Novation's Launchkey MK4 family has had one gap since it landed: nothing for pianists. The new Launchkey 88 MK4 closes it. The line now runs 7 controllers, from 25 mini keys to a full 88-note keybed, €125 to €449.
Every model shares the same control brain, so picking one is really a question about your hands and your desk. Here's the whole line, what's identical across it, and where your money actually goes.
What every Launchkey MK4 shares
Strip away the keybed and all 7 are the same instrument:
- 16 RGB pads with polyphonic aftertouch. Per-finger pressure on every model, including the €125 Mini. That used to be expensive-controller territory.
- The same creative toolkit. Scale mode with 30 scales, Chord modes with a Chord Detector, Chord Map, and a generative arpeggiator with a step editor, all readable on an OLED display.
- 8 endless rotary encoders plus transport controls, natively mapped to Ableton Live, Logic Pro, Cubase, FL Studio, Reason, Bitwig and Ardour.
- USB-C bus power, MIDI out and a sustain pedal input on every model (3.5 mm MIDI on the Minis, 5-pin on the rest).
- A real software bundle. Ableton Live Lite, GForce synths, Orchestral Tools content, Klevgrand plugins and Melodics lessons.
The Minis: sketchpads at €125 and €159
The Launchkey Mini 25 MK4 (€125, 0.69 kg) and Mini 37 MK4 (€159, 0.98 kg) are the backpack versions. Mini synth-action keys, pitch and modulation touchstrips instead of wheels, 3.5 mm MIDI out. Everything else from the shared list is intact, pads and poly aftertouch included.
The trade-off is exactly what you'd guess: mini keys feel cramped if you're used to full-size, and the keybed is functional rather than luxurious. As a travel writer and an Ableton sketchpad, though, there's very little at this price that does more. The Mini 37 also comes in white.
The core 4: full-size keys, faders from 49 up
The Launchkey 25 MK4 (€189) and 37 MK4 (€209) move you to full-size synth-action keys and 5-pin MIDI, still compact enough for a small desk. No faders yet: you're paying for playability, not for a mixing surface.
The 49 MK4 (€259) and 61 MK4 (€299) are the studio centrepieces. Both step up to semi-weighted keybeds and add 9 faders with buttons, which turns the controller into a real mixer for your DAW session. The 49 comes in black or white.
Launchkey 88 MK4: the missing flagship
The new Launchkey 88 MK4 (€449) is the piano-range version: 88 semi-weighted waterfall keys, the full 9-fader control section, a 128 x 64 OLED, and one feature nothing else in the line has. Two independent MIDI zones with Split and Layer, so you can run bass in the left hand and a pad sound in the right, or stack 2 instruments across the whole keybed.
Be honest with yourself about the action, though. Semi-weighted waterfall keys are lovely for organ, synth and general composing, but a true hammer-action piano feel stays digital piano territory. It's also 1274 mm wide and 8.04 kg, so measure the desk first.
How they compare
All 7 share the 16 poly-aftertouch pads, 8 encoders, OLED display and the same software bundle. What changes:
| Model | Price | Keys | Faders | Weight | Colours |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mini 25 MK4 | €125 | 25 mini synth-action | – | 0.69 kg | Black |
| Mini 37 MK4 | €159 | 37 mini synth-action | – | 0.98 kg | Black or white |
| Launchkey 25 MK4 | €189 | 25 full-size synth-action | – | 1.82 kg | Black |
| Launchkey 37 MK4 | €209 | 37 full-size synth-action | – | 2.18 kg | Black |
| Launchkey 49 MK4 | €259 | 49 semi-weighted | 9 | ~3.6 kg | Black or white |
| Launchkey 61 MK4 | €299 | 61 semi-weighted | 9 | ~4.8 kg | Black |
| Launchkey 88 MK4 | €449 | 88 semi-weighted, waterfall | 9 | 8.04 kg | Black |
Who buys which
Get a Mini if the controller has to fit a backpack or the last free 40 cm of your desk. The Mini 37 is the sweet spot: 3 octaves without octave-button gymnastics.
Get the 25 or 37 if you want full-size keys in a small footprint and you mix with a mouse anyway. The 37 is the better buy for chord players; €20 buys you a whole extra octave.
Get the 49 or 61 if the controller is the centre of your studio. The 9 faders earn their desk space the first time you balance a mix without touching the trackpad.
Get the 88 if you play piano first and produce second: scoring, detailed arranging, expressive 2-handed parts, plus the Split and Layer zones for live sets.
Look elsewhere if you need a true hammer-action keybed (that's digital piano territory), or you never play keys at all and really just want a pad grid.
Availability
The 25 through 61 and both Minis are in the Soundium catalog now. The Launchkey 88 MK4 is on pre-order, with first units expected September 2026, and the EARLY5 code takes 5% off the pre-order price.
Pre-order Launchkey 88 MK4 · €449 Shop the full Launchkey MK4 line
Not sure your desk needs 88 keys? Ask the Soundium team before you order, we'll size you honestly.
Soundium