do for you?

[MachFront]

Oh, only just the very basics it has, honestly.
Im mostly interested in keys.
But its drum pads would be nice (honestly, I got it due to its perfect integration with the ios app Groovebox and Ive enjoyed the drumpads also working as 'keys for a given umm...well...key' heh).
Obviously the pots being there for me for a few things.
Okay. Im talking like a person whose never used one as though Im speaking to another who's never used one.
Haha! Yeah....thats how basic I want it.

[MachFront]

I guess I really wanna only know what to expect or what not to and what pitfalls if any, from folks who may use this with Mulab.

[pljones]

Well, if it's a recognised MIDI device by the OS, then MuLab will be able to get MIDI events in and you'll be able to use them for anything you can use MIDI events for.

[MachFront]

To be very brutally honest:
Despite many previous years of experience with Windows and such related, I’ve never once plugged in nor used a MIDI keyboard ever in Windows.

Again, I bought this due to it having a built-in perfect integration with the Ampify Groovebox iPad app.

So, using it with Mulab or, indeed, Windows at all is alien territory for me.

Despite being 50 years old.
Despite having hobbiest ‘experience’ with computer music “stuff” since 2004……
I may as well be 15 years old right now….
(The age I was in 1990 when I started playing bass in early high school) haha!
Ha…ha….hhhhha……sigh!

[pljones]

Normally there's nothing to it with Windows and MIDI. The general rule is that only one app can open a MIDI device at once. MuLab - New - "MuLab" menu -> "MIDI Setup" lets you see the MIDI devices Windows thinks you have by what name it thinks they're known as. So for USB devices, that's usually pretty obvious (my nanoKontrol is called, wait for it ... ... "nanoKontrol"). For your actual real five pin cable MIDI devices, you'll see the name of the box you've plugged them into ("AudioFire4 MIDI" in my case) and its down to you to know your cable layout (my TrapKAT is on there). If you're not seeing something, check you "followed the device set up instructions".

Probably the next thing you'll want to do is stick an Event Monitor on the project Event Input. (I've got my default template saved like that it's so useful.) That way it's quick to get to when you need to see whether events are arriving and what they are.

[tiger001]

i have several 'keyboard' of Novation hooked to my Windows PC
they tend to be solid, feature wise/rich, and musician friendly, MIDI spec up to standards and elaborated

[MachFront]

Well, it worked perfectly for about ten minutes.
After switching the vst out the third or fourth time, it was suddenly as if the LauchKey no longer existed, despite still being recognized.
Even an instrument that had worked prior would no longer be controlled. No response.

I restarted Mulab and reloaded project(s)...unplugged and plugged back in the controller. No joy.

[pljones]

Have you switched the computer of and on (a) with the device unplugged and then (b) with the device plugged in? Checked for device-specific driver updates? Checked Novation software updates generally and for device firmware? Run in all your Windows updates that you've been putting off?

[MachFront]

After turning on and off of both MuLab and windows over and over and over again..
Finally, the device was recognized.
After yet again, restart after restart after restart, Finally being recognized by the system.
Finally, also being recognized that it needed to be updated firmware wise…
That took many attempts.
At last after yet again, saying that it was not updated, It finally said yet again after saying it wasn’t, and started the process for the sixth or seventh time said it was.

Finally recognized by the system and by MuLab!

Some things worked sometimes.
Even switching between presets on some vsts.
Never ever in any VST that had a preset hierarchy of categories such as bass or keys, etc. Then it would fail and not recognize. Fine whatever.
A long, straight line of presets, it would go right through…meh

Absolutely zero recognition with simple overall things like well just anything with transport like play, pause or record. None of those work at all. Tried many times… no joy.

I get things not working for a filter sweep on a specific VST and that’s OK that could be worked out, but not even play or record?
That’s unfortunate.
I guess I’ll noodle it out somehow.
I wish it worked like on iOS and the Groovebox app wherein everything just plain works absolutely and perfectly.
Here I am, coming back to Win and already missing iOS and Groovebox and NanoStudio2…
Didn’t think it would take such a short time …

At least I’d know how to launch and use a simple sampler (multi sampler) unlike in MuLab…even after reading the docs….

I guess I’ll spend money to get something like Highlife so I can just click on stuff and it loads up intuitively….unlike in…I ….GUESS is the built in sampler….maybe….i guess….as it’s super buried…and claims to be a multi sampler but I’ve zero idea how to input the samples, despite reading the user guide….. because it doesn’t just SAY ….do exactly ‘this’ in this exact way…

I admit, if directions do not, I cannot barely use samplers at all.
I can, since I can use DSP’s Highlife, at least.

Meh.
Whatever.
I’ll stick to synths and sound fonts….at least my EMax SF2 files require me to do zero…. Heheh

[4u610h346]

I get things not working for a filter sweep on a specific VST and that’s OK that could be worked out, but not even play or record?

Could you explain that more? What isn't playing a recording?

At least I’d know how to launch and use a simple sampler (multi sampler) unlike in MuLab…even after reading the docs….

I guess I’ll spend money to get something like Highlife so I can just click on stuff and it loads up intuitively….unlike in…I ….GUESS is the built in sampler….maybe….i guess….as it’s super buried…and claims to be a multi sampler but I’ve zero idea how to input the samples, despite reading the user guide….. because it doesn’t just SAY ….do exactly ‘this’ in this exact way…

I admit, if directions do not, I cannot barely use samplers at all.
I can, since I can use DSP’s Highlife, at least.

Meh.
Whatever.
I’ll stick to synths and sound fonts….at least my EMax SF2 files require me to do zero…. Heheh

You might have already figured the sampler out; but if you haven't, I thought I'd give you a rundown.

You probably already know this, but the sampler does not load SFZ or SF2. You can use some 3rd party application, and convert SF2 to SFZ; then you can load those "samples" in to the MultiSampler. If the samples are named after their base note, somewhere in the filename, the Multisampler will automatically map them for you. Many SFZ samples are labeled that way, so this works out nice. The sampler will also attempt to designate loop points for you. It does a pretty good job. I really like that I can convert all of my SFZs to FLAC. Some SFZ samplers can't load those, but (providing the files are named correctly) the MuLab multisampler loads FLAC samples nicely.

So, once you have the sampler in front of you "MultiSampla Front Panel" there is a panel box labelled "Multi-Sampler". Under that title, on the right side, there is an arrow and gear icons. Just click the arrow and the sample mapper/matrix appears (labelled Multi-Sample). Under the white and black keys, is the sample/key assignment area. This is where you need to drag'n'drop your samples.

For me, I haven't been able to grab multiple samples, and drag them, using the MuLab file browser. I have to use an external file browser. I'm on Wine, so its Wine's native version of Explorer (I also have used 3rd party file-browsers). Which ever way you prefer, select all the samples for the instrument you desire. Once they are all selected, drag them over to the sample/key assignment area (beneath the white and black keys). If they are not "note labeled" sample filenames, you will need to drag each sample to its base location and stretch it to its desired note range.

Tip: when you drag over your sample selection, don't drop them until you are over the gird boxes nearest to the white and black keys. This is the first layer.

Once your samples are dropped, you see the sampler key/sampler editor fill out to the right of the sample/key assignment area. You can change/set looping/start/end/etc.

Well, that is the basics. Hope I haven't insulted you, by over explaining it. I've just, myself, not enjoyed Highlife and many others. Hope this helps, and that I haven't somehow missed the issue you where having.

One thing I've noticed about MuLab's MultiSampla, is that it is pretty lean on CPU resources. The FXs you choose may change that, but the samplers "itself" is pretty CPU efficient. I've noticed with other samplers, increasing the AMP ADSR can add to the CPU load. This is not the case with MultiSampla. And I've noticed no difference in ADSR audio quality. It means more CPU headroom, per multi-sampled instrument, for added FX.

Anyway, L8R

[MachFront]

Thanks. That does help.
My reference to play and record was simply referring the fact I cannot control MuLab's transport with the transport controls of the Launchkey.

[tiger001]

that's something i can't do either with my Novation controllers
-they don't work with any software (remote START/STOP etc)
i think those buttons are sending out MMC (midi machine controle), a MIDI sysex that is quite specific

[bibz1st]

How are you trying to get the transport to work?
I have a Samson Graphite controller and that can operate the transport. Its a while since I set that up but if I recall it was through the use of the shortcuts options.