Editing is reasonably fast on the Erica Synths LXR-02, but there still is some menu diving and cursor positioning involved. If I were to perform live with it or want to control it in realtime while making drum sounds and beats, which is likely, it would present a challenge. Enter my recent acquisition, the Novation Launch Control 3. In this post, we’ll maximize MIDI Control of the LXR-02  and see where it takes us.

I picked up the LXR-02 a few weeks ago because I was looking for some new drum machine motivation. I liked the look of it, and the YouTube demos were sonically compelling. A few days ago, I also purchased the Launch Control 3 – 16 MIDI Controller knobs in a bus-powered package. I purchased this mainly for use in Logic Pro, but as they both sat on my desk, I wondered about the potential of adding 16 MIDI Knobs to the LXR-02. 

The First Step – can I control stuff over MIDI?

When I wonder about this sort of thing, I always take a look at the manual – usually at the back before the index, for some sort of MIDI Implementation Chart or documentation. The good news was, the LXR-02 did not disappoint:

It seems that apparently just about every parameter associated with the drum-producing sound engines within the LXR-02 can be controlled over MIDI. Reviewing the specification, there’s a few things that I would have done differently when I read the document with my former MIDI Manufacturer’s Technical Chairman hat on. Specifically, there are some controller implementations that edit parameters, from MIDI Controller numbers 120 and up, that are reserved for various MIDI Mode messages. Erica Synths just went ahead and assigned them as continuous controller messages – sort of a “no-no.”

That prepared rant over, in the end, if you are using this drum synth in a closed system and you know what is going on within your MIDI cabling, you’ll probably be fine – no harm done. 

Another inconsistency in the documentation is that some of the voice parameters in the MIDI CC List don’t match the names of the parameters presented on the front panel display, so some careful thinking needs to occur while setting these up. Again, no harm, no foul, really, it’s just something you need to be aware of. Once they are set up, you probably won’t touch them again.

Okay, so how do we set all of this up?

So, we have the list of MIDI Controllers that change parameters on the LXR-02, so now we have to set up the Launch Control 3 to send those parameters, once we make a few decisions. When attempting something like this in your setup, make sure you select the destination parameters (on the LXR-02) that you want to have immediate control over. I created a spreadsheet to keep track of and assist in the setting of the controllers on the LaunchControl 3 for the LXR-02.

There are six voices on the LXR-02 – Drums 1, 2, and 3, Snare, Clap/Cymbal, Closed Hi-Hat, and Open Hi-Hat. My approach was to select my personal opinion on the most “sound affecting” parameters and have those on MIDI knobs on the Launch Control. I built a spreadsheet (which I will share here), that shows the target parameter for each drum, and the MIDI Control or NRPN for each one.

Wait a minute – what’s an NRPN?

Sorry, I admittedly jumped into that one. An NRPN in MIDI stands for “Non-Registered Parameter Number.” In a MIDI device, an NRPN, the target parameter, is selected by an NRPN Message in the form of a MIDI Controller + a number, then “edited” using MIDI Controller 6, which is named “Data Entry.” So it’s a bit like having a single data knob on the front panel of a synth and changing the parameter being edited in the display, except you can chain MIDI messages together to have a single knob turn, send the parameter and perform the edit – especially on well-thought-out devices like the LaunchControl.

So, back to the knob-to-parameter assignments: for Drums 1, 2, and 3, I selected the parameters that seemed to have the most dramatic effect on the sound. I built a LaunchControl map, called a Mode, in the Novation Components app, and copied it twice, making modifications for Drum 2 and Drum 3. 

The Snare synth had fewer and slightly different parameters, adding a noise / tone mix and eliminating the FM modulation parameters. Similarly, the Clap / Cymbal synth and the hi-hats have two modulation oscillators each, so I included those. 

As far as the buttons on the Launch Control go, I only came up with one that made sense to me – at least as far as I use the unit – and that was to program a momentary button to dump the sound to the FX bus when I wanted, instead of the dry Main Outputs.

What’s it sound like with all them knobs?

It’s dynamic, interactive, and fun to have all those control knobs, for certain. There were certain things I did not need to duplicate that were already only the front panel of the LXR, like the volume sliders, as they are readily accessible. There are several other parameters, such as envelope attack, that I also did not give a knob. First, I rarely program a drum sound with an attack time, and second, it’s one button push away from turning the front-panel knob to make the change.

Here’s a beat where I’m turning lots of knobs and making changes:

Wrap up – templates available

In addition to the spreadsheet I built to track the controller assignments, I’ve got the Launch Control 3 Modes here for you to download if you have a similar setup. The Launch Control itself is pretty easy to set up using the Components app, so unless you have an LXR-02, you probably won’t find much value in the Modes. The spreadsheet could be handy if you are building control templates with another controller and another synth, though. In the end, it’s all about using the tools you already have to assign MIDI Controls to the LXR-02.

That’s it for this post. I’ll be taking a look at using the LaunchControl 3 with other synths in short order, so if you are thinking of picking one up, check back soon, or watch our Instagram feed. These will all tie into our Owners’ Manuals for Dexed, K1v, and Logic Sampler, as well as other topics we’re getting into.

Thanks for reading, and hope to see you here again soon.