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Why the Novation Launchkey Mini MK4 is the best MIDI keyboard for new music producers
Published onFebruary 7, 2025
Novation Launchkey Mini 37 MK4
Nearly a decade ago, I bought my first-ever MIDI keyboard—the Novation Launchkey Mini MK2. This little keyboard was my gateway into music production. It sparked my creativity and helped shape my journey as a producer. Now, years later, I’m testing the latest version: the Novation Launchkey Mini MK4. After making a few tracks with it, I’m convinced this is still the best MIDI keyboard for beginners. Let’s dive in.
This article was published on February 6, 2025, and this is the first version of the article. Updates will follow as the market changes.
What I like about the Novation Launchkey Mini 37 MK4
One of the biggest selling points of the Launchkey Mini series is its seamless integration with a variety of DAWs including Ableton Live, Logic, Cubase, Bitwig Studio, Reason Studios, FL Studio, and Ardour. Right out of the box, it gives you deep control over your DAW, making your workflow more efficient without the hassle of manual mapping. If you’re just starting out, the Launchkey Mini comes with Ableton Live 12 Lite, virtual instrument plugins to kickstart your production, a 20% discount on Live Standard or Suite, and Melodics lessons that teach you how to play the keys and performance pads using a Guitar Hero-style interface. Novation’s Components software also makes it easy to install firmware updates and customize the controller’s mappings.
The biggest upgrade over previous generations is the 128 x 64 monochrome OLED display. At first, I was wondering why my MIDI keyboard needs a display when it’s already connected to my laptop. However, after trying it out, I was surprised by just how helpful I found the display. For one, it makes it much easier to navigate through the various modes of the keyboard. At the very least, it helps you troubleshoot why the keyboard isn’t doing the thing you want it to. However, the main advantage I found with the keyboard is in it’s educational use. When in Chord Detector mode, the display will show you the name of the chord that you are currently playing. As someone with limited formal music training, I found this a great way to sharpen up my music theory knowledge, and quickly communicate to other musicians I am recording with what to play on their guitar or other instruments.
The OLED display is helpful with learning, producing, and performing.
Beyond chord detection, you can also compose and perform with the Chord Map mode, which makes building a chord progression for your song as easy as pressing a few pads. I found this mode a ton of fun to play around in, and it helped inspire a few new tracks. After selecting a scale, the Chord Map mode gives you a few different chords within that scale on the performance pads that will sound good together. You aren’t locked into basic triad chords either, by turning the “Adventure”, “Explore”, and “Spread” encoders, you can check out dozens of chords within each scale. I can see this mode being a major blessing for anyone who wants to get started making music, but has limited knowledge of music theory.
On the other hand, if you are messing around on the keys, and find a cool chord that you want to know the name of, you can enter the keys into the User Chord mode, and the display will give you the name of the chord. You can then trigger these chords that you created on the performance pads. You can also enable the Scale Mode, which locks your keyboard to a specific musical key, disabling any “wrong” notes. No matter your skill level or musical knowledge, you can get started making real songs with the Novation Launchkey Mini 37 MK4.
What I don’t like about the Novation Launchkey Mini 37 MK4
There is still a steep learning curve to figure out how exactly to use the Launchkey with your DAW. While I tried jumping straight into Ableton, I ended up having to reference the controller’s user manual quite a bit to figure out exactly how I do everything the controller is supposed to do. While I couldn’t find a full video walkthrough for using the keyboard in Ableton, Novation has at least started uploading specific tutorials to the NovationHelp YouTube channel. For now, I do recommend you give the 88-page user guide a proper read-through, you’ll probably come across a few settings that make you go “Oh wow, my keyboard can do that?!”
While the Novation Launchkey Mini 37 MK4 is great for new music producers and beat-makers, it’s not a good choice for experienced keyboardists. Like most compact MIDI controllers, the keys are small and unweighted. There’s an input for a sustain pedal, but you’ll need to buy one separately. Not a huge deal, but something to keep in mind if you plan to play piano-style parts. If you’re a trained pianist, you might want to consider one of the larger Launchkey models with full-size keys.
Should you buy the Novation Launchkey Mini 37 MK4?
For beginner producers, this is one of the best MIDI keyboards available. The combination of intuitive DAW integration, chord detection, and scale/chord modes makes it a powerful tool for learning and creating music quickly. If you’re just starting out and want a MIDI keyboard that helps you understand music theory while making production easier, the Novation Launchkey Mini 37 MK4 is a great choice.
Novation Launchkey Mini 37 MK4 review: FAQs
Yes, the Novation Launchkey Mini MK4 is designed to work with Logic.
Yes, the Novation Launchkey Mini 37 MK4 works with Cubase.
The keyboard does not have an audio output, it only sends MIDI data. If you connect the keyboard and your headphones to your computer, you will hear the audio through your computer.
Yes, you can use the Launchkey Mini with any DAW, though it might require you to do some manual MIDI mapping to get all the functions you want.
Yes, the Novation Launchkey Mini MK4 is designed to work with FL Studio.
No, the mini version of the Launchkey does not have full-size keys. You can upgrade to the full size versions of the Launchkey for proper keys, and even semi-weighted keys.
Yes, you can use the Launchkey Mini MK4 with Garageband.