The Launchpad pro also feels very pro – with an upgrade to the physical surface to a more soft-touch plastic that resembles the Ableton Push. There’s a nice orange shade added to the bottom of the unit, and it sits up a bit higher than other Launchpad products. On the front, there’s a new RGB indicator – we’re not sure what the function there is yet. The Pro is still very lightweight (no official specs yet) and is roughly the same dimensions as the original Launchpad, albeit a bit thicker.
We’re impressed at the amount of functionality that Novation has packed into this thing, eliminating a lot of additional work that some live performers have had to put in to build a performance environment around their Launchpad. (We wish they would have built a great tool for making wild LED graphics, though!)
The Launchpad Pro is expected to lift off into stores sometime this Spring for just $299.