Applies to Launch Control XL 3 with Ableton Live 11 or earlier on macOS or Windows.
If you're using Ableton Live 12 or later, please see this article: Launch Control XL 3 Ableton Live Setup.
The Ableton Live script and features for Launch Control XL 3 aren't available in Live 11 or earlier. However, you can still use it as a generic MIDI controller by following the steps below. Alternatively, you can install the included copy of Ableton Live 12 Lite for free for more advanced control: Installing and activating Ableton Live Lite.
Select Windows or Mac below to see the generic MIDI controller setup steps for your operating system.
Windows
To set up Launch Control XL 3 as a generic MIDI controller in Ableton Live on Windows, first you need to install the latest Novation USB Driver from the Launch Control XL 3 downloads page:
Once the driver has been installed successfully, connect Launch Control XL 3 to your computer, ensure the firmware is up-to-date (Updating Launch Control XL 3 Firmware), and open Live.
Then, go to Live's MIDI preferences.
Options → Preferences… → Link/Tempo/MIDI
Match the MIDI settings below:
Input: LCXL 1 MIDI — Track On, Sync Off, Remote On, MPE* Off
Input: Launch_Control_XL_3 Input (LCXL3 1 MIDI (Port 2)) — Track On, Sync Off, Remote On, MPE* Off
Output: LCXL 1 MIDI — Track On, Sync Off, Remote On
Output: Launch_Control_XL_3 Input (LCXL3 1 MIDI (Port 2)) — Track On, Sync Off, Remote On
*MPE won't appear in Live 10 or earlier.
You can then manually assign the controls from the Custom Modes on Launch Control XL 3 to controls in Ableton (e.g., mapping the faders on Launch Control to the faders in Ableton's mixer). To learn more about how to create custom mappings in Ableton, see this Ableton Support article: Making custom MIDI Mappings – Ableton.
Mode 16 has a predefined set of MIDI CC (control change) assignments; these can be mapped easily to Ableton's controls using the steps in the Ableton support article above.
Mac
To set up Launch Control XL 3 as a generic MIDI controller in Ableton Live, connect it to your Mac, ensure the firmware is up-to-date (Updating Launch Control XL 3 Firmware), and open Live.
Then, go to Live's MIDI preferences.
Live → Settings… → Link/Tempo/MIDI
Match the MIDI settings below:
Input: LCXL3 1 (MIDI Out) — Track On, Sync Off, Remote On, MPE* Off
Input: Launch_Control_XL Input (LCXL3 1 (DAW Out)) — Track On, Sync Off, Remote On, MPE* Off
Output: LCXL3 1 (MIDI In) — Track On, Sync Off, Remote On
Output: Launch_Control_XL Input (LCXL3 1 (DAW In)) — Track On, Sync Off, Remote On
*MPE won't appear in Live 10 or earlier.
You can then manually assign the controls from the Custom Modes on Launch Control XL 3 to controls in Ableton (e.g. mapping the faders on Launch Control to the faders in Ableton's mixer). To learn more about how to create custom mappings in Ableton, see this Ableton Support article: Making custom MIDI Mappings – Ableton.
Mode 16 has a predefined set of MIDI CC (control change) assignments; these can be mapped easily to Ableton's controls using the steps in the Ableton support article above.