Three Controllerist Piano Videos

We’ve already seen a good number of videos by Ableton wizards centering on launching samples or clips on button grids like the Novation Launchpad or the Ableton Push, but how do they fare in terms of capturing the sound and feel of an instrument? Can you play piano on a button grid like the Launchpad or the Push like a true virtuoso? With no velocity sensitivity on the launchpad and no acoustic sound-producing mechanism, purists can make the case that controllers can’t be instruments, and a virtuoso pianist will always trump the button-pusher.

That’s what the following videos are here for. Behold, The Flight of the Bumblebee played on the Ableton Push:

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Ableton script for Launchpad and interview with its creator

A few weeks ago I stumbled across a cool script that turned the Novation Launchpad into an Ableton Push emulator. I studied the download page for it real hard in hopes of finding out more about it. And I did! Apparently the script has been around since 2011 and constantly improved and updated since then.
The only issue I had was that it’s creator, Henri David, was just a shadow figure in my mind. However, thanks to the power of social media we managed to get in touch and Henri was kind enough to answer some questions that were burning in my mind.

Below, you’ll find a chopped up video of me playing around with and walking through Launchpad95. Below that video of me playing around with and walking through Launchpad95 you’ll find an interview with the man himself – Henri David.

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Launchpad95 – Play the Ableton Push on the Novation Launchpad

My Launchpads running Launchpad95

My Launchpads running Launchpad95

Thanks to Thavius Beck, I recently came across this cool script for the Novation Launchpad (and its new version, the Launchpad S) that turns it into a mini Ableton Push. It’s painless to download and install, and a lot of fun to use.

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Bandesnaci and the Ableton Push

Time for some shameless self-promotion. However, shameless or not, there aren’t a lot of Ableton Push videos on the interwebs yet, thanks to the overwhelming demand for it and Ableton backlogging orders until summer. Although Ableton are currently showcasing community projects and performances that feature their hardware instrument, there still aren’t as many user videos for it as for, say, the Novation Launchpad.

Meanwhile, I’ve got both of them working together in this nice little video. Enjoy!