More on console changes for Novation Launchads ...

Greetings all ...

Having seen Andrew's implementation of Launchpads on his console, I thought I could add my own too!

As you can see I have just two Launchpads, and at present they are on the right, whilst my touchscreen is on the left:


The Transparent Overlays shown are for the 67 Stop edition (Full) of the Hereford Cathedral Willis (Lavender Audio), as per Lulu.

You can probably tell that ideally my console would be a bit wider. When I have completed the restoration of a Mason & Hamlin two manual reed organ (1885), I shall design and build mark II of my console, and that will be wider!

From the rear of the Launchpads, you can see the two CS14616 monitor arms:


In order to mount them, I drilled four holes in the rear panel of each Launchpad to match the 100mm VESA backplate of the monitor arms. Four screws than provide an efficient and neat means of attaching the Launchpads, which are very stable and easily stand up to being prodded when playing.

I actually wrote to the developers of the Novation Launchpads (who seem to be based here in England) with two suggestions:
1. that the rear panel be provided with 100mm VESA matched tapped holes for attachment to a VESA mounting;
2. that the 16 round peripheral buttons should be redesigned to match the 80 square buttons, and that their labelling should be removed. This would suit Hauptwerk users, as it is unfortunate that the peripheral buttons are impossible to label properly because the existing labelling interferes with any we may apply. This change would not affect other users as Novation could easily provide a set of stick-on labels for those who needed the arrows etc. No reply has yet been received.

Thanks and regards,

Ken.

What is the advantage of these over a touch screen?

Good question, Rob ...

... and in fact I'm surprised that this hasn't been asked much before.

I suppose the main point is that you are interacting with something real when you wish to draw a stop or select a combination piston. They are something of a half-way house between a stop jamb with fully functional drawstops and the touch screen. Personally I would prefer to have a stop jamb full of drawstops, but that's quite an expensive option (I think the MIDI electronics is quite affordable, but the solenoid switches are less so, given that I'd need about 140 of them!) I may be able to do that when I build my console Mark II.

I do have a touchscreen, but somehow I find it quite easy to miss the virtual stop, or it goes in and then out, possibly due to a hesitation on my part. But I do know and accept that lots of people like touch screens and use them as their primary stop selector control device.

One other thing, Rob, is that it is easy to have Launchpad buttons dedicated to lots of functions:
- MIDI and Audio Record Start;
- MIDI-Audio Record Stop;
- Previous and Next Favourite Organ Select;
- Load Selected Organ;
- Unload Organ (only by a fiddle with Hauptwerk's setup);
- Unload Hauptwerk;
- and Shutdown Computer
without having to navigate any of the Hauptwerk Menus or floating panels.

I hope that helps ...

Ken

Thanks Ken. Are the launch pad touch points physical buttons then? I had assumed they were just areas where a very little pressure was needed with no real travel in which case I couldn't see much difference between it and a touch screen.

Indeed Rob, they are buttons.

However they are all made from a single rubbery membrane which sits under a hard plastic cover, and the buttons therefore protrude through the corresponding apertures provided. There is a definite movement when you press a button which gives you the required feedback.

In my images, you cannot really tell that there are buttons, because I attach an overlay for each organ, printed onto transparent polyester or acetate sheet. This provides a perfect mask for each organ's stop list and other controls. I attach the sheets to the Launchpads by Velcro tabs. The LEDs which sit behind each button can have a programmable colour, which can change in colour intensity or hue when the button is selected, you can show flues/reeds/strings/combination pistons etc in an identifiable colour. Note that colour programming the Launchpad is not exactly easy to do though, and is outside the scope of my thread!

I hope that explains it a bit more!

Ken

Perfectly clear Ken.