Novation 49SL MkIII 49-Key MIDI Controller Keyboard and Sequencer with DAW integration

Product Information

SL MkIII is far from your typical keyboard controller. It’s an all-sequencing, all-dancing hub for all of your music making tools. A centrepiece to connect, control and create with your entire setup. Computer or not. Handling in standalone great, otherwise... meh (I would prefer to be able to program it in standalone mode, their app is a drag). Computer workflows are not forgotten: the template system could also work with some virtual instruments and the integrations with the most popular DAWs are effective. That said, general plug‑in control is diminished in many hosts without Automap. The SL MkIII is a brilliant keyboard and controller! Annoyingly it supports deep integration with Logic and Ableton, and despite trying to see their charms I find myself still preferring FL. Choose an arp type, set a sync rate, tweak the length, and then use the pads to design your rhythms in real time.

The downside was it took work to set up, and relied on local settings files on your machine. With modern displays, and the move towards computer independence and integration with Components, I can understand why Novation would step away from Automap. It does leave something of a gap though that’s filled, or not, in different ways depending on your DAW. A lot has changed since then though; for all its flexibility, the server-based Automap setup now looks exceptionally cumbersome compared to the plug-and-play compatibility offered by systems like NI’s NKS or Akai’s Advance range, and with the rise of Bluetooth MIDI and resurgence of CV, many musicians find that they need more from their controllers than simple USB and MIDI. If you are using a Mac, go to Preferences > Link MIDI. Then, select the SL MKIII as a control surface, and select the input and output to Novation SL MKIII (InControl).

Many DAWs have a ‘smart’ controller scheme that MIDI devices can hook into to achieve dynamic control assignments, without resorting to manual fixed mapping. These generally only extend to the built‑in devices and instruments found in your DAW. For control of third‑party VST/AU/AAX plug‑ins some brands have opted to develop their own plug‑in hosts. This gives them direct integration with their hardware, customisable mapping, patch browsing, multi‑plug‑in patches, etc. And of course they can build in their own sound content store... NI’s Komplete Kontrol and Akai/M‑Audio/Alesis’ VIP are the main examples, but Nektar have also just announced a host. We're going to show you how to set up your SL MkIII with Reason. Please ensure that your SL MkIII is connected to your computer via USB and powered on. On this screen, you can edit the messages sent out by the Sustain, Footswitch, and Expression Pedals on your device: In recent years most new Novation MIDI controllers have been small and square. The Launch and Circuit series are brilliantly innovative; by comparison the company’s more traditional keyboard ranges, Impulse and SL, have begun to look dated. Now Novation have taken the features and workflows they’ve developed for Circuit and Launch, and reimagined what a control keyboard could be. The result is a unique blend of MIDI master keyboard, DAW controller, and stand‑alone sequencer.

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If you are not already, please try updating your firmware using the standalone version of Components. Beyond the sequencer, the SL MkIII also features an Arpeggiator, with adjustable rate, gate length and direction. With the Arpeggiator mode active, the arp pattern can be adjusted by using the 16-pad grid to add or remove steps. The arp can only be used on one Part at a time, but it is possible to change which part the arp is assigned to on the fly, using one of the central rotaries. The keyboard itself offers some handy features too.

Between the well-designed templates and easy-to-use Components app, Novation has done an excellent job in making setup as hassle free as possible, but given how adaptable the SL MkIII is, you’ll still need to spend some time configuring it to best adapt it to your own setup. It doesn’t quite match the plug-and-play immediacy of NIs’ Komplete Kontrol system, but offers much more flexibility for interfacing hardware and software. With the introduction of SI MKIII v1.3, you'll be able to utilise unquantised recording. v1.2 introduced micro-step editing (letting you position notes off the grid). This resulted in minute timing variations. Now with unquantised recording, you can record directly into these microsteps. V1.4 Firmware Update

We're going to show you how to set up your SL MkIII with Studio One 4. Please ensure that your SL MkIII is connected to your computer via USB and powered on. The pitch-bend wheel can now be mapped to the CV output, opening up more expression possibilities for modular synth users and other external hardware control applications. Specifications Then go to the Preferences (Options > Preferences on Windows, Ableton Live > Preferences on macOS) and go to the Link/Tempo/MIDI tab and match the settings below: The keyboard can also be divided into Zones, which can each be assigned to one of the eight Parts, so users can play multiple instruments at once - handy for use as a live performance hub. Up to eight Zones can be assigned, each with adjustable keyboard range, displayed via the LED light guide above the keyboard. While these multi-faceted sequencing tools are the core feature of the SL MkIII, it can still handle the DAW control duties you’d expect from a high-end MIDI controller.