Behringer AQ64L: Open-Source Clip Launcher With 64 Pads – How Much Will it Cost?
DAW Controller With an 8x8 Pad Matrix
Behringer has announced the AQ64L, an AKAI APC-like clip launcher controller. It’s open source, which is cool, but there’s no mention of a price yet. Can it compete with AKAI’s APC line and the Novation Launchpad?
Behringer AQ64L
The clip-launching controller market is hotting up. We’ve already got AKAI’s APC series and the Novation Launchpad models. But here comes a new challenger in the form of Behringer and the just-announced AQ64L. Is there room on the shelves for another mini MIDI controller?
64 Color-Illuminated Pads
Cast your mind back to May, when Behringer accidentally leaked a bunch of upcoming products. One of those was a clip launcher called AQ64. Clearly inspired by AKAI’s APC40, it looked to have an 8×8 grid of pads plus faders and other controls. We have yet to see that one released, but we do now have an announcement for a similar device.
The Behringer AQ64L will have a similar 8×8 grid of pads for launching clips but no faders, unlike the proposed AQ64 or indeed the AKAI APC mini, which this seems to be based on. The 64 color-illuminated pads allow you to trigger clips and MIDI events in DAWs, with scripts specifically for Ableton Live and Image-Line’s FL Studio available.
To the right of the pad matrix are eight more buttons for track control and other functions, such as volume, pan, and send effects, while across the top are four navigation buttons and four buttons for getting to the session view, the mixer, as well as two user configurations.
Note that AQ64L will work as a universal MIDI controller, even with iPads via an adapter. The device runs data and power through the USB-C port.
Open Source Control
As with other recent product announcements like the KICK groovebox and IGNITE sequencer, this new controller will be open source. In fact, the firmware is already on GitHub if you want to start coding it with vibes.
Price and Availability
Behringer has only just announced the existence of the AQ64L but not price or availability. The AKAI APC mini MK2 is already really cheap. (And it’s actually on sale right now on Thomann* for November.) Think Behringer can get it lower than that?
We’ll update this story with additional information as soon as we get it.
More Information
- Behringer AQ64L product page
- More about Behringer
- More about MIDI controllers
- Buy controllers at Thomann*
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