Novation Launchkey Mini User manual

Getting Started Guide

Launchkey Mini
Thank you for buying our mini keyboard controller for Ableton Live. It may
be small, but it has everything you need to start producing and performing
new tunes.
As soon as you plug it in, you’ll get hands-on control of your music
software. However, we recommend you read through this brief guide first,
to make sure you get up and running as quickly as possible.
Overview

Get Started
Follow these steps to get up and running quickly.
This guide will take you through each step in more detail, so read on before you start.
1. Check your Box Contents
2. Plug In
3. Register and Download the Included Software
4. Get Ableton Live Lite
5. Quick Configure
6. InControl of Your Music Software
7. Using the Launchkey Mini with an iPad
8. If you Run Into Problems

1. Check Your Box Contents
You should find all of this in your box. If anything is missing,
please contact us.
Documentation
• This helpful guide
• Ableton Live Lite instruction card
• Safety sheet
Hardware
• Launchkey Mini
• USB lead
Software
Your software bundle code is on the back of this guide. This gives
you access to the following software downloads online as well as
documentation:
• Novation V-Station synth plug-in
• Novation Bass Station plug-in
• Loopmasters Sounds and Samples
Get Started

2. Plug In
Take the product and USB cable out of the box and
connect it to your PC or Mac.
The pads will flash briefly to let you know it’s working.
It won’t trigger any sound yet, however.
This guide gets you up and running with Ableton Live.
If you want information on other music software please check online for guides that will help you in more detail.
Get Started

3. Register and Download the Included Software
Go to www.novationmusic.com/register and click Register Your Product
Select Launchkey Mini from the dropdown list and enter your serial number. You can find it on the back of this booklet and on the label on the
underside of your Launchkey Mini: it is 12 or 13 characters long: the first 3 characters can be numbers or letters, but the rest will only be numbers.
Your serial number is not the same as the software bundle code.
Then click “Get My Stuff” to download your software. If you don’t have a Novation account, we will ask for a few details.
Get Started

4. Get Ableton Live Lite
Inside this guide you’ll find an instruction card for downloading and registering Ableton Live Lite. Follow these instructions and jump back here when
you’ve got it running.
If you already have Ableton Live, please update to the latest version to make sure your Launchkey Mini is supported.
5. Quick Configure
In Ableton Live, go to the menu and click Preferences.
From the list of tabs on the left, click the MIDI / Sync tab and you
will see the following:
Click the first drop down box under Control Surface.
Choose Launchkey Mini from the list.
Under Input and Output select Launchkey Mini (LK Mini InControl).
Get Started

6. InControl of Your Music Software
When you have correctly configured Live you will notice that the InControl light will come on. Launchkey Mini’s unique ‘InControl’ mode is designed to
work seamlessly with Live to control the parameters that are most important to your workflow.
Alternatively, if you wish your Launchkey Mini to operate as a standard MIDI keyboard, simply press and release the ‘InControl button’ to turn off ‘InControl’
and switch the knobs and pads back to basic MIDI mode. This is really useful in Live for MIDI learn.
Note: In most DAWs, ‘pot pickup’ is enabled by default. This means that
knobs on the screen will move only when the physical control being moved
has travelled past the position shown on the screen. This helps to avoid
sudden jumps in parameters.
For further information on how to set up Launchkey Mini in your DAW,
see the downloadable User Guide.
Get Started

Get Started
7. Using the Launchkey Mini with an iPad
Connect your Novation Launchkey Mini keyboard to your iPad using the supplied USB cable and an Apple Camera Connection Kit (not included) in the
following order:
1. Connect the USB cable to the Launchkey Mini
2. Connect the other end of the USB cable to the Camera Connection Kit
3. Connect the Camera Connection Kit to your iPad
Why not try the Novation Launchpad app available from the Apple iTunes Store for free.
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Get Started
If You Run Into Problems…
If you’re having trouble, please don’t go back to where you bought your Launchkey Mini. Let us help: we have free video tutorials online,
including a step-by-step setup guide.
www.novationmusic.com/get-started
We also have a collection of answers to common problems here:
www.novationmusic.com/answerbase
Details of how to contact our support team via telephone, e-mail and Live Chat are also available:
www.novationmusic.com/support

Notes

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