New Novation Launchcontrol XL 3

[oliverkeim1708]

Hi Jürgen,

will there be an Update for the new Novation Launchcontrol XL 3 ??

Thanks

Olli

[questionaire]

I stumbled upon this controller aswell! It seems promising! Endless encoders and really compact
I think im going to buy this one and it seems it can be programmed really well with the flex script

I'm not holding my breath for Bitwig to implement a script. If they release a script there will be bugs for sure......and they do not give a shit whenever you submit a ticket for the bugs. Lousy controller support we all know

[rvlt]

there is a bitwig script on the LCXL3 download page

https://downloads.novationmusic.com/nov ... ntrol-xl-3

[Dirkitator]

I received this e-mail today:

"Tom H (Novation)

18 Jul 2025, 11:21 BST
Hi Dirk,

I'm writing to let you know that support for the Launch Control XL 3 in BitWig is now available through our downloads page: https://downloads.novationmusic.com/nov ... ntrol-xl-3

Best Regards,"

Great! I will probably stop waiting for the BCR32 now.

[questionaire]

I received this e-mail today:

"Tom H (Novation)

18 Jul 2025, 11:21 BST
Hi Dirk,

I'm writing to let you know that support for the Launch Control XL 3 in BitWig is now available through our downloads page: https://downloads.novationmusic.com/nov ... ntrol-xl-3

Best Regards,"

Great! I will probably stop waiting for the BCR32 now.

That is great news now i'm in for this controller for 100% and the script is written by novation themselves so i can rely on proper support i guess

If anybody gets their hands on this unit please share your thoughts here, i'm really interested

[questionaire]

Bought the controller waiting fot its arrival! And see if it works flawless together with Bitwig

[questionaire]

Finally the Launch control did arrive! Sofar after a hour of use it seems to fit my needs really well. The extension script seems to be without bugs! Volume sliders are robust and respond well. Endless encoders are robust aswell. The whole unit ffeels sturdy.
You can run in mixer mode and control mode. Scrolling through the device pages is a breeze.

Small lcd screen shows usefull compact info! Rotating the pan knob gives you exact feedback data as with all other sliders/knobs. After release of knob it goes back to for example selected track info.

Really happy with this great looking midi mixer desk!

[Kirkwood West]

Super rad update. I was hoping they’d gone with high-resolution dual pots, but it doesn’t look like it from the spec sheet.

That said, Novation’s build quality really stands out—especially with the Launch Control XL mk2. Every pot is properly bolted into the chassis, and the molded housing is impressively rugged for the price. It’s hard to beat that kind of construction in this range.

Also, props for releasing a full programmer’s reference. Novation continues to be one of the most developer-friendly companies around—right up there with open-source pioneers like DJ Techtools and Roger Linn. Their programmer mode is clean, flexible, and doesn’t lock you into a specific workflow (unlike some more prescriptive approaches—Melbourne Instruments comes to mind).

Here’s the Launch Control XL 3 Programmer’s Guide:
https://userguides.novationmusic.com/hc ... ence-guide

[Dirkitator]

What I find very disappointing is that the LCXL3 does not have a relative mode for the encoders in MIDI mode.

I have written to Novation to see if this will be changed soon, as relative mode is actually standard nowadays. I will report on the answer.

[questionaire]

What is relative mode? For hardware synths i suppose?

[koalaboy]

What is relative mode? For hardware synths i suppose?

Relative mode just means that whatever the current value is, you either increase or decrease it.

It prevents the 'jump' from whatever the value was already set at, to a new absolute value that the control now sends. In relative mode, it becomes a simpler 'increase or decrease'.

[questionaire]

In my opinion it just works like that! I could not see any jumps while rotating the encoder knobs

[koalaboy]

In my opinion it just works like that! I could not see any jumps while rotating the encoder knobs

Was that in 'General Midi' mode though, or a more bespoke supported mode ? If it's the custom-designed modes for the DAWs, then they will react differently anyway.

[questionaire]

I only tested in DAW mode only vst,s controlled and mixer!
I have yet no hardware synths to test

I think daw means bidirectional and position of current values is given to launch control? over hardware synth without outputing current values right? No feedback of current position? And relative means adding or subtracting encoder movement without knowing its position?

Just to get a better understanding of endless encoders! Thanks!

[Dirkitator]

You can control parameters with MIDI in every DAW. This is usually done by using MIDI Learn to assign a parameter to a controller (encoder, fader, potentiometer, button).

In the past, there were no encoders, only potentiometers. This meant that only absolute values could be sent from a controller to a DAW. As a result, there were always parameter jumps.

With encoders, there are no more parameter jumps. They only send +1 or -1, regardless of where the cutoff is, for example. If you turn the encoder clockwise, the cutoff is increased. If you turn the encoder anti-clockwise, the cutoff is reduced.

The cutoff value is not normally sent to the controller. You can only see how the cutoff changes in the DAW. (It is also possible to see this on the controller. This was possible with the BCR 2000, for example. But it can only be realised with workarounds).

I don't have any synths. I only do everything on the computer. That's why I don't know whether synths understand relative CCs.

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