Novation Launch Control 3

Sources split, and the split follows how you use it. Hands-on reviewers and most owners like the 16 endless encoders' feel — smooth enough to fine-tune or sweep — and find the small OLED (plus Shift-to-peek and colour-coded LEDs) a real improvement over the screenless original. A vocal group of hardware and live users see the same controls differently: in Custom Modes the encoders can't send relative (increment/decrement) messages, they respond to how fast you turn them, and nothing shows a value at a glance unless you look at the screen or hold Shift. Smaller complaints recur on both sides: no dedicated transport buttons (transport lives on a mode reached by holding the Novation logo button, which one reviewer found easy to slip out of), a blank strip of panel where a third row could have gone, LEDs whose brightness range is hard to read, and buttons one reviewer didn't warm to.

Broadly a strength. Ableton Live picks it up the moment it's plugged in, with a mixer mode (levels, pans, sends) and a device mode that follows the selected track, and the downloadable Logic Pro, Cubase, FL Studio and Bitwig scripts give much the same control (Gearspace's reviewer had Bitwig running by dragging the script into the window). Anything else goes through Mackie HUI, which reviewers call basic but working: levels, pans, sends, mute/solo/arm, but no plugin parameters. The dissent comes from outside that happy path. One owner found it doesn't play well with Reaper, and one couldn't get Logic Pro to recognise it even after installing Novation's script, so the split is between the scripted DAWs and everything else rather than a general complaint.

The headline upgrade over the old model and the most consistently praised feature. On the back: USB-C for power and data, and full-size 5-pin MIDI In, Out and Out2/Thru. With these it can drive hardware synths and drum machines directly, act as a MIDI interface for a computer or tablet, and merge or forward incoming MIDI (a keyboard's notes, clock) with its own control data. Reviewers and owners report it working well with Novation's Circuit Tracks and with Elektron boxes. The recurring wishes concern what's absent: there are no CV outputs, the USB port sits on the back where the cable stops it butting up against other gear, and there's no power switch.

“It’s very rewarding to see full-size MIDI connections making a comeback here, and improving our chances of adapter-free communication with other equipment.”

MusicRadar

“Novation launch control 3 has five pin midi and works well with Elektron boxes.”

u/Development_Material · r/Elektron

Mostly positive, with consistent caveats. Custom Modes are built in Novation Components, in a browser or the desktop app, and reviewers find it capable. You can name controls, send CC, high-resolution CC and NRPN from the encoders, and notes, program changes and even keystrokes from the buttons, and Novation ships ready-made templates for its own gear and for Elektron, Arturia and Serum. The limits come up again and again: Components runs only on a computer (not phones or tablets), modes can't be edited or MIDI-learned on the unit, only seven Custom Modes fit (the XL 3 holds 15), and a Custom Mode can't hold several pages the way the Ableton device mode does. The bundle (Ableton Live Lite, Cubase LE, plus Klevgrand, Baby Audio and Output plugins) is treated as a nice extra.

“Components app makes re-mapping easy and powerful”

MusicTech

“You can't edit the modes on the device itself.”

loopop (YouTube)

A clear strength. At roughly 25 x 12 cm and about half a kilo, it fits on the smallest desk or on top of an audio interface and slips into a backpack with a laptop, and it runs from USB-C bus power with no wall-wart. A rubberised base keeps it from sliding despite the low weight. One reviewer noticed it draws a fair bit from a laptop battery when not plugged into a charger.

“And it does all this while taking up about as much space as a paperback, which is pretty impressive.”

MusicTech

“you’d think nothing of chucking it in a rucksack and travelling with it on the road”

Gearspace

Generally judged solid for the money. The chassis is plastic (85% recycled, per Novation) with a soft-touch finish, but reviewers say it doesn't feel cheap, and it's a clear step up from the toy-like original. Owners describe it as well built; one Thomann buyer thought it could pass for aluminium. Two caveats: AMAZONA notes that soft-touch coatings often turn sticky after long, heavy use, which a few weeks of testing can't rule out, and one owner found some knobs looser than others. MusicRadar found the design somewhat generic and didn't like the buttons.

“despite the price, it doesn't feel like there's been a compromise in build quality.”

loopop (YouTube)

“Gerade im Hinblick auf die Langlebigkeit sind Soft-Touch-Oberflächen bei vielen Kunden unbeliebt, da sie nach langer und intensiver Nutzung oft klebrig wirken.”

AMAZONA.de (German: soft-touch surfaces are unpopular with many buyers because they often turn sticky after long, heavy use)

Leans positive but not unanimous. The case for it: at about $170 nothing else in its class combines a screen, scripts for the major DAWs, Custom Modes and full-size MIDI ports, and an Amazon owner says they can't find anything better for the price. The case against: it costs well above the $99 Mk2, MusicTech calls £130 reasonable but perhaps fractionally high next to the cheaper Akai MIDImix and the XL 3 for £50 more, launch-thread posters balk at the price for 16 knobs with space left empty, and gearnews readers point to much cheaper encoder boxes such as Behringer's X-Touch Mini.

“I don't think there's anything out there that competes with it on value.”

loopop (YouTube)

“In terms of price, £130 is reasonable, but perhaps fractionally high”

MusicTech