Edit: No Note Repeat included on the Launchpad Pro - Table error.

This is the video my wife needed me to see.

I'm not sure if its your camera, the perspective it gives, the high quality or what, but you look like a CGI rendered human at 8k resolution

the way I like to think about it is that your mouse and keyboard ARE controllers themselves. learn the shortcuts thoroughly and then you have a universal tool that is ALWAYS available. obviously is has some limitations but ya get what I'm saying

Thank goodness I found out about this vid cuz I was considering in getting the push 2 but my workflow almost perfectly resembles yours and it gave me some insight. I appreciate it man 🙏

Been thinking about getting one. Glad I watched this vid first! Keep it up ;)

Much respect, humble dude and nice video presentation. Thanks!

As a new producer I was pretty fed up with never being able to save up enough for the Push 2 but then realized the Launchpad Pro was a thing, and now I'm here. This video was needed to open my eyes to possibilities instead of having tunnel vision with the Push 2

For a production workflow, I find the mouse and keyboard to be faster. For a DJ job, I think there are more portable devices to launch scenes. But for a LIVE LOOPING environment, well... I think it has no rival, it allows you to be everywhere at once, with great live control of parameters, launch pre-recorded scenes, modify live drums, play PADs and ETC number of customizations.

Push 2 Capture MIDI: Rec+New, Note sustain: plug a pedal, chord modes: practice and win

Great video. I still own my Push 2 but I agree with the points made here. Its become like a gremlin in the room that stares back at me in the corner of my eye and I cringe when I think about using it. Although it has incredible potential, the ease of use and interruption to workflow turns me away from it and I get very little accomplished. The Live program is another story.

This was very very helpful bro thanks 💪🏾

Thanks for this video mate! There aren’t so many videos comparing these two devices. I was having the same thoughts as you about the push vs launchpad pro 3 with my workflow and you confirmed it for me. $50 off the launchpad at the mo too.

Push 2’s been gathering dust on my desk ever since I got it. Ableton is just insanely fast with a mouse and keyboard.

Preach, brother! Great Vid!

My man this was a great balanced Pros vs cons helped me narrow down my choices out there👍🇦🇺

Appreciate this video. I just got a Push 2 controller. I think it's pretty dope to be able to control Ableton without needing to be at the computer. But i came across some of the issues you brought up. For some things it definitely seems just quicker and/or simpler to use a mouse. For instance if i have a drum pattern and i want to duplicate just the hi hats, it's just simpler to duplicate with the mouse in the app. The Puhs 2 always forces you to duplicate EVERYTHING in the pattern instead of just one thing it seems. I have 3 controllers at this point (including the Push 2). I felt like the Push 2 (aside from it looking pretty dope) would give me that hands on control i wanted. Which it does at this point, so im still good with my purchase so far.

My push2 was powered on less than 10 times ever since i got it one year ago( a used one), because I can’t get used to the DAW-less environment. With that being said, i think i will still keep it, because push2 has some cool features like triads, scale switch etc. It does OK if I can treat it as a plain midi controller, rather than the core of workflow.

Great video! I’m still leaning toward the push 2 but I’ll definitely look more into the launchpad pro

TBH, I think it's all about where you initially learnt from. Push2 was how I started, it's the only way I know how to use Ableton. As a result, I barely know any quick keys, and working with the mouse is scary. Often I'll write a melody or a drum pattern with push, then program that into my eurorack system to explore further.

Excellent info for a beginner to not spend that cash when not needed!! Thanks!!

I’m telling you now as a producer who returned a push 2 being frustrated on incorporating it in my workflow. I myself had been efficient on the mouse and keyboard. But after purchasing it again and forcing myself to master it in a month it’s the best thing you could add to your setup. It will take time like anything else to learn the ins and outs of the push. If you put in the time your sound will be elevated! I might have to put up tutorials to show you guys. The only gripe I can say the push should of added is warp markers on audio files, and the hardware LED lights dim when not plugged in the wall. I haven’t tried Novation or other products I’m not knocking any other alternatives. I’m saying the push is a absolute game changer for producers using ableton. You will be rewarded for challenging yourself for learn it.

Great insights, Thanks 😁 God bless you and your family abundantly always 🙂🙏🏼❤️

Appreciate it 👍 very helpful

I agree a lot on what you said, I saw this happening to me when I started buying hardware gear for the first time. Not going to lie, it's amazing to have great gear but sometimes prioritizing workflow and what you do best is more worth it. Great video man !

Now I get why my "Launchpad mk3 Pro" search got your video up 👍

I will likely be getting a Push I do have some hard synths. Using PC Have a small keystep. So I've looked into an Oxygen, Launchkey, and some Arturia stuff, but don't know if I will need all those options if I have a Push. I like the keystep pro for controlling hard synths and it's got 4 tracks, however maybe that just needs to be a separate setup. Should I just get a nicer 49 or so midi keyboard without all the pads and such? Considering I will have a Push? Is it redundant to have a full featured midi keyboard along side the Push Should I get a fully featured midi keyboard and hold off on the Push? Certainly want something that works good in Ableton because I'm still learning it. I'm worried about these keyboards, some say pitch wheels not accurate, some say faders are horrible and so on.... Some have endless knobs, some don't, is that a major flaw? With a regular midi keyboard and a Push, what do you do about faders? So yeah I gotta upgrade from lite to suite, but need to know where to put my money Suite first, or Suite with Push package, or wait for possible Push 3, or fully functional keyboard now and Suite? Maybe a cool hard synth keyboard that also has midi, or with that take me away from nice integration with Ableton? If i do get full function midi keyboard i can pry go up to 500 bucks, but if the ones like oxygen are good, then fine, I just don't want crummy stuff, but I'm also not a baller. Any help thanks....

Thanks, you've helped me make a decision and I'm buying a Push 2! No joke, I really wanted to hear what bothers someone about Push. I don't travel and I love the Ableton integration and the physical knobs to tweak, so I think it will work for me.

Full velocity / accent is not available on Launchpad pro mk3? Strange! May be I missed something?

Thanks for the tip- I thought the Push 2 was a standalone. Curious- with the new Ableton Live 11 coming early next year - maybe a Push 3 standalone will be coming soon?

Love the video and the dog barking ... I've a song I produced in the basement and can hear my dog very faintly in the background on a track which I bet nobody else would know but like a little Easter Egg!

Spot on. thanks.

im a launchpad first gen user, and so i've been considering this for a while. i like the idea of the push getting me off of the laptop, but i ultimately think it'll take so long to get to that point. on top of that, i didnt love the pads on the first push when i tried it.

What do you use now? All your problems seem exactly what I would face if I bought one. Wait I see the launchpad pro. I wanted to pick up finger drumming, chopping in a different way from my launchkey 49 keyboard keys.

Thanks for your insight. Can you play midi notes of 3rd party instrument plugins with the Launchpad Pro?

Thanks for this honest opinion. I've been hovering over a PUSH 2 or an Akai One, but I think you may have swayed me.

Launchpad pro mk3 I couldn't finger drum on mine with the latest update 1.2 I try to flam on it drove me freaking nuts My launchpad X was my favorite midi controller

The music production community is so underrated.

I’m brand new to beat making and production and I just ordered an arturia minilab mk2. I just saw the machine + just dropped and it’s standalone. If I decide to take the next step with music production would that be the way to go?

I had exactly the same experience. I had to give it a try though.

I'm an older guy who came from the hardware era, but I think mouse + keyboard is better most of the time. Am thinking of getting a Novation Launchpad, not sure if I'll go for mini, pro or whatever!

Jon, you made this video on the day I was thinking about selling it to help buy a multitrack mixer. I love the Push, but I don’t use it enough during loop creation or the beat making process to justify keeping it and having it gather dust. The synchronicity here was kind of scary.

Thanks, needed this. My producer nephew said he mostly uses his Push for drums. Perhaps I'll get a Novation and a motorized fader / transport gizmo with the savings. Still researching the endless gear. Next year some new better thing...

I've been looking at that Launchpad to add along with my Push 2 but I have not pulled the trigger yet. Will do soon.

I grew up with a mouse and a keyboard. Brilliant mate, same here. Some of the Ableton push 1 controllers go for a 130 pounds nowadays though.

100% agreed. Just slows you down. Sold the Push 2 and returned the buggy Push 3

thanks for this honest review, i did think surely its much quicker just to use the mouse rather than navigate with this thing so was searching for videos to see why this is worth so much money when there is other midi controllers to trigger things like pads for drums which i have always used... will not be investing in one of these lol

Damn I walked in to this video dying to see what you would say and honestly thinking that you were just going full Keys or something. Then you explained the novation and i'm sold. i will still keep my push cause goddamn it's cool as hell with it's integration but yes man moving that thing around and the lighting being low on usb power fucking KILLS me xD

Push is an amazing "instrument" is an amazing support if you are not a piano or guitar player . if you learn it properly is a game change in your producing skills .. i would recommend it to everyone, beginners or pro. but i appreciate your feedback

I have Push 1 for few years and truth is I'm not using it much in the end. The same goes with Maschine studio. I like or for creating patterns/ideas, but maybe I still need to develop some workflow integrating to finishing the track. Composition is something I've been strugling in general and although I've got lot of patterns and scenes, that made me more problematic how to arrange it in some song structure. When doing everything in arrange view from start, it felt easier. But recently I was thinking to buy Push 2 :)... because I've started to use it more again, but there is some jitter problem with some knobs (they move sometimes on their own without touching them). I've read that some Push 2 users had the same issues.. so not sure again :-) I helped a friend to install Push 2 in his studio and it felt great. Better than Push 1 on touch and general usage (eg. screen dB indicators etc.) .... I guess if I would finalize some workflow SCENE->ARRANGEMENT , I would go for push 2. One producer was explaining how he uses Maschine to create idea for the track. He quickly (around 1 minute) iteratively creating some patterns.. tweeking it.. And duplicate and creates some other ideas... Later on he chooses only some of the scenes to be used in the track with fresh ears decides what are interesting and goes with it to arrangement. I'm trying sometimes this approach... just pressing duplicate whenever I've done some meaningful change. Anyway, push could be great for live acts... still better would be labels on the pads, because I usually don't remember what is where :D I did have live act performance once with it and it was interesting when I've for the first time heard elements of my different tracks mixed together by tapping different pattern pads totally improvising

I make beats in studio one…when I got the final master I play it in ableton and push 2 for performance purposes

Great video and, for me, it's convinced me it's not quite the right controller for me. Very easy to get sucked in to the hype but those are some pretty significant shortcomings for those of us who are looking to use it as a creative tool when not tethered to the desk.

I play synthwave live and I had a Push 2, but it took a drink after a gig in a brewery. That was an expensive pint. I'm now using the older Launchpad Pro, I got it reduced direct from Novation just before the new one came out. It does pretty much everything I need - I can still do dramatic 80s filter sweeps live - and it's more compact and lighter than Push, as well as the fact that it runs off USB power. I love it. I do kinda miss the screen and the encoders - it's always nice to have a knob to twist - but I don't actually need them in my live setting. Nice vid, it's a contentious point to deal with.

A great perspective I’ve also found myself contemplating the real usefulness of the push2. It is a really lovely piece of gear but the barrier is lugging around the Mac Book, sound interface etc. Have been look at the mpc but again another massive fork out! Well it keeps Barclays V12 in business.

As you said, its a personal thing. I have a bunch of controllers, including the ones you mentioned, and more. Must say, Push 2 has great potential and if used well, its extremely powerful. Ive enjoyed mine and will keep using it.

the same. I sold my push 2, and purchased LP Pro MK3

Thanks for the vid I'm been tossing up between the Maschine + vs Ableton push 2. You have confirmed my doubts that the Ableton push is really a glorified midi controller which you can just use the mouse and midi keyboard instead. In the unlikely hopes they made into a stand alone device then it be well worth it.

Do you have to use abelton to use the push 2 or can you use any daw?

bro how do you do note repeat on the launchpad pro mk3 it shows it in the table at 6.49

Wow! Man I use my push 2 daily and my workflow is so productive. I don’t even look at my Ableton screen, as I do everything from my push 2 . I guess different strokes for different folks . Long may push 2 live 🙌🏾

Just bought Push, was a little nervy to click on this but here I am. Yeah, I agree - this isn't the controller for you and good luck with the Launchpad. Me though, I've had Push 2 for two weeks and I am actually in love with it. What I'm trying to do is find myself a route to that 'flow' state. I've always got away with using crappy little LCD displays (think Tascam recorders and things). Mate, the Push just does it for me. With a PC screen I just.. I'm not in 'music' mode. So that's a thing. Plus the Push IS the centre-piece of my studio. I mean, if I wanted to take it out, I'd buy the hard-case but then again where TF are we going rn? Alright back in August was probs safer but now? I bought the Push as a lockdown project, it's taken 2 weeks and it's my main thing now. I'm learning the entire software again from bottom to top so that I can make more tunes that sound better. I think I'm getting there. Good luck to you though, just wanted to put down my perspective.

Im so glad i watched this.

2:25 - AMEN!

I’m tryin to sell mine , do i need to de authorize or get a new authorization?

Dogs, Man!

Does the push come with albeton live ?

But... Push 2 + Ableton live is still the most capable piece of gear out there. even if it's not as portable as other mini controlers. and yes you can still use your mouse and screen for some actions on ableton even if you have push 2.

a decent second hand Push 1 can go as low as £120-150 on sites like Gumtree which is a good deal too

I feel you 100%. Too much hassle.

I have a very small cheap "push" its a Korg nanopad that sends midi to bomes midi software which converts it into key commands like copy paste quantize save find e.c.

someone else just said Launchpad Pro mk3 doesn't have Note Repeat but you have it on your list. please confirm

7:22 “ wow wow wow “ Dogs saying basically you messed up selling Push 2 🐶🐶🐶

If only Ableton would make a Push mini that works like Maschine Mikro for Ableton. Oh and consider a nice gaming mouse with extra buttons for Ableton, also a used Launchpad Pro gen 2 can be found at the same price of a Launchpad X or even Mini, yet it has way more buttons and utility.

Agree 1000% size, travel weight, not completely bus powered, slow browsing and the lack of features available in the arrangement view led me to sell my Push 2. I was hoping Ableton would address some of these issues and we would see a Push 3 by now but Ableton hasn’t been the greatest at solid updates even tho Push 2 came out almost 5 years ago. I switched over to the Touchable ios app and never looked back, maybe ill give it another shot when Ableton drops Push 3 in 2025 lol

I use ablteton and thanks for the clear review... I just want to have fun so i will go for the launchpad pro ;)

Makes sense to me.

I've tried Push 3 Standalone after all the hype. And I have a similar impression, I just don't understand why I need it. It just makes everything slower and less intuitive. Standalone part is also not really what I imagined: very glitchy, only good for basically loading premade stuff and triggering it, it's too cumbersome to create a piece from start to finish on it, the battery life is completely awful (it's drained even when it's switched off), it's hot like hell and super heavy... So I'm in the process of returning it now.

Ableton push2 is not a sound source, not sure why you want it portable? For that get an akai force. Its a beast. Push2 is a surface controller for specific application use cases, like live looping or dedicated knobs for fx. I still search for sounds using mouse. But foremost am a synth player who uses it for scene launching and loop triggering. Not one finger chord playing with pads or browsing vst patches.

me, either. I respect your opinion.

Nice one bruva.

If you just want 1 to 1 control of ableton the apc40mk2 is so nice, and faders. i have the push 2 and i just use it for random things. i dont use it for all the reasons you say. so big, not useful enough, the power cable. i have a little akai mpk25, and the pads are soo much better for beatmaking. the only thin push could do for me was copy paste tracks and step sequencing. you cant even toggle clip/dev or detail. and you can manage instrument tracks and levels in any playable way. but its all adaptation to a vibe. some people love it. on my apc and mpk its a tiny lightweight setup, i pack everything n 2 small bags. and i can jam so hard with my apc/mpk. the push was like a third leg... and a heavy ass one lol

I was an Ableton user forever. Had a APC40 for years and switched to a Push 2 when it came out to release me from the mouse and keyboard for the most part. Tough luck....I found the Push 2 to be too complicated with the way the buttons are laid out and how mappings work. You have to remember way to many button combos. Why are there not more dedicated buttons? Make a button with a primary function name on top and a secondary shift-activated function below that. I got annoyed quickly and used the mouse instead. After all I just want to make music and not think about which buttons to press. This is annoying and disrupting. Also I really don't like the mushy buttons of the Push. They kind of make the device feel cheap is some way. I was so annoyed at some point that I just did not go into my studio anymore ... how I solved this: I ditched Ableton and got me an MPC X. I missed some Ableton features in the beginning but from the start I was way faster making a beat than with this Push 2 disaster. No regrets here.

nice beat

Sold my Push 2 as well (and LP Pro MK3, for bills). Thinking of picking up the LP Pro MK3 again, though. Push 2 is a bit overpriced. It's cool with the screens but so many people use Ableton with a basic keyboard and a mouse... Andrew Huang included. Considering his output and creative genius... it's like the old saying goes (and forever will): it's the musician, not the gear.

I Feel You.! Too many hoops.

Good insight, thinking of getting one 😂 I never owned a laptop so that’s first on the list. I have an MV 8800 so the push 2 would be way easier to carry than my MV that thing is a tank 😂😂😂

Nice!

The Luanchpad got chord mode?! Word?

I'm looking for the "why I got tired of Ableton's shenanigans" video.

Any beard growing tips

You can do chord mode on push 2 .

i watched this video and thought about it for a week and then i caught this at guitar center for 199 and bought it just to have a light weight controller to carry around . i have a push 2 so the learning curve was easy . i must say i love the feel of the buttons , i know it seems crazy to say but this machine just feels right. but dont get me wrong if i had to choose its push 2 all day. mainly because for the sampling capabilities but the chord mode and sequencer mode kills push. so i say if you can afford get both but if you cant afford the push2 new get this and learn the sequencer and chord mode and you wont look back.

Who Let The Dogs Out

I started owning Live 9 Suite, before Push 1 came out. It was pointless for me to buy Push which comes with Suite when I already owned Suite. Ableton didn't really think about people who already owned Suite when the released Push. Also for the facts that it is a Midi Controller, financially it didn't make sense for me to buy Push. I'd rather invest in other gear like MPC.

Thanks bro! I’m a noob it Ableton and DAWs but learning fast. I thought I was saving money with the Atom, but it’s very confusing to navigate. Totally agree with using a mouse! Just requested a return and placed an order for a Novation, and def not wasting money on a Push- thanks again

Jon, you always lay it out straight. Thanks for the no frills review. l gave up mine too.

Totally agree with everything said in this video. Push 2 is a beautiful controller. However, I sold mine because the mouse and keyboard was quicker. I wasted my money. MPC Live is much better for a DAW controller and standalone. For controlling software, Maschine Mk3 is better value for money.

capture midi on push 2 is done with O + NEW

been playing drums for 20 years and keys for 6 and i own V drums, pads and keys, the push just doesnt serve a purpose for me. btw i love your vibe man, cheers from canada

That’s why i prefer Maschine.