MIDI ControllerOverreview

Novation Launchpad Pro MK3

Name: Novation Launchpad Pro MK3
Brand: Novation

The grid that stopped needing a computer — and the headline spec it still can't deliver where most people work.

17 sourcesUpdated 2026-07-28

$350Typical US price

Score aggregates reviewer opinions across topics.

Check price on Amazon

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

The short version

What to know.

The flagship Launchpad: 64 large velocity- and pressure-sensitive RGB pads, a four-track 32-step standalone sequencer with eight-note polyphony, Chord mode, eight Custom Modes, and TRS MIDI In plus two Outs, for around $350. Sources agree on most of it. The pad action is consistently called the best in the class. The sequencer is the real story — probability, mutation, micro steps, pattern chaining, 16 scenes, 64 project slots and a Print to Clip button that drops a pattern straight into Ableton — and it runs with no computer attached, which is what separates the Pro from the cheaper Launchpad X. Live control is the deepest Novation makes, with Logic Pro officially supported and Bitwig working via scripts. They agree on the costs too: there is no screen, so a lot lives in muscle memory and the manual stays nearby; there are no knobs or faders; and there's no MPE, no CV, and no MIDI CC sequencing. Two things are genuinely argued. The first is aftertouch: it's a headline feature, owners spent years reporting it misbehaving before a firmware fix, and Novation's own documentation says polyphonic aftertouch isn't supported in Ableton Live — you use channel pressure there instead. The second is age. One camp points out that nothing has meaningfully beaten it and it now undercuts its rivals; the other calls it abandoned, with no new features for years. Both are looking at the same facts. In short: still the most capable pad grid you can buy for the money, provided you want a sequencer more than a screen, and don't buy it for the aftertouch.

About this product

The flagship 8×8, 64-RGB-pad grid — the only Launchpad with a four-track standalone sequencer, Chord mode, eight Custom Modes and hardware TRS MIDI (In, Out 1, Out 2/Thru). Not the Launchpad X (same pads, no sequencer, USB-only) or the Launchpad Mini MK3 (simple on/off pads). Despite the badge it's only the second Launchpad Pro; "MK3" marks the generation, not the revision.

Novation's Launchpad Pro MK3 sits at the top of the Launchpad range, and it is the one that broke the format's oldest rule. Announced at NAMM in January 2020 to round out the MkIII generation, it kept the familiar 8×8 grid of 64 velocity- and pressure-sensitive RGB pads and then added the things a clip launcher never had: a four-track, 32-step standalone sequencer with its own clock, a Chord mode, eight programmable Custom Modes, and real hardware MIDI — one TRS input and two outputs, with a wall-power supply in the box so it runs with the laptop shut.

That combination made it hard to categorise and, as it turned out, hard to replace. Reviewers in 2020 were close to unanimous, and the field since has been kind to it: Akai's APC64 arrived nearly four years later without moving the specification much, and Novation has shipped no new features since. Six years on, two arguments are still live. One is about the screenless interface — everything the Pro does is behind an unlabelled pad somewhere. The other is about polyphonic aftertouch, printed on every listing, which took years to behave and still isn't supported as poly aftertouch in Ableton Live at all.

A good fit for

Ableton Live users who want the deepest hardware control available short of a Push, with transport, mixer, device and Capture MIDI on real buttons
Anyone who wants a serious hardware step sequencer and a DAW controller without buying two boxes
DAWless and hybrid rigs — TRS MIDI in and two outs, an internal clock, wall power and 64 stored projects mean it runs the room on its own
Producers who already like the Launchpad X but keep hitting its walls: no sequencer, no chord mode, no hardware MIDI
Logic Pro users after a Live Loops grid, and Bitwig users willing to add the scripts

Think twice if

You're buying it for polyphonic aftertouch, especially in Ableton Live — check your host and synth support it before you commit
You want knobs, faders or touch strips for mixing and filter sweeps; Akai's APC range and Novation's own Launch Control XL cover that ground
You'll only ever work inside a DAW — the cheaper Launchpad X has the same pads and none of the standalone hardware you'd be paying for
You need CV/gate for modular without a converter, or MPE, or MIDI CC sequencing — none of those are here and none are coming
You want a screen and labelled controls; without one, this is a device you learn rather than read

The reviewer consensus

Agreement &
disagreement.

2 / 8topics divide opinion

1 Strong agreement5 Mostly agree2 Divided opinions

Common ground8

The standalone four-track sequencer is the reason to buy it: 32 steps, eight notes per step, probability, mutation, micro steps, pattern chaining, 16 scenes and 64 project slots — and it runs with the computer switched off
Real hardware MIDI — TRS In, Out 1 and Out 2/Thru with three DIN adapters, plus a wall supply — so it drives synths and drum machines directly, which the Launchpad X cannot
The pad action is excellent: 64 large velocity- and pressure-sensitive RGB pads, light and very sensitive, with adjustable velocity curves and trigger threshold
The deepest Ableton Live control Novation makes — transport, mixer, device, Capture MIDI, track select and Print to Clip — with Logic Pro officially supported and Bitwig working through scripts
There is no screen: functions live behind unlabelled pads and shift-holds, and nearly every source says you'll keep the manual nearby at first
No knobs and no faders — mixing and device control happen as virtual faders on the pad grid
No MPE, no CV/gate, and no MIDI CC sequencing; the sequencer records notes and velocity, not controller moves
Well built and portable for its size (268 mm square, 18 mm thin, about 1.2 kg), with Ableton Live Lite and a genuine plug-in bundle in the box

Points of contention3

Polyphonic aftertouch: it's a headline spec and the pads are physically capable of it, but owners spent roughly two years reporting it misbehaving before a firmware fix, and Novation's own documentation states it isn't supported as poly aftertouch in Ableton Live — you use channel pressure there. Whether that's a footnote or a dealbreaker depends entirely on what you're driving
Whether a six-year-old controller with no new features since firmware v1.2 is still the right $350: one camp notes that the 2023 Akai APC64 barely improved on it and that it now undercuts its rivals; the other calls it abandonware and would rather wait for a Mk4 with MPE
How much the missing display costs you in practice — most sources call it a memorisation tax you pay once, while at least one owner counts the absence of a screen as the thing that keeps them creative

A closer look.

8 topics · 2 divided

Left: criticalRight: positiveTighter lines: more agreement

Choose a topic

Pads

Leans positiveDivided opinions

Reviewer sentiment8 supporting sources

CriticalNeutralPositive

Band: opinion spread · Dot: weighted average

The action is not in dispute and never has been: 64 large RGB pads with velocity and pressure, a light and very sensitive response, three velocity curves and an adjustable trigger threshold. Reviewers rate them above the Akai MPC's and alongside Ableton Push's; owners coming from Maschine find them smaller but more sensitive and fully playable. The argument is about the polyphonic aftertouch printed on the box. Owners reported it misbehaving from launch — one Thomann reviewer called it a hardware fault in 2022 — and a Gearspace poster's support ticket from September 2021 was only answered in August 2023, when a firmware update finally let you set the trigger threshold. Even now, Novation's own guide says polyphonic aftertouch isn't supported in Ableton Live and channel pressure should be used instead, so the expressive headline works properly with hardware synths and other hosts, not in the DAW the Pro is built around. Buy it for the pads; treat poly AT as a bonus that depends entirely on what you're driving.

Measured

Novation specs 64 velocity-sensitive pads with polyphonic aftertouch, 42 backlit tactile-click buttons and 106 RGB LEDs. The Setup page exposes three velocity curves, a pad trigger threshold, a pressure mode (aftertouch off / polyphonic / channel pressure) and an aftertouch threshold of off, low or high. Novation's Launchpad Comparison places the Pro MK3 at the top of the range with "the most sensitive pads". Sound On Sound notes the pads were enlarged and the pitch between them reduced versus the previous generation.

vs. listeners — The spec and the launch reviews describe an expressive, fully featured pad grid; a long line of owners describe aftertouch that didn't behave. Both are accurate, because they're separated by firmware. The v1.2 update added a settable trigger threshold — Novation's own words: "Another new addition is the ability to set the threshold of the trigger pads, to find your perfect response, and tailor Launchpad Pro to your unique playing style" — and a later 1.2.x release addressed the aftertouch threshold specifically, roughly two years after the complaints started. The part firmware can't fix is the host: Novation documents that polyphonic aftertouch isn't supported in Ableton Live, so in Live you're using channel pressure whatever the pads can send. If poly AT is the reason you're buying, check your synth or DAW supports it first.

Where it splits

The best grid pads made — light, huge and genuinely playable65%

“They are simply the best grid controller pads I've ever used for playing instruments and synths.”
Sound On Sound

The aftertouch is the weak point — and it doesn't work as poly AT in Ableton Live35%

“Polyphonic Aftertouch is not currently supported in Ableton Live, and Channel Pressure should be used in this case.”
Novation User Guides

Link to this topic

Controls

PositiveMostly agree

Reviewer sentiment10 supporting sources

CriticalNeutralPositive

Band: opinion spread · Dot: weighted average

Everything happens on the grid and the ring of buttons around it, and there is a lot of it. The four-track sequencer is the standout and the reason the Pro exists: 32 steps, eight notes per step, per-step velocity, gate length, probability and mutation, micro steps for ratchets and strums, pattern chaining, 16 scenes, 64 project slots, its own clock and swing, and a Print to Clip button that drops the current pattern straight into Ableton. Chord mode and a Notes view that follows the armed track sit alongside it, and mixer and device parameters appear as virtual faders on the pads. Reviewers rate the sequencer among the best of its kind. The cost is agreed on just as widely: there is no screen, so functions live behind unlabelled pads and shift-holds, and most people keep the manual open for a while. Opinions differ only on how much that matters — one owner counts the missing display as a virtue. What's genuinely absent: no knobs or faders, and no MIDI CC sequencing.

“The Launchpad Pro might be the best pad sequencer we’ve seen yet.”
MusicRadar

“It’s not unworkable, but compared to, say, Push 2 or Maschine, you’ll be more likely to need a manual nearby.”
MusicRadar

“The sequencer is hypnotic and fun to use, and is comfortably the most significant addition to the Launchpad.”
MusicTech

“It has no screen which means you have to memorize quite a lot of functions!”
seiska · Thomann

Measured

Novation's user guide: 32 steps per pattern, up to 8 notes per step, 64 project slots, Drum/Scale/Chromatic track types, playback rate and direction, probability and mutation, micro steps, and Print to Clip transfer into Live. Sound On Sound's only Pro-specific con at launch — "Pro's stand-alone sequence recording is grid-bound" — has since been answered by firmware v1.2's Unquantised Recording, which "lets you record to micro steps in the sequencer"; drolez's 2023 comparison lists quantised and unquantised standalone recording as an LPP advantage over the Akai APC64. Note a stale figure in circulation: the launch review said 32 project slots, the current guide says 64.

Link to this topic

Value

Leans positiveDivided opinions

Reviewer sentiment8 supporting sources

CriticalNeutralPositive

Band: opinion spread · Dot: weighted average

Sources split on whether age counts against it. At roughly $350 street (against a $389.99 list, and about $259 in Europe) it sits well above the ~$200 Launchpad X and below both Ableton's Push and Akai's APC64 — and the case for it is that you're buying a capable hardware sequencer and a flagship Live controller in one box. One camp says nothing has displaced it: the APC64 arrived nearly four years later without meaningfully improving the specification, the Launchpad wins on projects, pattern chaining and custom modes, and it now undercuts its newer rival. The other camp calls it abandoned — no new features since the v1.2 firmware, no MPE, no MIDI CC sequencing, no answer to Push 3 — and points out that if you only work inside a DAW, the cheaper Launchpad X gives you the same pads. The split isn't really about the hardware; it's about whether you'll use the standalone half at all.

Measured

Novation's US price is $349.99 against a $389.99 MSRP, matched by zZounds; B&H lists the full $389.99 and Thomann sells it at $259. The UK launch price was £299–£300 (Sound On Sound, MusicTech). drolez's 2023 head-to-head put the APC64 $100–$150 above it and credited the Launchpad with 64 project slots to the Akai's 24, plus pattern chaining, unquantised recording and eight custom modes to the Akai's one — while giving the APC64 eight sequencer tracks to the Launchpad's four, and eight CV/gate outputs the Launchpad doesn't have.

Where it splits

Still the one to beat — nothing newer has improved on it, and it now costs less than its rivals71%

“Bridging the gap between hardware sequencer and DAW controller, this is one of the best pad devices on the market.”
MusicRadar

Ageing and effectively abandoned — no new features for years, and no MPE29%

“Yes, it’s something I want from the LPP Mk3 as well. I was hoping for an update, but nothing for years now.”
renderful · Elektronauts

Link to this topic

The hardware

Specifications.

Checked 2026-09-22

Playing surface

Pads: 64 velocity-sensitive, RGBpoly aftertouch

Workflow

Standalone: Yes
Sequencer: Yes
DAW integration: Ableton Live, Logic Pro

Connection

USB: USB-C
MIDI: TRS in, TRS out
Power: USB bus power, Power adapter

Physical

Weight: 1,000 g
Dimensions: 268 × 268 × 18 mm

Manufacturer-published figures, not measurements · from us.novationmusic.com, thomannmusic.com.

Follow the evidence

Sources 17

Read with context

Limitations & method.

As of 2026-07-28

What to keep in mind 5

This is a read of where opinion lands as of July 2026. The Launchpad Pro MK3 has been on sale since early 2020, so the professional reviews are launch-era — firmware has moved on since, most notably adding off-grid recording and an adjustable pad threshold, and the bundled software has changed more than once.
Retail star ratings skew positive, since they mostly come from people who chose to buy it. The high averages are worth more than the small samples underneath them, and a handful of five-star reviews is not evidence of anything.
Reports of USB dropouts and pad faults come from a minority of owners across several years. That reads as unit variation rather than a design flaw, but it's the kind of thing worth checking while you can still return it.
How the aftertouch behaves depends on your host and your synth as much as on the controller, so a friend's experience of it may not be yours — check support at both ends before you count on it.
Prices move and the field shifts. The cheaper Launchpad X sits below it, Akai's APC64 and Ableton's Push sit above, and Novation has not replaced the MK3 — a Mk4 would change this picture quickly.

Where to buy Product & retailer links

Novation Launchpad Pro MK3 Amazon

As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases.

Novation Launchpad Pro MK3

How the score adds up

What to know.

A good fit for

Think twice if

Agreement &
disagreement.

Common ground8

Points of contention3

A closer look.

Pads

Measured

Controls

Measured

Integration

Measured

Connectivity

Measured

Portability

Measured

Build

Measured

Software

Measured

Value

Measured

Specifications.

Playing surface

Workflow

Connection

Physical

Sources 17

Limitations & method.

What to keep in mind 5